Hotel-Diary: Argyle

Narrated account of hotel-specter encounter yielding a 'magical' view on travel, philosophy...and distance(s).

A short inspired loosely by The Shining for lovers of travel. Thanks so much for reading, 

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I journeyed back to San Diego (California/Earth) after departing from there thinking forever during my college transfer-exchange program in 1999. I'd experimented in the 'wild-side' of life as an undergrad during this study-experience and came to regret it (personally/spiritually) and told myself I'd never return to that city again. However, here I was back there again, to do a special Travel-magazine feature on the grand new successful Wyndham (hotel) hotel chains/branches, including the iconic/designed 'Wingate' hotels in New Jersey (United States). The San Diego Wyndham was where I was to do this special study for the magazine (good money!).

I got there in a rented/lent shiny silver 'vintage' 1990s Lamborghini which I was to drive there for a special diamonds-showcase inside the lobby featuring the Baron Goldfinger, for a Travel-magazine feature about the allure of modern hospitality-industry amenity and what/how it afforded special investors time-dialogue.

My name's Aldrich Killian, and I'm a lifelong student of human-moves and social dynamics and the luxuries of the mind. I wish I'd not made youthful-errors of spiritual values as a college-undergrad which required me to feel 'hesitant' to return to SoCal for this Wyndham/Wingate branch-feature for Travel. However, as a grown man with other hobbies/activities like Facebook-chess and Christian shorts, I consider myself (now!) a special 'human messenger' of choreographed normal activity on the planet!

I beheld her vision when I was checking-in to my Wyndham SoCal room, and I knew I'd not forget her, one of the finest/beautiful maids the hotel-chain had hired as its newfound 'promise' to deliver excellence in hospitality in North America. Something about her struck me, an I knew I'd have to become her 'friend' in some capacity and eventually disclose my fortunes/intent to marry her --- this unknown maid in San Diego (California/Earth).

After I checked into my room and put my belonging into cubbies/spaces and logged onto WiFi to start writing my Travel-feature about the current event at the Wyndham in San Diego, I decided to enter a few paragraphs into my novel about specters of phantoms encountered by hotel-guests in North America, which I was inspired to do so after 'encountering' this very pretty Wyndham maid.

MAID: Alright, I'll accept this proposition of courtship, and it's because I believe you when you tell me you're some 'prince'.

ME: Great; excellence; I shall marry you and teach our darling-son how to play chess; I'm very good; a 'secret' prince of it.

We made love. That night I wandered around the hotel in bliss when I encountered anything but a 'vision' of life --- but rather, a vision of darkness. It was the specter of a haunting/haunted female apparition, a 'real' ghost/phantom. Was she a manifestation of the intrigue-imagination novel I'd been writing about hotel-specters, borne out of that night of metaphysical passion/magic with my darling new love inside the Wyndham? No, folks --- this 'phantom' was real and wanted me to think that her 'goal' was to deliver to me the brain-cognition of a hard-wrought existence. I knew then...I'd have to put her in my novel lest she haunt me forever. She departed from my view after I whispered to her this 'secret' promise in that dark Wyndham hall.

CONCIERGE: Did you have a 'fine' stay, good sir/reviewer?
ME: Oh yeah...Travel will be 'quite' pleased, good man; and I've met the love-life I'd not anticipated too!

CONCIERGE: Awesome; congrats sir; also, sir, there're hall-rumors you'd had a 'secret' experience late-night in the hall.

ME: Oh yeah...I thought I saw a 'ghost' of some kind, of an eerie dark-haired woman in a night-gown (ha).

CONCIERGE: We'd like to gift you this special flashlight-set sir; it's a 'token' of our admiration for your 'experience' here.

ME: That ghost is a 'known' rumor inside the hotel, then?

CONCIERGE: Unfortunately, yes sir (we believe!); but we hope you keep her 'secret' a secret (for Travel)!
ME: Yes...of course; I'm happy; I've no reason to make fuss/trouble here then (ha).

CONCIERGE: Happy chess-play, sir.

ME: Thanks so much, good man!

WIFE: It's been three years since you wrote your Travel-piece (Wyndham-Cali); worried you're not past the ghost, darling.

ME: I know; my novel about the Shining is almost done; I didn't have the breadth to transcend my actual encounter, though!

WIFE: Oh...I didn't offer the 'right' stuff then, huh?
ME: Don't be paranoid, darling...some things are hard to transcend/forget, not like Facebook-chess.

WIFE: Oh.

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"Money is everything" (Ecclesiastes)