Hotel Candelabra: Chapters 28 & 29
Things are happening quickly at Hotel Candelabra as Day 4 comes to a close!
End of Chapter 27:
At that exact moment, the elevator arrived, and I followed Alden and the cart into the tiny space. We could hear the voices of children before the door opened. I was eager to tell them about the upper floors and was smiling when the elevator door opened.
We had barely exited the elevator when the girl on the bicycle rode into it, pushed the button, and was gone.
Day #4: Chapter Twenty-Eight
The girl on the bike could not be found—not in the lobby, kitchen, basement, or any of the other floors. Everyone seemed to understand that she couldn’t leave Hotel Candelabra any more than they could and figured she would eventually appear again. She would not be found until she was good and ready to be found. Yes, we all knew her well. It amused us that she had orchestrated her escape with a bicycle and an elevator.
We left her room unlocked and with the teenagers in capable charge of the children who had been fed and put to bed, the eleven headed to The Flame for dinner and to figure out what to do next.
To our surprise, the child on the bicycle was waiting there when we arrived.
“Well, hello Nine. That was quite the escape. What did you discover?”
“There is no way out of this stupid hotel!” she sputtered.
I had always adored how she stood with her hands on her hips when angry. “No,” I said, “There is no way out, but we are trying to figure out how to make it happen. Do you have any ideas?”
“Well, I have spent some time on the other floors. The children and teens on the lower floor were no help and those on the middle floor were kind of clueless too. But the upper floor, now there are some great thinkers on that floor. They were really trying to figure things out. And whoever got that huge diploma is amazing.”
There could not have been eleven other women in the world who could enjoy and admire this young child any more than the eleven who now stood around the table listening to Nine. Alden, who had arrived with dinner, was also amused. He set an extra plate, and everyone invited her to sit down and share their food.
I asked, “So, Nine, what do you think is the answer to this dilemma?” I then sat back to enjoy her answer.
“Well, for one thing, it is silly that you are all on three different floors. Whose idea was that?” The bookcase creaked, and Alden was gone.
“Who is he anyway?” Nine asked.
We all looked around at each other and realized we didn’t have a clue.
“He told me his name meant ‘wise friend.’ I don’t know why we are on three floors, but he has been rather helpful so far. We wouldn’t all be sitting outside the rooms without him.” I was pretty sure that was true.
“But is he the one who trapped us here?” the child asked.
“I don’t think so. He says he can’t find a way out either. If there was a way that he was hiding, I am sure you would have found it.” This seemed to satisfy the child.
“Somebody told me that you all have clues. What are they?”
“Oh, yes, they are over there on the coffee table. Since we are done eating, do you want to move over there?”
Everyone moved in mass and the child knelt next to the coffee table. She stared at the objects and then in seeming disgust said, “They are just a bunch of little toys. Do they mean anything?”
She listened as each one explained how the object said something about each of them. When I finished with the candelabra, she shook her head and said, “It doesn’t make sense. I am tired. Is my room open? I will go sleep on this and come back in the morning.”
It was then that we realized she could wander about the hotel freely. We watched her take her bike and get back on the elevator and then everyone began talking at once. The consensus was that we were no longer trapped on floors. Everyone could move freely. We still couldn’t leave, but we all agreed that tomorrow was the day when the entire hotel would get to know one another.
And we headed to bed to prepare for another day.
Day #4: Chapter Twenty-Nine
It was a mistake to try to sleep before we made a plan for the next day. A bit past midnight, I was wide awake and decided to go out and find paper and pen to write down a plan. Not surprisingly 68 was having the same problem and was sitting at the table when I opened my door.
“We should have made a plan,” we both said at the same time.
And suddenly, all the other doors opened, and the other sleep-deprived women joined us at the table.
It wasn’t just the lack of a plan that was keeping them awake. “I just don’t feel comfortable with not being downstairs with the children. I am going to do back downstairs.”
“62, I had wondered if your caregiving tendencies would go to sleep up here. Let’s figure out a plan and then you can go down.”
“I am going with her,” 61 said. “The children are brave, but it just doesn’t seem right for them to be alone. “
“Ok, then let’s figure out the plan so you can be on your way.”
We all waited, knowing that 68 probably already had it figured out.
“I think it would be best if the top floor gets acquainted with each other first. What if half of them go upstairs and half go downstairs. Would Alden mind if they used the passageway you used yesterday? That would go much faster. You can lead a group up and take another down. And then the two groups that didn’t move can trade places.”
“That makes sense,” I said. “Alden won’t mind.”
“Not at all.” Everyone around the table jumped at the sound of his voice.
60 laughed and said, “So, you couldn’t sleep either I see.”
“Not a bit,” he answered. “I also realized we didn’t have a plan. This sounds like a good start. Probably good to leave the children more time to acclimate.”
66 spoke next. “I had also been considering the children. Except for Nine, they are quite content right now. Unless she mounts a mutiny, they will probably just play or hang out all morning. We probably should involve her in the plan.”
The sound of a giggle made the group turn toward the bookcase Alden normally used and Nine emerged with 63 who we had not realized was not among those at the table. “Nine and I have been doing a bit of exploring. I couldn’t sleep and was checking out the passageway when I turned a corner and ran into this younger explorer. And then we found an even younger version who had followed Nine.” With that, a small six-year-old peeked out around the bookcase.
Alden laughed as the others stared at the small child. “It looks like you all are going to need to have a little more adult supervision downstairs!” he said.
“Apparently so!” the group said in one voice.
“Ok, so before the whole hotel starts roaming about, let’s finalize the plan.” I was beginning to get sleepy.
The organizer took the hint. “We can put a note on the tables on the middle and top floors to give direction. We can meet again at lunch and make a plan for the afternoon. No need to do that yet since things change so quickly. I will go leave the notes while the rest of you get settled for the night.”
And with one unified yawn, 68 headed to the passageway—behind Nine and the younger child—and 60 and 62 walked to their rooms to gather some things to take downstairs for the night. The rest of us headed to bed for what we hoped would be a few good hours of sleep.
I fell asleep quickly only to be awakened by the sensation of crashing into the basement again. It felt so real that I couldn’t fall back asleep without going to the landing and opening the door of the elevator. Everything appeared to be fine, but it did concern me that I kept having the dream. I would need to talk to Alden about it in the morning.