I had no intention of spending the night at that hotel in any case. I’d decided that regardless of my current circumstances, in spite of anything else that might befall me, I would not accept lodgings in that dodgy old shack.

Of course, Lady Fortune & Mother Nature had other ideas. Just as I was about to bolt across the parking lot to my lifeless truck, the heavens opened up, releasing such a torrent I could barely see a foot in front of me. “It’ll pass,” I thought. “It can’t rain this hard forever.” A blinding flash & a deafening crack came in response, as if Mama Nature herself had laughed & cried, “Wanna bet?”

Finally I gave up and dragged myself into the shoddy lobby. I eyed the decor suspiciously; it reminded me less of a hotel and more of one of those creepy Gothic mansions, like in the old suspence movies. Finding no one at the desk, I left a note & a wad of cash and lifted a key off the pegboard. Not the most reassuring thing, noticing your room key is the only one missing.