The Graveyard Hotel

I sat in the garden facing the cobblestone path as people passed by. Ever since I came to this hotel, I've noticed that no one was ever in a hurry to get somewhere.

Have you ever thought about leaving?

I did not speak the words out loud. I only asked internally and partially to myself.

Did they want to leave? The way they moved, there was a peacefulness in the footsteps of each person. Like they've come to the acceptance that this was their new home.

And then there was William who wanted nothing more than to return home. Were there others like him?

I turned my gaze toward the gates cloaked in heavy fog. Has anyone else ever tried to leave? I turned to the people as they continued to walk by as though they might have heard me and I was waiting for an answer.

I let my mind wander as I picked up a rose petal from the cobblestone path.

And then there was Clarissa who relied on nothing more than her positive attitude and faith that one day her time to go home would come. For someone who arrived at the hotel surviving a car accident, she was remarkably positive. Even among the uncertainties, she never worried.

For all I know, I could be going home tomorrow.

Clarissa's words lingered on my mind as I let the rose petal flutter to the ground.

Tomorrow. With no clocks to say otherwise, was there such a thing? If time didn't exist here, how could tomorrow?

When was tomorrow anyway? Did it occur when the clock struck midnight? But how could that be when there were no clocks?

Did tomorrow occur when the sun began to rise over the horizon? But how was that possible if there was never a sunrise or a sunset.

I wandered back into the hotel. past the front desk, past the ball room.

It was strange how even without a sunrise or a sunset, there was still night and day. It was night when I arrived and as I lay waiting for a sleep that never came, there was day.

I gazed into the ballroom where a few souls sat in chairs and mingled.

Maybe it was even stranger that even without the sun, there still existed the warmth of a spring day.

I ran my fingers across the gold trim walls. I could almost feel the magic radiating from within them. I found an empty chair just right inside the ballroom and sat down. I closed my eyes and ran my fingers across the luxurious fabric.

This place had everything anyone could ever ask for? Why would anyone ever want to leave?

If the fog suddenly cleared and Corvus came to take me back home, I wondered if I would even go. Never again would I ever get the opportunity to stay at a place like this. I rested my head back as if taking in as much of the luxury as I could. But I couldn't stay here forever.

"I'm going to ask when I'm leaving."

My eyes fluttered open at the sound of Clarissa's voice as she sat in a chair across from me.

"This place has everything, but I'm feeling better than I've ever felt. I'm ready to go home now."

"No one ever leaves here. You know that." I held my gaze on her as if searching her soul for realization.

"We've never seen anyone leave, but that doesn't mean anything," Clarissa said.

I sat up this time and looked directly at her. "No, Clarissa. I've watched those gates all afternoon. No one has ever left. They only arrive."

Clarissa smiled as her gaze moved across the room. "We have to leave here at some point. We can't stay here forever. Nothing lasts forever, right?"

My gaze lingered as I followed hers. I did not say a word more. Behind the steadfast confidence in her voice, despite her smile, I swore I heard a hint of uncertainty.