CHAPTER FIVE ⚜ 23 AUGUST 1926

[Illustration 09] A sepia-toned photograph taken on the opening day of the Red Moon Hotel in 1926.

Bellboys, waiters and kitchen staff stood in neat rows before the entrance. At the edge of the group was a young elevator attendant, smiling shyly beneath the brim of his cap.

It was the same face Ryan saw before him now.

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Ryan watched the needle crawl backwards across the dial. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgGzyR50BWU

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That was when he noticed the photograph. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3jogYWTtfI

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It hung in a brass frame on the elevator wall, in a place where Ryan could have sworn there had been nothing but dark wooden paneling before.

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The photograph had faded almost to brown. Water stains clouded its edges, and a web of fine cracks ran across its surface. A crowd of formally dressed men and women stood before the hotel entrance, each wearing the stiff, unnatural smile demanded by an opening-day portrait.

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A banner stretched above them: 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkXKCq2z0t8

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RED MOON HOTEL — GRAND OPENING — 23 AUGUST 1926 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiwN8fL2aDb

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Ryan leaned closer.

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There, among the hotel staff, stood a young elevator attendant. His cap was pulled low, his white-gloved hands clasped neatly before him.

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Ryan slowly turned his head.

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Same uniform.

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Same face. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyGPhts9vqk

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Not merely similar. Exactly… the same.

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A hundred years had passed, and the boy beside him had not aged a day.

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The elevator boy did not look at the photograph. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡraxXgyWnPS

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“On the night the hotel opened,” he said, his eyes fixed upon the retreating needle, “a banquet was held in the ballroom.” His voice was quiet and perfectly composed.

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“It continued late into the night. Then, at eleven twenty-six, every clock in the hotel stopped at once.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd5p4aEZiYL

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Ryan thought of the clock in Room 626.

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Its second hand had continued ticking, round and round, while the minute hand remained fixed at eleven twenty-six. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXy6PzZVYXK

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“What happened?” he asked. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBsVxJgbemL

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“Nothing.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc99VEsLwFv

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Ryan stared at him. “Nothing that anyone noticed?” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqWj6Svyd2a

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“A fire?” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ6BGFY0ngp

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“No, sir.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRlxswuT9tg

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“A murder?” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYdUcac6l3k

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“No.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE0pHNfFFCu

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“An alien invasion?” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL5Tq0zzt6C

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The elevator boy paused. “……No, sir.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpjsm2ssVCo

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“Then what happened?” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPXiLzoQg3W

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“The musicians continued playing. The kitchen sent out course after course. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH9egawcrgQ

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The guests raised their glasses and carried on with the banquet. No one screamed. No one attempted to leave.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtzOR5hxQlH

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The needle continued its slow journey backwards. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdKw52dNNp3

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“Only the switchboard at the front desk showed anything unusual,” the elevator boy said. “Every line lit up at the same time.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeRWdec8ouF

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“All the rooms were calling reception?” Ryan asked with a frown. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2vyTAk7p93

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“That was what the front desk assumed. But when the operator picked up the receiver, every telephone in the hotel began ringing at once.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgPNAxelQGO

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The elevator boy spoke with unsettling calm—not like someone repeating a story he had heard, but like someone describing a scene he had witnessed himself .

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“…And then?” Ryan prompted.

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The elevator cables scraped somewhere beyond the walls. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3zgMGaj3Ug

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“Each telephone rang seven times,” the elevator boy continued. “Then a voice came through the line and asked a single question.”

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Ryan waited. The elevator boy finally lifted his eyes.

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When he spoke again, his voice had changed. It carried a bright, almost cheerful lilt, mimicking the voice that had come through the telephone. Yet beneath that borrowed cheerfulness was something empty and hollow—and the faint suggestion that whatever had spoken was amused. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMl3URCEDcA

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“Would you like to stay?” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡONQyytMgYz

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A chill crept slowly across Ryan’s shoulders. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVFN7IFCbzw

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“And the people who said yes?”

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“They stayed.”

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“What about the ones who didn’t answer?”

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“They stayed as well.”

