William Marden About 9,900 Words
(c ) 2014 - William Marden
THE WINTER ROAD
It was raining outside, raining so hard the drops hit the doorway and splattered inside, the wind hurling them in every direction. Goosebumps raced up and down his bare back as the cold drops hit and ran down his skin.
When he tried to roll over to get away from the cold the top of his head came off. At least it felt that way so he placed both hands securely on top of his head to keep it from exploding.
When he decided he might live, he opened his eyes and rolled his head carefully toward the source of the cold rain. The door was wide open.
With herculean effort he managed to get one elbow under him and raised his head up. He was lying face down on faded green carpet. To his left was a disheveled bed, covers thrown back and pillows strewn about.
To his right was a small round table. Two chairs were upended near it. A long mirrored dresser ran to a television on a swivel. Straight ahead and directly opposite the open door was a small room with a large mirror above a porcelain sink.
He had no idea where the knowledge came from, but he knew he was in The Hotel Room, the master template for a million shadows that thronged the land from sea to shining sea. Whether in Boston or Baltimore, Austin or Albany, Miami or Minneapolis, The Hotel Room was The Hotel Room.
He rolled slightly closer to the bed, propped himself up on it with one hand, and hoisted himself to a sitting position.
Again his head wanted to part company with the rest of him, and when he brought his hand back down and found it covered with old and some not so old blood, he had an idea why it hurt.
He staggered into the room with the sink, gripping the smooth porcelain surface to hold himself upright, then turning the faucet on and dunking his head under the ice cold water that gushed out.
After a few hours he decided he was going to live and even felt a little better raising his head up to look at himself in the mirror.
He looked familiar, but that was about all that seemed familiar around him. For a moment there was just a slight chill of fear as if he had awakened from a deep sleep unable to orient himself.
The fear was driven away by a glance into the adjacent bathroom. Something that looked like it had been run over three days before and had spent the ensuing days rotting under the hot sun lay there.
