Short Stories
   by Kayla Smith

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 “You cannot possibly believe anything you’re telling me right now.” I reiterated to my freaked out husband. What’s gotten into him? I asked myself as we walked down the stairs. I carried the well-lit lantern as I cautiously anticipated what I’d see. Just at the end of the hallway near our room, was the sight of something I never knew existed. Could it be that my perfectly sane Carl was indeed inside of his mind after all?”

 

Monday July, 15th 

 

 I was the detective assigned to investigate the Inn to follow up on the disappearances of the visitors who never made it back home to their loved ones. Bringing my husband with me for a perspective other than my own wasn’t a question when given the task. Especially since my partner was called to assist with another case in the city of Kismet. We immediately left Bellevue to investigate the unknown.  We arrived just as the small town began closing down for the night. Business owners could be seen closing their doors as residents called their children inside.  The Inn resided on the outskirts of Crenland. It is known to be a small resting place for those traveling a great distance between borders. 

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 Our bodies vibrated as we drove over the graveled road filled with fully dressed trees. We could see the rapid wings of the bats flying about on our continued drive down the dark stretch.

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 “You sure it’s down here?” Carl asked with uncertainty.

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 I proceeded to keep my focus until seeing a light in the distance. We continued our drive until we approached the entry to the infamous Haven Inn. It wasn’t as I expected. The Inn rested at the top of the hillside just above the ocean. I could make out the silhouettes of the cherry blossom trees that lined the driveway underneath the faint outdoor lanterns. Fireflies were also seen twinkling near the bushes where we decided to park the car. There were dozens of vehicles in the small lot that looked like they weren’t  driven in days. That marked number one on my list.

 

 My husband grabbed both of our suitcases and we began walking towards the door. Just behind the desk with a bewildered smile, was an elderly by the name of Roseanne. I gathered as much from the name plate placed on her blouse.

 

 “Mr. and Mrs. Harvey I suppose.” She stated as she fiddled with her keypad.

 

 As she proceeded to complete our check-in, I took the time to study the room as much as I could in the few minutes given. I found it fairly odd how there were photos of families and couples hanging about the walls. There was also a bookshelf in the distance that appeared to have not been touched in ages. Just above the fireplace, was a figurine that looked extraterrestrial in the dark.

 

 “All is well. You two are in room 257. It is just a floor above us.” She said as she eagerly handed us the keys. I concluded gathering my second clue and began walking towards the stairs. 

 

 Our room was at the end of the hall near the  window that looked out into the ocean. As I unlocked the door, a sudden chill made its way down my body. It is as if the room hadn’t been occupied in weeks by the force of air that proceeded to slap our faces. Carl instantly slammed our suitcases on the bed once we fully made it through the door. We took a few minutes to tour our room before going out on the balcony that faced the ocean. It was fascinating how the light from the lighthouse, perfectly illuminated our room. 

 

 “I’ll get the glasses and wine.” My husband said with a smile on his face. I admired his desire for us to spend time together looking out into the sea over deep conversation. However, I needed to remain focused on the reason we were here. I agreed with him that on this night we would have our time, but as soon as morning came around, I’m to conduct my investigation. After showering and putting on our pjs, we sat on the balcony and filled our glasses with Cabernet Sauvignon. We talked about our plans for when we’re back home; how we would start a home project to build a walkway on the side of our house. We also spoke of my possible retirement once I’ve closed this case. After a few hours passed, we went back into our room and slept the night away.

 

Tuesday July 16th

 

 “Good morning Mr. And Mrs. Harvey.” Roseanne said as she saw us turn the corner.

 

 There was a small breakfast prepared for us that lined the wall. We noticed that it was a family sitting near the window enjoying their cups of coffee and bagels. Carl and I fixed a plate of scrambled eggs and pancakes and sat at the table next to them. As I stuffed my mouth with food, I wanted to study the room in the daylight this time. This area upheld a certain beauty while the sun peaked in. I looked at the dusty photos hanging on the yellow wall of what appeared to be couples and small families. I noticed that one wasn’t as aged as the others. This photo was of a woman and man who appeared to be in their mid-thirties standing just in front of the cherry blossom trees.

