A Hotel Room

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.