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“What?” Ryan frowned. “Why?” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmPb7ijgra7

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“Because silence may be taken as consent.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT4vrl9Rrxv

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“And the ones who hesitated?” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvGTkSUeIpA

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“……”  The elevator boy paused before answering. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡluJsmkfxA3

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Then, lowering his voice to a whisper, he added: 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZxxrNH1rCG

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“The hotel is especially fond of those who hesitate.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyWcaYFDWIw

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Ryan looked back at the faded sepia photograph. “What happened to the ones who said no?” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUkkq7CNkzU

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“They do not appear in the register,” the elevator boy replied. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡon4PF0YcSo

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“They checked out?” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOZlIT6ebLM

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“Perhaps.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkltWJE4Vn6

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“What do you mean, ‘ perhaps ’?” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtJfO5cEiVc

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“There is no record of them leaving.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5r9PmSzvel

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The elevator boy said it with the same courteous calm he might have used to explain the hotel’s breakfast hours. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwa3Y488iGB

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After a moment, he added, “For some of them, there is no record that they ever checked in at all.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzxH5ZLSth8

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Ryan could only stare at him. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc4qGEihgha

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For several seconds, he could think of nothing to say. Then another question came to mind. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrA1SeiM5mm

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“What about those who chose to stay?”

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“They never checked out.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFOND6Saz8A

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“What happened the next morning?”

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“They remembered only that the hotel was still preparing for its grand opening.”

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“That makes no sense. They had already attended the opening banquet.”

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“Some remembered that the banquet had been cancelled. Others believed the hotel had been operating for years. A few insisted that no hotel had ever existed in this place.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiAXo8WV4qR

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Ryan studied the elevator boy’s unchanged face. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLd9bJRv90b

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“Then what actually happened?” Ryan asked. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4G0Vd83jjI

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The elevator boy met Ryan’s gaze. “You are looking at the answer right now . " 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoT0XQB5Nix

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Ryan glanced again at the photograph—the same cap, the same white gloves, the same young face preserved across a century.

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“So time really stopped at eleven twenty-six?”

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“No.” The elevator boy turned back to the dial. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Aq8JQuXfT

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“What does that mean?” Ryan frowned. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzkqhlCXlwW

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“The hotel simply never managed to reach eleven twenty-seven.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡClbpKCHl8Z

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The needle slipped past another mark. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1XhvAyMQyX

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“Outside, the years continued to pass,” he said. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxFNvD1P0VJ

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“In here, the opening night began again and again . Every 23 August, the lights came on, the banquet resumed, and the empty rooms received new guests .” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3BrNk48x5E

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Ryan thought of the figures in the corridor.

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The portraits.

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The faceless shadows gathered outside Room 626. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeSuTKjVk5I

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“…Those ‘shadows’ on sixth floor --- were they ‘guests’ of the hotel?” Ryan asked.

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“Yes.”

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“Why don't they have faces?” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVswcfcDIYY

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“They have stayed too long.”

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“That doesn’t explain anything.”

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“When no one remembers a guest, the name disappears first. The letters fade from the register. After that, the face vanishes from photographs. Eventually, even the people who once knew them can no longer remember whom they have forgotten.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXKYvR2htXW

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Ryan remembered the boy with the ball, the old woman and the little girl. Their features had been blurred, but not completely erased. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ5xyC8DdP9

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“Some of them still have faces.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMhtPeyKTbB

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“Then someone outside still remembers them .” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5eyU8biWOg

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“And when the last person forgets?” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpJUgYfrXTS

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The elevator boy said nothing. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQOcsjPMlPx

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He didn’t need to.

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Ryan pictured the ballroom again: black hands lifting invisible knives and forks, carrying food that did not exist towards mouths that were no longer there.

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“Why do the guests in the dining hall keep eating?” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuZvlMVdIWw

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“The opening banquet has not finished.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuQQLdYMoMI

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“But the plates were empty. There wasn’t any food.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ44nvykMCi1

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The elevator boy’s voice softened. “The hotel remembers that guests must be fed. It has merely forgotten that they have already eaten.”

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Over and over.

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Again and again.

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The same empty meal, repeated forever. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUUdkPRQxwN

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The worst part was not that the banquet never reached its end.

