The Ghost of the Hilltop Hotel

'Sir, your room number is 156', the clerk at the front desk told me as he handed me the key to my room. Another shaggy-looking attendant took my luggage and showed me the room which was on the third and topmost floor of the building. 

'The last one at the end of the corridor', the attendant pointed out as we reached the third floor. The corridor wore a deserted look as we walked on the thin, musty shag carpet. Using the key, the attendant opened the room for me. Instantly, a faint, damp smell got into my nostrils as I entered the room. Sensing my discomfort, the attendant said,' It will clear out in a moment, sir. Nothing to worry about.'

 The room was a plainly furnished, square-sized place with walls painted white and the ceiling made of mahogany wood. A four-poster bed occupied one corner and a black chest of drawers the other. Also, there was a small wooden table near the only window of the room. It offered a panoramic view of the scenic hill station of Auli. Apart from a cheap, round Kashmiri carpet in the centre and two plastic chairs in the room, there was no other furniture. The room sported an antiquated look with a gaping fireplace near the bed.

The summer holidays had just begun and I had come to Auli for a short, relaxing vacation to break the tedium of working in my office in Delhi. I was staying at one of the oldest hotels of the hill station, the Hilltop Hotel, for the first time, though it was not my first visit to Auli. Previously, whenever I used to come here, I would put up at a friend's house but this time around, he had gone to Indore so I had to find another place. Not many tourists stayed at this ancient hotel. Many guests preferred newer and bigger hotels that had come up recently but this hotel was cheap and easy on my pocket so I was all settled here.

'The hotel looks old-fashioned', I said to the attendant was standing behind me, as I minutely scanned the room with my beady eyes.  

'The rooms as well', I added.

'Yes, the hotel was originally built a hundred years ago by a foreigner so it appears to be old- fashioned and a bit worn out. But, nonetheless you'll enjoy your stay here, sir', he answered as he left the room, closing the door behind me. 

I was left all alone.

There was a terrible chill in the air and as a person from the plains I began to shiver fervently. To save myself, I quickly lit the fire and jumped into the bed under several layers of blanket. It became nice and toasty and I slept.

When I woke up it was dinner time on my bedside clock. Though I wanted to sleep some more, my stomach was growling with hunger. I decided to give first preference to it. Putting on a black coat, I set out for the dining area. It was practically empty with only one or two tables occupied. I took a seat in the far end of the area and ordered a burger and fries.

'There aren't many guests in the hotel', I remarked in front of the waiter who took my order. 

'We are not getting much business due to the new hotels which have come up. The standard of our services and our quality is considered much lower than theirs. Plus, the building has not been renovated for years now', he said.

'Why?', I asked.

'The owner Mr. Bhatt lives in America and he does not pay much attention to the needs of the hotel. He seldom comes for a visit here.', he replied as he hurried off to inform the cook about my order. No doubt, the quality had gone down considerably. When my fries arrived they were tasteless and the burger lacked crunchiness. Even the veggies in the burger were not fresh. I left half the food and deliberately did not leave a tip for the hopeful waiters. Heading back to my room, I passed the bar. It wasn't empty but it wasn't full as well. A few customers were there, quietly sipping their drinks. I myself felt like having one so I walked in. A couple of heads turned in my direction. The bartender looked up and then went to back arranging the bottles. I ordered a pint of beer which I drank in a corner of the bar. It was ten in the night when the bartender informed everyone to leave the bar as it was closing time.

'Why are you closing it? It is no time to close a bar.', I objected.

'Hotel rule, sir. You have to leave.', he replied brusquely as he packed the bar for the night. What a strange hotel, I muttered under my breath. Rest of the customers had already started leaving so I had no other option than to leave myself. As I was climbing the stairs, I heard footsteps behind me. Maybe someone else was ascending too. I turned around to see the person but to my surprise, the staircase was empty.

Was it my imagination?, I asked myself. I began climbing again. After taking a few more steps, I sensed someone's presence beside me. But there was no one. I reached the top floor and walked towards my room when I saw a large shadow towering my small stature. I stopped cold. Who could it be? For a minute I stood still, trying to figure out my next action.