 

 Her bright red earrings were hard to miss from the distance. I continued to stare at this one photo and saw in their eyes that they were trying to tell me something.  I then looked up at the same figurine from last night and noticed something strange. It appeared to have water dripping from it as if it were plunged into the ocean. “What is the reason for the figurine to be wet?” I pointed as I asked Carl. He looked at it over his shoulder and shrugged as if he didn’t know. I also wanted to speak with Roseanne to see why there were so many cars in the lot with so little guests. It didn’t make any sense to me. 

 

 After finishing our breakfast, Carl lingered behind while I approached Roseanne. “I didn’t formally introduce myself last night. I’m detective Harvey.  I’m investigating the disappearances of the guests who were allegedly staying here. Do you mind  if I ask you a few questions?”  She became eager to answer any questions that I had to ask her. We walked towards the bench just out front and I signaled for Carl to join us.

 

 “Can you explain to me why there are so many cars in the lot with little to no guests?” I immediately asked. 

 

 “Well most of them belong to the locals. Since this city is so small, most didn’t feel the need to have a vehicle anymore. They’ve parked it here as an unofficial storage yard, just in case they decided to move on to a bigger city.” She calmly replied. 

 

 I put a pin in the car inquiry for now and continued with my next question. I asked her if she knew why the guests who came up missing never made it back home. It was evident they were staying at this Inn before disappearing. Roseanne indisputably argued that she had no knowledge of why the guests never made it home. In her mind, all was home safe and sound and the cars in front of us only belonged to the locals. 

 

 “Thank you Roseanne, that is all for now. Perhaps Carl and I will take a trip into town.” 

 

 We parted ways with the employee since she had to tend to the guests and fulfill her duties. However, my husband and I got in our car and drove into town to find answers. As we approached town, cars lined the sides of the street parking near their destinations. Many cars that were said to have no reason to be here. We noticed a small pastry shop owner opening up for the day. It was surely our first stop. 

 

 “Welcome to Puffiness Pastries,” said the young lady. After returning a  proper greeting, I informed her of why we were there. I asked if she knew anything or if anyone’s ever said anything to her regarding the disappearances, but nothing rung a bell. We went from business to business and residence to residence, and still had no answers. After hours of no success, we decided to regroup at the Inn. We sat in the lobby going over the files over dirty martinis. 

 

 “It says that Katherine Suto came here two weeks ago according to her best friend. She was expected to return seven days ago and no one’s heard from her.” Carl stated. It was the most recent disappearance and this was the last known place for her to be. I left the table frustrated and paced around the lobby with my hands resting on the top of my head. There was no way Roseanne would let us into the room she stayed in without a warrant, but there was one place we failed to check. The beach. 

 

 I immediately asked for a flashlight and rushed towards the door and Carl jumped up and followed behind me. We walked for half a mile before reaching the beach. Things seemed normal at first but then took a turn in an abnormal direction. There were still pairs of sandals that were buried in the sand and beach towels left behind. “No one would just leave their things.” I said as I continued my search. Just as I made it to the shoreline, an object stuck me in the bottom of my foot causing me to leap in pain. I quickly reached down to grab whatever it was that stuck me. To my surprise it was an earring. It was a bright red earring that was sure to be the same as the one that I saw in the photo hanging in the lobby. I quickly showed my husband and we immediately ran back towards the Inn. 

 

 “Roseanne! Roseanne where are you!” I yelled ready to demand answers. To our surprise, she was nowhere to be found. We began going from room to room in an attempt to locate her but the inn was completely empty. It was as if everyone just vanished. We were able to go to our room and retrieve our lanterns before the flickering lights finally submitted to darkness. Carl and I agreed to split up in the hopes of finding someone. I went back into the lobby and looked around for anything that could help me figure out what was going on. As I was getting ready to run back towards the stairs, I looked above the fireplace and saw that the figurine was gone. “Who would want to take that creepy thing?” I asked myself.

 

 Just as I made it up the third flight of stairs I bumped into Carl and he looked terrified. “Julia. It’s alive.” He whispered trying not to be heard. He expressed that he’d seen something that didn’t appear to have been human. I immediately challenged his sanity and told him there was no such thing as what he described to me, but I was wrong. Just as we made it back down to the second floor, there at the end of the hallway, stood the being that took the missing guests to the depths of the sea.