On a backpacking trip
alone, I stopped at a hotel on the way due to an unforeseen change in the
weather. I was lucky to have carried a lot of money. The hotel turned out to
have pretty posh accommodation and I ended up staying there for the rest of my
7 day trip, a total of 5 days. What can I say, the view was so beautiful.
Overlooking a lake, I’d sit on a beanbag in the balcony staring out at the
cloudless sky, day and night. Stars would fill the sky in millions as I spent
my time in a hotel room in the middle of nowhere. I’d sleep whenever I wanted
to, in a plush bed with feather stuffed pillows, while the television provided
a soft lullaby. It all seemed too real to be true, and I was completely
comfortable with it. The fact that the hotel’s name was Mirage didn’t bother
me. I had been lulled into the lap of luxury by a lake.
It’s a surprise I
hadn’t stayed any longer. On the fifth day, as I sat staring at the lake in the
morning, I noticed a tiny detail. One of the guests who jogged around the lake
everyday had been wearing the same clothes and was in the same position at the
same time as the previous days. I found it odd and decided to get out of my
hotel room. The minute I stepped out of the door, my head spun and my insides
felt as dry as a desert. The heat was getting to my head. I looked around and
noticed the crumbling ruins that once made this lonely hotel. When I looked
back into my room I saw torn bedsheets and a broken television set. I looked
further at the pristine lake, menacingly clearer than a clear sky. I grabbed my
backpack and ran out fast and far away.
It was a rocky road,
with nothing but sand everywhere. Green was a rare sighting. I ran on and on,
the scenery the same on either side. Suddenly I saw a building ahead, a solitary
standing structure. As I came closer, it seemed to be familiar but I couldn’t
figure out why. I stepped in to find out it was a hotel, and was taken to a
lavish room immediately. I looked out the balcony to see a mirror lake, calm
and composed, almost as if it were a placid person. The bellboy said “Welcome
to Hotel Mirage.” I smiled to thank him, closing the door as he left.
