“We’re really staying here?” Dion asked, sounding a little confused.
“Yeah,” Dad said. “Pretty cool, isn’t it?”
“This big of a place and they don’t have an indoor pool?” Dion said unsatisfied. “Couldn’t we stay somewhere else?”
Dad sighed as he parked the rental car near the front.
“I tried,” Dad said. “But everything else is booked. So, the Walters crew gets to stay in the fanciest hotel in town.”
“More like the United States,” Jayla said. “This place is insane.”
“Oh, there are fancier places,” Dad said, turning off the engine. “In New York, Las Vegas, places like that. If they ever get a lot of storms and need emergency landscaping done, maybe we’ll stay there. But for now? The Stanley is our home for the week.”
“What’s up, Stanley?” Dion said, laughing at his own joke.
Oh boy, Jayla thought. It’s going to be a long week with this kid.
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As impressed as Jayla was with the outside of the hotel, the inside blew her away.
“This is the fanciest place I’ve ever seen in my life,” Dion whispered, clutching his book to his chest.
Jayla walked slowly around the lobby as their dad went to the front desk to get them checked in. Carved, ornate arches framed the doorways. The sun shone through front windows on beautiful hardwood floors. A carpeted staircase that branched into two separate sets of steps stood next to the check-in desk.
“Check out these chairs,” Dion said, plopping down on a plush leather chair.
“Dion,” Jayla whispered. “I don’t think you’re supposed to sit on those.”
“Why are you whispering?” Dion said. “We’re not in a library.”
He’s right, Jayla realized. There was something about the place that made her feel like she had to be quiet. She couldn’t explain it. Jayla wondered if it was because she felt like she didn’t belong there. Her family wasn’t fancy at all. It felt weird to be in a place as nice as The Stanley Hotel.
“Just be careful,” Jayla said. “Everything just seems really old.”
An older man and woman laughed to themselves as they walked over to the windows to look out over Estes Park. The floor creaked under their feet as they walked.
“Okay, guys,” Dad said as he headed their way. “We’re all set. Got the last room in the place. We’re in Room 217.”
Though there weren’t a lot of people in the lobby, they all seemed to go quiet at the same time. Jayla saw the man and woman at the window whisper to each other. The man looked over his shoulder at them and raised his eyebrows.
“You’re in for an interesting night,” the man said with a chuckle. His wife smacked his shoulder.
“Howard,” she blurted. “Stop that.”
And just like that, the two of them walked away. Jayla looked at her brother and dad, but neither of them seemed to notice. They were too busy messing with their suitcases.
“Let’s go, Jay,” Dion said.
Jayla nodded and looked around the lobby again before following her family to the fancy staircase. The wheels on her luggage made light clicking sounds on the hardwood floor.
Interesting night? What did those old people mean?
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At the end of the hallway was Room 217. Their dad inserted the key and the electronic mechanism turned the light on the door handle green. It unlocked with a click. A moment later, her dad swung the door open. At first glance, Jayla knew it was going to be trouble.
“Dad,” Dion whined, walking into the room and letting his suitcase fall to the floor. “There’s only one bed.”
“Yeah, about that,” Dad began wheeling his own bag to the side of the bed. “We’re going to have to make do.”
“Seriously, Dad?” Jayla asked, shaking her head. “You don’t expect us all to sleep in one bed, do you?”
“No, no,” Dad said.
“Because he makes noises in his sleep,” Jayla continued, not hearing him. “It’s like sleeping near a wild animal.”
“I do not!” Dion shouted. “At least I don’t fart in my sleep!”
“What?” Jayla cried.
“Hey, hey,” Dad said, raising his voice. “That’s enough of that! We’re not going to cram all three of us in the bed. There’s no way that’s going to fly. The front desk is going to bring a cot for me to sleep in.”
“Can’t we just stay somewhere else?” Jayla asked. “I don’t know why, but this old place kind of gives me the creeps. It’s just so fancy and . . .” her voice trailed off as she looked around the ornate room.
“This is it,” Dad said. “Last place in town, so we have to make it work. You two have the nice bed, so learn how to get along.”
Jayla wanted to say more, but kept her mouth shut. The trip wasn’t ideal, but she owed it to her dad to at least try and make things work. She moved her suitcase to the side of the room where there was a small fabric-covered chair in the corner.
Dion went to use the bathroom while her dad sat on the edge of the bed to check a text message. Jayla sat on the chair and kicked off her shoes. The bed had huge posts on every corner, there was a flat-screen TV on one of the dressers, and small tables were placed on each side of the bed. The table legs looked like they could’ve come off a wooden dog.
Jayla stood up and turned to look out the window. She could see bits of the red roof of the hotel through melted patches in the snow. She scanned the beautiful snow-topped mountains surrounding the small town. She wondered where her dad was going to have to work to help fix the trails.
“Early start tomorrow,” Dad said. Jayla turned to see him shaking his head at his phone. “I guess I shouldn’t complain. Work is work, right?”
“Definitely,” Jayla said. She looked down to the floor. A chill raced up her back.