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There had never been an ending to begin with. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgJHFPCANKH

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Those shadows had not chosen to keep eating. They had not chosen to wander the corridors for a century. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJpxositjzj

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The hotel simply required them to continue ‘playing’ the part of its guests. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQWI9sIDWHM

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The thought left a cold weight in Ryan’s stomach. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkK6dxbDLMq

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“What about me?” Ryan asked. “I don’t remember checking into this place.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVc4zcNcSVw

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“You did not.” The elevator boy simply answered. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCfAgaxQ9oz

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The dial gave a faint metallic click.

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Ryan waited. “ Then why is my name on that painting?” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkAmcZrie7K

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“Because Room 626 registered on your behalf.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgJAkX4HB4d

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Ryan stared at him as if the young man before him had suddenly switched to an entirely different language.

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“I’m sorry—what?”

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“The room registered you.”

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“Rooms can check people in?”

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“Yes.”

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Ryan looked around the elevator. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcr9LEQz9vp

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“…….Do they clean themselves too? Change their own sheets? Take out their own rubbish?” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9GACdiyPCO

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“No. Those are housekeeping duties.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWrFjQPQ1Hs

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Ryan opened his mouth, closed it again, then finally managed, “For a haunted—” He coughed. “For a perfectly respectable and only mildly unsettling hotel, you people have surprisingly clear job descriptions.”

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“This hotel has always valued proper division of labour.” The elevator boy replied. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaJbnclCFc5

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“……Of course it has.” Ryan mumbled to himself. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaO6ODDGGlX

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“Sometimes,” the elevator boy continued, “a room knows who will occupy it before the guest does.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq5n7Gjspxc

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Ryan looked back at the photograph.

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His pale reflection floated across its cracked glass.

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Behind it, the formally dressed figures in the opening-day portrait were no longer looking at the camera. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBvxWytN0vq

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Every one of them was staring at him. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQl7LVkJY44

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“Why?” Ryan whispered. “Why did it choose me?” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8iBD62Lvxb

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“You fell asleep out there…,” the elevator boy replied. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ7hMV9uSxm

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“Out where?”

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“Wherever you were before you woke up here.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr5DQQoZMSx

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbxrXCRAJ0i

“What kind of answer was that?”

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU53zH5rjbj

“It is the answer I am able to give you.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3NlnaJjkNP

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkm5Tj1Fxoe

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡasQf9f5JL6

Ryan tried to remember. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ98Oys1949d

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOwXJG7Vxns

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFQcvQhT8Le

Where had he fallen asleep? 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa8FqPDswDt

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnWGvBwp9Y6

At home? On a train? In some unfamiliar room? 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOZi2w8LVcQ

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJP0LvFRqts

There was nothing—only darkness, and somewhere far away, the sound of a telephone ringing. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMo6qBeN7pT

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNKkZYjD8YF

“So I didn’t come to this hotel on my own?” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo4ap1WM4xu

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeTQJOAUyRG

“No.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI7eCoquV6F

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCoJRX0pPrR

“The hotel brought me in?” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZnaMsJ1dvM

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHgFfUa5vTc

“Or perhaps you dreamed your way in.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMKfxlWwnMm

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ83EbtXZDen

“What's the difference?” Ryan asked, confused. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTP6zIMQ7Q1

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ0pziC5si4

“If this were only a dream,” said the elevator boy, “you would have woken up by now.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOeRvMMbqUH

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBTSuX7zSUT

Ryan had no answer to that. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5aPj91vblI

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpcdBNIXfbT

────────────────────── ⚜ ───────────────────── 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsNfPiO0GiJ

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhquj6XouTD

Then he looked at the young man before him and asked another question, the one that had been circling his thoughts for a while: 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2K7UesQakv

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpbTMXRbJkW

“Why are you helping me?” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡspbtq5OubV

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX8athMI3iM

The elevator boy's expression did not change. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDtbHLtHLy3

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR0OQleCqI4

“I am not helping you.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwN7VGsMmVU

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy1vZOZYgls

“You found me a shoe. You kept me away from the dining hall. You warned me about the telephone.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW3LuYUfIhm

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4qM55DtO2S

“An attendant has a duty of care toward passengers who have not yet reached their floor.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2NR4OvW27p

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHvwnxeiEq0

“Every passenger?” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ15QAT5I1Ht

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY3skehMC0t

“…Generally.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNdoZnQLur6

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTA1XFxfC3L

Ryan narrowed his eyes. “‘Generally’ is a very polite way of saying no.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJRRAvTi4ti

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSu8PmmnEED

The elevator boy did not deny it. He only smoothed a crease at the wrist of one white glove. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzId9jUQzIT

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8GRUosT7ru

“Not every guest would think to thank a person without a face—or a thing without one.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaLkL2AjjkZ

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBu0CdutIsK

Ryan blinked. “Are you talking about the sock?” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsW66PUZkML

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeFTmd4FKSc

“That member of staff picked something up for you.”

