It was late. They have been travelling throughout the night.
They were very tired, however very excited to finally be arriving in a new country!
Their hotel was a few kilometers away. They carefully followed the instructions as they were getting close.
At 3 in the morning, no one was around. The streets were empty. Only a few taxis were driving around the city center.
The city was asleep.
The streets were getting dark.
Trees on the pavements and the street lights were dimmed to almost darkness.
They did not know what to expect and started questioning their choice of stay in this new country.
"Bip" the navigation signaled and they stopped outside a dark and old house.
"Is this our hotel?" - asked the woman.
"Yes, this is what the navigation says" - the man replied.
They were skeptical, trying to size up their options. The place looked bizarre, it was 3 in the morning and there were no other options available nearby. Should they search for another hotel?
They looked at each other.
"Let's check this hotel out" - he said, "and if we feel uncomfortable we can search for other options".
"Ok", the woman hesitated.
As they got out of the car trying to get their suitcases, the woman turned towards the hotel door.
The surroundings were dark.The bright light on top of the hotel door was shining their way to the door.
She noticed something moving on top of the stairs. An old man was standing right underneath it!
She freaked out.
"There is an old man standing underneath the bright light. He is looking at us." - she quietly told him.
"I know, I saw him" - he whispered back.
She took a deep breath.
They simultaneously picked up their suitcases.
They got up the stairs, approached him and said hi.
The old man did not reply back. He pointed his figure to the door as if asking them to get inside.
They proceeded. They walked through the corridor and entered a large living room with baroque chairs and tapestry. The old man showed them the large table and pointed there for them to sit.
He walked to his office, got the paperwork and gave it to them.
That was the first time they heard him speak.
A husky low voice, a couple of words each time and whispering throughout their conversation.
They were both looking at each other.
"Is this where we are staying?" - she kept on thinking,
Once all the paperwork was ready, he asked them to follow him to the room.
The spiral stair did not really help them, as they had to curry all suitcases by themselves. He carried the suitcase while the woman reached the top floor.
The corridors were dark.
She entered the room and the old man followed her.
The room was in the attic, large windows and old furniture.
She felt uncomfortable.
She smiled at the old man and kept looking at the door for her man to arrive.
Once he entered the room, the old man in his husky and whispering voice showed them the basic functionalities of the room, wished them a good stay and left.
They both turned and looked at each other.
"What is this?" - she asked him.
"Are we sure we want to stay here for the rest of the trip?"
Her man did not reply back. He gave her a hug and kept on looking at the door…
2026
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