Where were her shoes? To her surprise, they were no longer on the floor by the chair but placed neatly against the wall near the bathroom door.
A moment later, the toilet flushed and Dion came out, wiping his hands on his jeans.
“What happened to you, Jay?” he asked, staring at his older sister.
Jayla didn’t say anything, but instead looked over to her dad, still texting with whoever was in charge of the landscaping work he needed to do.
Neither of them could have moved my shoes, Jayla thought, feeling her heart thump a little harder in her ribs. And if they didn’t, and I didn’t . . . then who did?
“Okay,” Dad said, snapping Jayla out of her thoughts. “Let’s figure out the food situation in this town. Who’s hungry?”
Dion answered quickly and Jayla grabbed her shoes. She was suddenly very eager to get out of that room.
Chapter 3
The Visitor
For dinner that night, the Walters stopped at a place near their hotel for New York–style pizza.
“What’s wrong with Colorado-style pizza?” Dion asked.
“I don’t think there is such a thing,” Jayla replied, looking over the top of her menu at her brother.
“There is,” Dad said. “But it’s got little bits of rock and pine needles in it.”
Dion set his menu down for a moment and looked at his dad. “Are you serious?”
Dad shrugged and pretended to look at the menu some more, while Jayla shook her head and laughed.
“He’s messing with you,” she said. “Like Colorado-style means they put bits of the mountain and pine cones in every slice.”
“Yeah, no thanks,” Dion said. “I like extra cheese, hold the gravel.”
When dinner was over, the three of them headed across the parking lot toward their rental car. It was already dark, even though it was early in the evening.
“Do we have to go back?” Jayla asked as she climbed in. She could see The Sta
nley Hotel up on the hill. The front of the building was lit up, giving it an eerie, yellow glow.
“You don’t like the hotel?” Dad asked. “It’s really the nicest place in town.”
Jayla had to think about what to say. She couldn’t tell them that her shoes had mysteriously moved across the room on their own. Her dad would think she’s losing her mind. Even worse, it would probably scare Dion.
“We’re just going to be stuck in the hotel for the week,” Jayla said. “It’d be nice to stay out as long as we can.”
“I know,” Dad said, buckling his seatbelt. “But we didn’t get much sleep last night and I’ve got an early morning tomorrow. I need to get as much rest as I can.”
“I’m pretty worn out too, Dad,” Dion said.
“It’s been a big day for all of us,” Dad said as he started the car. “We could all use some shut-eye.”
“Okay,” Jayla agreed. She took a deep breath. Let’s hope I can actually rest in that place, she thought.
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Around 10:30 p.m., everyone but Jayla was asleep in Room 217. She had the lamp beside the bed on, hoping that would help keep her from getting creeped out. Dion shifted on his side of the bed a little and grumbled.
“Can you turn that light off?” he whispered, half awake.
Jayla looked around the room one last time. Her dad was sleeping on the little cot off to the right, near Dion’s side of the bed. The bathroom door was closed and it didn’t seem like there was anything strange about the room.
She reached over and turned off the light. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she lay very still and listened. There were only the sounds of her dad lightly snoring and the occasional creak of his cot.
There’s nothing to be afraid of, Jayla thought. Maybe Dion moved the shoes. Maybe I did and just didn’t remember.
Jayla told herself that over and over until her eyes got heavy. She glanced at the closed bathroom door one more time before her eyes slipped shut and she fell asleep.
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Cold.
Despite having a pretty heavy comforter on the bed, Jayla was cold. She opened her eyes, fairly certain that her little brother had rolled himself up in the thick blanket. A second later, she realized that wasn’t the case. She had plenty of covers on her side of the bed.
The room was cold.
Jayla sat up slightly and nearly shrieked at what she saw.
There was a woman in their room.
Before Jayla could move or make a sound, the woman walked toward her side of the bed until she was standing almost next to her. Waves of cold and terror washed over Jayla as she slipped her face under the covers. She considered covering herself completely to hide, but couldn’t. Something inside her told her that she needed to watch this woman.
She’s a ghost, Jayla thought. There’s a ghost in our room!
Everything in her wanted to throw the light on and scream to wake her dad and brother up, but she couldn’t. Though she’d never been paralyzed and didn’t know exactly what that was like, that’s how she felt. She was stuck.
As her pounding heart threatened to burst, Jayla noticed something different about the lady. Jayla could see right through her to the door on the other side of the room. Even so, she could make out the clothes the lady was wearing. It looked like an old-time maid’s uniform. She wore a dark long-sleeved dress with white straps that connected to an apron around her waist. On top of her head was a white bonnet-like hat.
The maid didn’t look at Jayla, which made it a little easier for her to watch the mysterious visitor, but not much. Even though the figure didn’t seem to want to harm her, Jayla was afraid to look away. The woman’s dark eyes looked ahead to the wall next to the bed, and Jayla could make out some of the details in her face. She was a younger lady, probably in her mid-twenties. Her eyes seemed empty and her mouth held tight as if she was concentrating on something.
Please don’t hurt us, Jayla thought, shivering under her heavy blankets.