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6lfuPIw1zA

“Yeah, so obviously I thanked him,”

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLD7yOOcljN

“You also bowed to him at nearly ninety degrees.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjAZZqRZBKm

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Q023AgKbI

“…You don't have to remember it that precisely .”

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5q7MQygQrz

For the briefest instant, the corner of the elevator boy's mouth moved.

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqDTGeR1uyB

Not quite a smile—but dangerously close.

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgN3pcWTyj2

Ryan pointed at him. “Hang on. You were inside the elevator the whole time.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJHy8lhiwIS

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWSsSpbzQRR

“Yes.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbtFYUr1F8E

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMEOdF9tp4q

“Then how do you know what happened out there?” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpVZGj6s2zC

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ycd9LmV1c

The elevator boy raised his eyes to meet Ryan’s gaze and said: “I am always in the elevator.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQRPceyPRk8

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF4er0dchpP

That was not an answer. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXJyliorouv

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcCAaRKuymX

Or rather, it was an answer considerably worse than no answer at all. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkvTB0ndJIe

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkVraXu66RG

“Also,” he went on, “when you saw my face, you asked who I was.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqtjx697HVa

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTboF2JASeZ

“What's wrong with that?” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiKrGB5pAPg

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv97V5SQklp

“Most people ask ‘ what’ I am.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWw0zOFmPQ5

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE0IWJGyZtF

Ryan opened his mouth, thought better of it, and closed it again. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS31JZz2fGd

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe39APf2CRH

“So I answered your question,” the elevator boy said. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuB9xEFIUZu

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBESNbPtb04

“You didn't answer anything. You said you were the elevator attendant.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQvtXKi2B2w

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzaQbp8exr9

“That is a fact.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZksj2ky2gM

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5kpZv3iCyP

“It's a very small part of the facts.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9VwsO5uKut

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDyQ1CgVzwf

“Your question was incomplete.”

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDsHolkarYS

“Fine. Then let me ask again—” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLKFMD22P0f

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMRR19VN82n

────────────────────── ⚜ ───────────────────── 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKO73KauKOX

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCITWbAIEvc

BRRRRING—! 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsUcF0xVQbc

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcJp0cmETnn

The sound reached them from far away, travelling through layer after layer of the hotel. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ02Mj9Ihv1R

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj7wbh2rf1l

Ryan went rigid.

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtM1Gp17dtX

The sixth ring. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwMeOZQkukH

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy9n5qWnsjH

His hand flew to his pocket, although there was no telephone there. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJupYcpnBru

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGsxGrkwjxr

“So not answering it was the right thing to do?” Ryan then asked hesitantly. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBZKpr4EIWa

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSpFSCTCGzF

The elevator boy did not reply immediately. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOo6zDKqSaH

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOtDMbwH0UH

“That note you found,” he said instead. “What colour was the ink?” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpQowW3DLMI

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqnHd8cAkbI

Ryan froze. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIRTj5BReC8

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfhe33adw02

Both lines — When the phone rings,

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGVMQYPxW0A

“Whatever you do, don't answer it. — Yourself” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9HUOBUInmz

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ30lAV7kvMe

And beneath it:

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIpqm42HO7l

“Go on and answer it. — The Front Desk”

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMsGb3VSHMi

Both messages had been written in dark red.

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfmoMEf8O2C

The same colour. The same pen. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzjhGHEHoYB

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡASMwOnjYRU

Ryan felt the blood drain from his face.

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZDGElnCsT7

“The first message wasn't written by me?” Ryan murmured, as though asking for an answer he already knew he would not receive. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8k1kUM2S6M

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs4VLIfM1nc

The elevator boy remained silent. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLC4IOnBiGq

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiTLQp99ITk

“And the second one wasn’t written by the front desk?” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYkf38nTDY6

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVGKqBow5hC

Still nothing. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2dommMa5jE

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz8y0ckRJc6

“Then… who wrote them?” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡndBdYy3wMx

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOsiQKFUo8V

“Something that can imitate your handwriting.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtBdtoEyaiB

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy6m9rfhKz6

Ryan swallowed hard.

