End of Chapter Thirteen
(The paper with the list is repeated at the end of this newsletter)
They certainly had been busy. I was sure I would have to carry the paper around with me for a long time. For a long time? No, the candles are burning. We didn’t have a long time! Did they also come up with a plan? I sure hoped that they had.
As I washed up for dinner, the uncomfortable memory of the basement lingered.
Day Two: Chapter Fourteen
Once again, I opened a door without knowing what to expect. Except for the table and candelabra, the room had been quite bare in comparison to the previous floors. As I reached for the door, I decided any change would be welcome.
The room that greeted me felt surreal—as if I had been there before. Everyone was looking at me in anticipation and I had no words. The one I now knew was 67, the Decorator, looked crushed.
“Do you like it?” she asked. It was a very tentative question.
Slowly, it dawned on me that, though there were some new things, I recognized many items from the other floors. How did they get here? I didn’t even know what to ask but I didn’t want to appear displeased.
“Oh no! It is beautiful! Where did you get all this?” This seemed like a safe direction.
69 laughed. “I can understand the confusion. We all chose things from our rooms. We had way too much in our rooms anyway. We all worked together to make it more comfortable here since we can all be together now. 67 is pure genius with decorating with random things, don’t you think?”
I could not have agreed more.
At that moment, the bookcase on the far wall moved and Alden appeared. I seemed to be the only one startled by this development but then remembered how 63 had found his secret passageway to the kitchen. Alden had arrived with dinner.
He stared around the room with a similar shocked expression and then chuckled to himself. “Looks like you have all been busy. I have dinner for you. I guess I no longer need to take your food to your rooms. Have a seat and I will serve you!” Alden did look like he felt better about serving than joining us at a ladies’ luncheon.
With dinner finished and the dishes cleared, I began describing what I had found on my tour of Hotel Candelabra. I had the distinct sense that they already knew everything I was sharing but were somewhat surprised to realize that everyone else had experienced the same thing. Sometimes someone would add a detail they thought I might have missed. Occasionally someone asked me a question. When my story arrived back at the ladies’ luncheon, 65, the Storyteller announced, “And now we are all on the same page!”
That was when 60, the comedian erupted in laughter. In hindsight, no one was sure why this stuck 60 so funny, but her laughter was contagious and the laughter began to flow like waves around the table.
Gathering herself, 61 said, “These chairs are getting uncomfortable, and we created a lovely sitting area. Let’s go sit down and I’ll get the wine. We can all have a glass before we head for bed. In the morning, we need to be ready to help 70 figure out what to do next.”
As everyone relaxed and the conversations slowed, I remembered my dream and asked, “Is there a basement?”
I instantly regretted the question.
Day Two: Chapter Fifteen
My question about there being a basement hung in the air. The candles flickered as 60 began crying, ran to the bedroom, and slammed the door.
“You didn’t know,” 69 said. “Don’t feel bad. She will be OK. Her story is buried in the basement. She knows it is there, but she just can’t face it. That is why she laughs—there is just too much pain. We all know what the story is, but she is the only one who can go there and find it for herself. Until today, none of us even knew how to get there.”
“Yeah,” 62, the Explorer said. “When I found the secret passageway to the kitchen, I saw the door to the basement. It has a lock on it so I couldn’t open it. I think that she has the key but didn’t know what it went to. She looked worried when I returned and talked about the basement door.”
“How did you know it led to the basement?”
66, the problem solver laughed loudly. “Everything doesn’t have to be complicated. Some problems are easy to solve. Tell her.”
62 snickered, “There was a sign on the door that said basement.”
“Well, at least something was simple today,” I said with a laugh.
Then, looking around the circle, I said, “Let’s all sleep on it, but do you think whatever is in the basement is why we are all stuck here in Hotel Candelabra?”
The looks the eight women gave to each other told me they had also considered this as a possibility.
“Well, I asked because during my nap I dreamed that the elevator crashed into the basement. A stairway in a secret passageway is a much better way to get there. Knowing where the door is located is helpful.”
If only it had been that simple.
