Things that go BUMP in the night
The first number I called was the concierge. After 20 rings, I gave up and pushed a button mysteriously titled "Guest Services Manager".
"I want to speak to someone who speaks really good English!"
"Eh? Ex-cuse me?"
"I want to speak to someone who speaks REALLY GOOD ENGLISH!" I said it louder and slower.
"Please wait a moment." I waited.
Crackle-pop-crackle. "Can I help" crackle "you?" Her English did not sound good enough, but I gave it a try.
"I am in a room next to a stairway." Crackle-pop "And I can" Crackle "hear... sounds... Tapping. Irregular. They are" crackle "completely freaking me out! Like water. Loud water. Or someone with high heels. Or a cane. I hear them right next to my bed! Like they are coming through the wall." I wondered if she could understand me over the line noise. Evidently not, because she handed it off to a male voice, whose English was at least more confident.
"Can I" crackle "help you?"
I tried again. "I can hear these noises through the wall. I know that there is a stairway on that side, not a person. The tapping is... really freaking me out."
"Would you like me to check?"
"Yes, please." We hung up. I watched through the peephole in the door as two males in suits listened at my door, my neighbors, and then back down the hallway. I looked at the clock and realized that the possibility of a good night of sleep was slipping away. I took a sleeping pill in desperation and preparation for tomorrow.
Three minutes later, my phone rang. It was the female voice again, no crackling. "I went up to the 6th floor and 7th floor and heard no sound. It was very quiet in the hallway."
"Yes, I imagine the hallway IS very quiet. The sound isn't coming from there. It is next to my room."
"May I come into your room and listen?"
I looked down at my sleeping attire and said dryly, "No, I don't think so. So, you checked the stairway? It was empty?"
"Stairway?"
"Yes, the stairway next to my room!" Are you telling me that I called you about noises in the stairway and you didn't go check the stairway?!!! grind teeth Oh, yeah, sleeping pill is never going to get a chance to work through this...
"Oh. Good night, ma'am." She sounded like she was going to go check it. And a few minutes later I heard soft footsteps, a closing door... and the sound went away. At least for a while.
"I want to speak to someone who speaks really good English!"
"Eh? Ex-cuse me?"
"I want to speak to someone who speaks REALLY GOOD ENGLISH!" I said it louder and slower.
"Please wait a moment." I waited.
Crackle-pop-crackle. "Can I help" crackle "you?" Her English did not sound good enough, but I gave it a try.
"I am in a room next to a stairway." Crackle-pop "And I can" Crackle "hear... sounds... Tapping. Irregular. They are" crackle "completely freaking me out! Like water. Loud water. Or someone with high heels. Or a cane. I hear them right next to my bed! Like they are coming through the wall." I wondered if she could understand me over the line noise. Evidently not, because she handed it off to a male voice, whose English was at least more confident.
"Can I" crackle "help you?"
I tried again. "I can hear these noises through the wall. I know that there is a stairway on that side, not a person. The tapping is... really freaking me out."
"Would you like me to check?"
"Yes, please." We hung up. I watched through the peephole in the door as two males in suits listened at my door, my neighbors, and then back down the hallway. I looked at the clock and realized that the possibility of a good night of sleep was slipping away. I took a sleeping pill in desperation and preparation for tomorrow.
Three minutes later, my phone rang. It was the female voice again, no crackling. "I went up to the 6th floor and 7th floor and heard no sound. It was very quiet in the hallway."
"Yes, I imagine the hallway IS very quiet. The sound isn't coming from there. It is next to my room."
"May I come into your room and listen?"
I looked down at my sleeping attire and said dryly, "No, I don't think so. So, you checked the stairway? It was empty?"
"Stairway?"
"Yes, the stairway next to my room!" Are you telling me that I called you about noises in the stairway and you didn't go check the stairway?!!! grind teeth Oh, yeah, sleeping pill is never going to get a chance to work through this...
"Oh. Good night, ma'am." She sounded like she was going to go check it. And a few minutes later I heard soft footsteps, a closing door... and the sound went away. At least for a while.