The Letter

Chapter 7

Mistakes can happen. Like the time I ran late for work because I forgot to set my alarm, or the time I told my mother I was a lesbian;

Me: Mom, I'm lesbian now.

Mom: WHAT. I knew it. That's y u never have a BF.

(My mother fully embraced text language)

Me: Leaving. LEAVING, Mom. Autocorrect mistake! And I do have boyfriends.

Mom: Capitan Spock?

Me: FYI Spock is the Science officer, Kirk is the Capitan.

I'm not sure what was more disturbing, the fact I knew what Spock's designation was, or that my mother thought I was a lesbian.

So it could have been an honest to God, genuine mistake. But the more I remembered the look on pink talon's face, the tone in her voice, the snarky little look she'd given me, the more I began to think that this was not a mistake.

Little could I have predicted that the absence of such a tiny, three letter word like 'sea' could have had such a devastating effect.

The first thing I noticed when walking into the room was the thick blanket of moist, and terribly uncomfortable heat that smothered me and coated my skin with a vile stickiness. The second thing was the smell; musty locker room jock strap mingled with subtle aromas of moldy cheese.

The carpets were in desperate need of a clean, no correction, they needed to be ripped up and burnt. The curtains looked tattered, like someone had ripped them intro shreds in a desperate attempt to escape.

I took a brave step forward. The smell only intensified and I was now aware of a strange dripping, banging, growling, hissing noise.

I heard a loud thud behind me as the doorman, although I doubt you call him that at an establishment like this, dumped my bags on the floor with a large thud. Dust billowed up from the carpet.

He glared at me for a moment or two before extending his pudgy paw. His palm was sweaty and there were some glistening beads of moisture collecting on his upper lip.

"I haven't exchanged any currency yet." I said trying to force a polite smile.

He curled his lip up a bit revealing a particularly coffee tarnished incisor.

"Humph." He turned on his heel and headed out the door.

Oh God what was that sound?

There was a tiny door at the other end of the room and the noise was definitely coming from there.

Note to self; never walk towards strange noises coming from behind doors. Isn't this how all the slasher movies start? Except the first victim is usually a hot blonde teenager with big boobs.

But I did.

Hissing cockroaches and dripping tap? Gurgling sink and mice nibbling on steel showerhead? Donkey trapped in bathroom?

I would have put my money on any of those, because the last thing I expected to see was that "activity" that those two people were "doing" in the shower with their legs up on the wall and the peculiar "item" that looked like an inflatable pool chair.

I couldn't even scream I was so shocked. It wasn't normal. It wasn't natural and it wasn't right! I rushed out of the room as fast as my legs could carry me, grabbing my bag on the way out and slamming straight into the greasy looking doorman.

"Humph." He mumbled again as if he didn't give a continental shit that I would never be able to look at inflatable objects in the same light again.