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxt8LQtYeTy

“Why would it tell me to answer in one line and not to answer in the other?” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrNCWza1RjE

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzRcECGUCFL

The elevator boy watched the needle run backwards. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEHQb3JA722

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCHLCezU2JA

“Because the hotel does not need you to say yes.” His eyes shifted towards Ryan.

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt4cEhp3PDy

“It only needs you to hesitate …..” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfr40RHbNpw

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkksp17btSG

────────────────────── ⚜ ───────────────────── 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkY8JAup3J2

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ79LLypHJdM

Ryan thought of the shadows in the corridor, every one of them pointing at once toward Room 626. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPq5LRyMKbi

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUsrWvVyyIA

They had not been trying to drive him away. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1UlMGX3oFi

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7r7MohNs88

They had been warning him.

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2bbO6jAubg

They wanted him to return to the room and answer the telephone call—because every one of them had once missed the seventh ring of their own call.

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTYPoIfzoc6

“Who's calling me?” Ryan asked, wetting his suddenly dry lips. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkClLP5r79M

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxJ526l7sc9

“Someone outside who still remembers you.” The elevator boy answered. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL3i8MmZyEW

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM8FZV5vloF

Ryan seized the iron gate. “I need to get back. Take me to the sixth floor.”

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxbrVK6yPgJ

“Take me back. Please,” Ryan pleaded. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Wx1NQVZJa

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn8yTtrYQ3M

“I am taking you back.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcYmtm3SPNn

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6yff0NxGEx

Ryan glanced at the descending needle.

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡchuEnN1JWk

“…But we're still going down!” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeGT0LkYYvg

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnuplhdbfPo

“In this elevator, descending and travelling backwards are not necessarily opposite directions.”

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpPpnjStyqC

The boy said it with the faintest trace of mystery—and, Ryan suspected, an equally faint trace of amusement.

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9HyEptkqK7

Ryan tightened his grip on the cold iron rail. Anxiety was steadily stripping away what little patience he had left.

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡysPPTEQ59N

“How long do I have?” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZFadfmNz1s

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLbJOFXRgEw

────────────────────── ⚜ ───────────────────── 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdcBvEU5S8u

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡodfUrKpnS8

The elevator boy looked at the dial. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjbq7dVhHCs

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7jAe7VYfGr

“The telephone rings seven times.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBYBKf4m3VL

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoJ2FFmWxkC

The needle crept toward the number 6. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrhScUnWqvj

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUh4mcyTvE0

Ryan looked again at the opening-day photograph. Every face in it had turned toward him now. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCKKHqpykRn

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcHhBXBftR4

The gentleman in the front row. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvTfdnR7T6w

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQB6YJ6AJlb

The maid holding a bouquet of flowers. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm8m0qUS5b0

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLx1g9D6wiX

The guest in the tall hat. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0SilX46Qn3

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUO1wviVORM

The chef, the bellboy, the switchboard operator. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYYDLCVIVGn

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡolb620UYYv

Pair after pair of eyes watched him in silence from across a hundred years. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC6K1C7fKD2

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmRxShXANOE

Only the centre of the photograph was empty. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbFuNTRrQXW

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWPrDv6SEZ0

The young elevator attendant who had been standing there was gone. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRDzlcvNVsK

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFB6oGCwcv6

The needle had passed 6 . 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJfurq11OCf

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZRFvXAOmcd

Above the dial, on a stretch of polished brass where there had never been a marking before, a thin line slowly appeared. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYMpQcQL49K

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7EuTOab4c

Then came a number.

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPxs8tqJWhV

7. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡexFwWfC5bu

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsNOhd9xEj1

────────────────────── ⚜ ───────────────────── 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmNKKgHYuXh

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWZ61E6aQu0

Ding. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdUxFxf1Euq

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpfgrzz3rqW

The elevator boy calmly straightened his white gloves.

96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvjqOrnc4cF

88.181.249.5

ns88.181.249.5da2