Lodge with a Mountain View

The next morning started as any other morning had previously. Peace, calm and quiet. Ronnie woke up and made two cups of coffee, one for himself and one for his wife. It was 6:00AM. The guests would soon be waking up and it was time to make them breakfast. Eggs, bacon, soft bread, hot coffee and fresh fruits. The breakfast buffet was ready. Guests slowly migrated down from their rooms in search of the source of the seductive smells. It was now after 7:00AM.

“Sun’s out, no clouds in sight,” Ronnie whispered to his wife while sipping coffee. Guests lined up along the buffet table and filled their plates. Ronnie and his wife both peered out the window at the enormous mountain view from their tiny lodge. The enormity of it never failed to amaze them, even from so far away.

Guests slowly filed through, had their fill of breakfast, and, after getting appropriately dressed, headed out on the slopes or to indulge in some mountaineering. It was approaching 8:00AM and Ronnie and his wife continued to prepare more of everything on offer and replenish the buffet table.

Ronnie watched from his kitchen window how the lodge steadily emptied out and the slopes outside filled up. The three older gentlemen from last night still hadn’t woken up, he realized. He saved some breakfast for each of them and wrapped it in foil. It was after 9:00AM.

“You know they’re still not awake,” Ronnie said, leaning over to his wife who was taking in the mountain view.

“Who’s not awake?” she asked without averting her gaze.

“Those three guys that came in last night.”

“What three guys?” Ronnie’s wife asked, as she turned to face him.

“The three in rooms… wait let me check.” Ronnie walked over to the reception desk and checked the computer. “I put them in rooms…” Ronnie searched through the guest registry while his wife looked over his shoulder.

“The last pair to check in was that husband and wife, they just left to go skiing.”

“I know they were here; I gave them their keys last night.”

“Ronnie, there’s no one else here.”

Ronnie cycled through the guest registry, trying to see if a name appeared familiar. His wife now busying herself with tidying the reception desk.

“Anything yet?”

“I’m not crazy, I distinctly remember checking them in… they were going to go climbing today, but…”

“Yeah…?”

“It’s strange,” Ronnie said as he shut off the monitor. “They weren’t really packing any climbing gear, but they told me they were going climbing today.”

His wife said nothing but continued to tidy the desk.

“… maybe I’m confusing them with someone else…”

Ronnie went back to the kitchen and dumped out the leftover breakfast.

“I swear they were here,” he muttered to himself as he returned back to work.

Evening came and most of the guests were back in their rooms, having already had their complimentary dinner. Ronnie was sitting at the reception desk, dozing off while his wife was chatting with some guests outside their room. He could hear them all laughing at a joke one of them told. With his eyes barely open, he could see the main door open to the lodge open. He shut his eyes and lifted his tired head from the desk where he was resting it. Barely opening his eyes, he could see three men standing before him.

“We would like a room for tonight.”

Within an instant Ronnie looked like a deer in headlights.

“We will be leaving early tomorrow morning,” another of the men added.

Ronnie opened his mouth but nothing came out. He peered down at the computer and began tapping on the keyboard to wake the computer from its screensaver. He again looked up at them. They all looked exactly like the previous day’s guests who, according to his wife, evidently never came.

“I need a document of identification from each of you,” Ronnie said, stuttering.

Each man placed his respective document on the reception desk counter. Ronnie could hear more raucous coming from the rooms on the second floor. Ronnie thought of asking his wife to come down.