haunted
I dreamed I was back in New Orleans. I wasn't able to get a ride into the city from the airport, so I decided to bike in. In the warped geography of my dream, the Mississippi River surrounded the entire French Quarter and it was necessary for me to bike over a rickety and rusting metal bridge. The bridge itself was very high, and I found myself becoming lightheaded when I looked down; the only thing separating me from oblivion was a rusty expanse of steel grating. I could see the waves moving on the river below me as I pedaled.
As I entered the city, the only other people I noticed were in their cars. The sidewalks were deserted, the houses and businesses vacant, but occasionally I would see a car pass by with people inside. When they saw me they would press their hands against the windows (like starfish, I thought) and silently mouth what seemed to be warnings.
I eventually stopped at an old hotel that appeared to be abandoned. It was quiet, so quiet. I walked through the hallways and entered some of the empty rooms. All of them were spotlessly clean but all showed signs of neglect. The bathrooms were tiled in white and brilliant blue, and in the bathroom I entered the tap in the bathtub was still dripping. But dead leaves skittered on the floor and the neatly folded towels were covered with a thick layer of dust.
I went back to the empty lobby, wandering near the front desk. I soon realized I wasn't alone; if I stood very still, I could see phantom people moving just at the very edge of my peripheral vision. When I moved my head, they disappeared. So I stood there, quietly, watching these spirits. They didn't seem to notice me, and all of them went about their business with a kind of languid ease. I couldn't always see them clearly; at times they seemed blurry and out of focus, as if they were underwater. One man stood near me with a briefcase, absently checking his wristwatch for the time. On one of the sofas in the lobby, a woman leafed through a magazine between drags on a cigarette. A hotel employee at the front desk put the finishing touches on a flower arrangement as she spoke to someone on the telephone.
I stood very still for a long time, watching this phantom world out of the corner of my eye. I was so focused that I didn't initially notice when a real man approached me. He was dressed as a security guard, and he looked tired. He was followed by three or four stray dogs.
He told me I needed to leave, I was trespassing, the hotel was closed. I blurted out, "But I want to stay here."
He stared at me for a moment. "You can see them, can't you?"
I nodded.
He sighed and motioned for me to follow him. He entered the hotel office and gave me a key to a room. Then he left me, his dogs trotting along behind him.
As I entered the city, the only other people I noticed were in their cars. The sidewalks were deserted, the houses and businesses vacant, but occasionally I would see a car pass by with people inside. When they saw me they would press their hands against the windows (like starfish, I thought) and silently mouth what seemed to be warnings.
I eventually stopped at an old hotel that appeared to be abandoned. It was quiet, so quiet. I walked through the hallways and entered some of the empty rooms. All of them were spotlessly clean but all showed signs of neglect. The bathrooms were tiled in white and brilliant blue, and in the bathroom I entered the tap in the bathtub was still dripping. But dead leaves skittered on the floor and the neatly folded towels were covered with a thick layer of dust.
I went back to the empty lobby, wandering near the front desk. I soon realized I wasn't alone; if I stood very still, I could see phantom people moving just at the very edge of my peripheral vision. When I moved my head, they disappeared. So I stood there, quietly, watching these spirits. They didn't seem to notice me, and all of them went about their business with a kind of languid ease. I couldn't always see them clearly; at times they seemed blurry and out of focus, as if they were underwater. One man stood near me with a briefcase, absently checking his wristwatch for the time. On one of the sofas in the lobby, a woman leafed through a magazine between drags on a cigarette. A hotel employee at the front desk put the finishing touches on a flower arrangement as she spoke to someone on the telephone.
I stood very still for a long time, watching this phantom world out of the corner of my eye. I was so focused that I didn't initially notice when a real man approached me. He was dressed as a security guard, and he looked tired. He was followed by three or four stray dogs.
He told me I needed to leave, I was trespassing, the hotel was closed. I blurted out, "But I want to stay here."
He stared at me for a moment. "You can see them, can't you?"
I nodded.
He sighed and motioned for me to follow him. He entered the hotel office and gave me a key to a room. Then he left me, his dogs trotting along behind him.