Nervously, I called out, 'Who is it? Who is it?'. But no response came. With my heart in my mouth, I mustered the courage to look back. Sweat was streaming down my face as my neck did a 180 degree turn. To my surprise, the corridor was empty ! That means........., someone was up to tricks. Or it was possible that I was hallucinating due to the effect of the beer. Assuring myself that there is no one behind me, I covered the rest of the corridor distance. Reaching the door of my room, I began to unlock it with the key given to me by the hotel clerk. The key turned pretty easily but the door wouldn't budge despite my repeated attempts to open it. I firmly pulled the handle and gave a little force to the door but it would still not open. I stood there for a half an hour but without luck. Then, a thought triggered me. Had I picked the wrong door? I put the key in the hole of the opposite door which opened easily. I stepped inside. Relieved at abandoning the mysterious passages of this hotel. I did not feel like sleeping so I decided to read. Being an ardent fan of detective stories, I had brought along The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I was absorbed in the book for three hours when suddenly the light went out. For a moment, there was complete darkness. Then, the bright moonlight made its way through the slit of my window. Slowly, the room was again filled with light but it was poor light, not appropriate for me to continue my reading. I decided to call it a day and hit the sheets. I must have slept for two hours before I woke up to sound of heavy breathing, which was coming from somewhere near. I opened my eyes and glanced around. Nobody in my room. I was about to fall back asleep when I noticed that something strange about my pillow. It supported my head on the right side but the left side of the pillow was sunk in, meaning that it was supporting not just one but two heads! Recoiling with terror, I looked at my blanket. It was raised on the other side indicating that someone was sharing my blanket. But there was no one in my bed. So, who was I dreaming again? 

My body became numb and my stomach was churning as I held my breath, not having the courage to take it in. Then, I heard a dreadful moan in my room which scared the living daylights out of me. Not able to control myself anymore, I shot out of the bed, unbolted the door and raced through the corridor screaming at the top of my voice. The hotel staff came rushing out of their quarters. Even a handful of guests emerged from their rooms. I went out of my right senses and started babbling all sorts of noises. Everyone tried to make me calm but I was unable to come out my fit. When I did not stop, the hotel doctor was called. My temperature was taken which came out to be 104. I was admitted to the hotel infirmary where mild sleeping tablets were given to me and I was put to sleep For the next two days, I was kept in the hotel infirmary.

On the fourth day of my stay in the hotel, I was pretty well and the doctor gave me the green signal to resume my trip. But, at that point of time, I was done with Auli or to be more precise, the Hilltop Hotel. My train was due tomorrow but I hired a cab to take me home today. While checking out of the hotel, the shaggy-looking attendant brought my luggage to the hotel lobby. As I duly paid my bill, he helped me take my luggage outside to the pick and drop facility. I tipped him with a fifty rupee note.

'No sir, I don't take tips', he rejected.

'Why? Take it. It would be useful to you', I insisted.

'Sorry, sir. Can't have it. ', he said, urging me to take the note back.

'You seem to be different from a whole lot of hotel attendants whom I have seen.', I mentioned as I tucked the note back in my pocket.

'Yes, sir. I am very different. I do not work for money but simply for the pleasure of serving the guests at the Hilltop Hotel. I have been working here for years now', he said, proudly.

'That's great. So, you are an old employee of the hotel and I must say, devoted to it too.', I praised him.

His head rose proudly and he said, ' Yes, sir. I love this hotel. It was wonderfully built by John Hilltop, a British man back in 1920. It was his dream to construct a hotel in this beautiful place, Auli. And, he experienced immense joy and pride in serving the visiting tourists. But.....'

With deep regret, his head lowered down, the attendant said,' He could not serve his guests for long as he was cheated by his Indian friend, Bhatt who took over his business by chicanery. Trapped in huge debts, he died by suicide. And, they buried his body in the cemetery but they could not bury his soul. His spirit remained unsatisfied and it returned to his hotel. It stays with all the hotel staff and helps them to take care of the guests. I encounter it everyday...'

I gulped at the last part of his narration. 'What? The hotel is haunted!'

'No, sir. Please do not call it haunted. Mr. Hilltop is a good ghost. No need to be afraid of him, sir', he laughed.

'Have you seen his ghost?', I asked, amazed at the attendant's highly munificient nature towards Mr. Hilltop's spirit.

'Yes, sir. I see him all the time and now, you have seen him too.', he chortled and vanished into the thin air.