She watched as the maid reached her hand up to the wall, holding it there a moment. The maid then turned and walked back toward the door to the hallway, but paused halfway in between. She crouched down and Jayla held her breath.
She’s going under the bed, she thought. The ghost is going to hide under the bed and get us when I’m asleep again.
Before Jayla could even think to scream, the maid stood up again. She brushed her skirt straight with her hands and walked out, passing through the closed door.
The room was silent and still. Jayla exhaled, realizing how long she’d held her breath. After a moment, the chill in the air dissipated and it seemed like the world, at least the world inside of Room 217, went back to normal.
Dion grunted a little and flipped over to his side. Her dad’s soft snores drifted through the darkness. Jayla was pretty sure she could hear her heart rapidly drum the inside of her ribcage.
She lay there motionless, afraid to move or do anything short of breathing. What would happen if she got up? If she woke up her dad to let him know what she’d seen, would the ghostly maid come back? Could she hurt them somehow?
I hate this place, Jayla decided. She’d had an uneasy feeling about the hotel before, but just then, she realized why. It was haunted and they were stuck there for the whole week.
At night, Dion sometimes liked to climb into bed with her when he was scared. Suddenly, she knew how he felt. Jayla was tempted to wake him up so that she didn’t feel so frightened and alone.
I can’t do that, Jayla realized. He’s going to be even more scared if I tell him what I’ve seen. He’ll never be able to get to sleep and he’ll be a nightmare to watch tomorrow when Dad’s at work. I need to pull it together and be brave. That’s all there is to it.
Jayla looked over to where the ghost had passed through the closed door and into the hallway. There didn’t seem to be any sign of the paranormal visitor, and the room didn’t feel as chilly as it had before. She just hoped that meant the ghost was gone for good.
Wanting to prove to herself that she wasn’t scared, Jayla pulled the covers aside for a moment. Taking a deep breath, she swung her legs out from under the covers and placed her bare feet on the floor. The carpet felt soft and warm, as if the room had not been icy cold only moments before.
Maybe I just dreamed the whole thing, Jayla thought. Or maybe at age twelve, I’m already starting to go a little crazy!
She stood up and walked toward the bathroom door. It was still closed and she was thankful for that. If it was open and dark inside, just about anything could jump out at her without warning. If something opened the door, at least she’d have a second to turn and run.
But the ghost didn’t open the door, Jayla reminded herself.
She shook her head slightly, trying to knock the dumb thoughts from her head. Jayla reminded herself to be brave, not talk herself into being terrified by something she might or might not have seen.
With new determination, Jayla walked slowly along the side of the bed. When she reached the end, she put her hand on the thick wooden bedpost. She stopped to listen for any weird noises, but the room was mostly silent.
Jayla decided what she would do. She’d look out into the hallway to see if the ghost was out there. Though she wasn’t sure what she’d do if she did see the spooky maid, at least she’d be able to know whether she was just seeing things.
As she took another step past the little bench at the end of the bed, the floor beneath her feet creaked. It took everything in her to not shriek, dive back under the covers, and never come out again.
Instead, she exhaled nice and slow and closed her eyes for a moment. The room didn’t get cold again, and she didn’t feel that strange tingle down her back. Other than her brother and dad, she was alone and nothing was happening.
Jayla opened her eyes and let them readjust
to the little bit of light coming through the window. She continued to the door and paused. She hadn’t noticed before, but their room didn’t have a peephole to look out into the hallway. They usually made everything look distorted, as if peering through a fish-eye lens.
If she wanted to look outside, she’d have to open the door.
I have to know, Jayla decided. Even if it might wake up Dion and Dad.
She reached down and undid the lock, trying as carefully as she could to be quiet. It released with a soft thunk and she turned the knob. Jayla could only pray that there wouldn’t be a spooky face waiting for her on the other side.
Slowly, she opened the door, letting a tiny sliver of light into their room. She squinted from the lights in the hallway.
When she had the door cracked a few inches and her eyes had adjusted, Jayla found that the hallway was empty. The fancy patterned carpet stretched down the hallway, past the other rooms.
Nothing here, Jayla thought, keeping the door open a moment or two longer. If there had been a ghost in her room, she didn’t see it in the hallway. She wondered if it went and visited the other rooms. Maybe there were other people staying in the hotel, scared and shivering in their beds too.
“Okay,” Jayla whispered. “Then stay out.”
She slowly closed the door, darkening the room again. Being extra careful, she locked the door, knowing locks didn’t do anything to keep ghosts away. Jayla turned and saw that the rest of her family was still asleep. As carefully as possible, she walked backward, keeping her eye on the door until she reached her side of the bed.
Hoping she wouldn’t stir Dion, she slipped back under the covers.
Maybe I just dreamed the whole thing, Jayla said to herself again. As she settled into her pillow and stared up at the ceiling, she felt a small hand touch her arm.
“Is she gone?” Dion’s voice was barely audible.
Jayla flinched. She wasn’t sure if her little brother was talking in his sleep or what was going on.
Trapped in Room 217 Page 2