Ember Days - 1. Ember Days

“This old mansion looks like a palace in a fantasy movie,” Sally said to her husband as they ascended the stairs to the wide entrance of the hotel.

“Uh,” Sally cried out when she stumbled.

Her husband, Tom, jumped forward to stop her from falling down the stairs. Sally took a deep breath and smoothed down her jacket.

“A broken step,” Tom said, pointing at the step, then took another bite of the turkey sandwich that he had bought in a diner on their way to the hotel.

“Eat this up,” Sally hissed. “We can’t go into this expensive hotel with you munching on a sandwich.”

“I was hungry,” Tom replied. “We won the stay in this hotel. It’s our prize. They can’t throw us out.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure if I were you,” Sally said drily. She held up her hand and looked at her topaz ring. “I think Mom’s ring looks good on my finger. It shows we’re not people without money.”

“They’ll find out soon enough,” Tom said and swallowed the rest of his sandwich. “I wonder who the other couple is? They said another couple won the same prize and will stay here the same weekend.”

“We don’t have to talk with them,” Sally said, looking up to the entrance. “Why is nobody coming down to help us with the luggage?”

Tom shrugged. “It seems the place is not so expensive after all,” he replied, then took up the suitcase that he had placed on a step of the stairs.

Sally seized her oversized handbag tighter. A cold chill ran down her spine. “Are you certain it’s the correct hotel?” she asked in a low voice.

“Yes, according to the GPS,” Tom said. “And look, the name of the hotel is Ember, like the name in the letter.” He spelled the word.

“Wasn’t it Amber?” Sally asked.

“That’s what I said,” Tom replied.

“That’s not what you said,” Sally said. “It’s Amber in the letter, with an A. This hotel’s name is Ember, with an E.”

Tom shrugged. “They probably misspelled the name,” he said. “The GPS can’t be wrong.”

He continued climbing the staircase with the heavy suitcase in his hand. Sally looked after him, but felt unable to move. The chilling feeling was getting stronger. Cold sweat covered her forehead and her heart raced. Something was wrong with her eyes. Her field of vision had narrowed and the edges were blurred. Was she fainting?

Sally winced at the sight of a huge shadow flying by. She shook her head forcefully, but then saw another fleeting movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head abruptly. Despite her blurred vision, she made out a huge black bat dashing towards her. The noise of its fluttering wings was loud and daunting. The bat was of tremendous size. Its mouth was wide open. Sally saw long and sharp teeth. For a moment, she stood paralyzed from shock.

And then she was yelling. Tom spun around and saw the bat’s mouth close around Sally’s head. He heard a horrible noise when the monster tore off his wife’s head. Tom dropped the suitcase and fled. He ran up the stairs, yelling in horror. The last thing he heard was a snickering that came from the top of the stairs. A hoarse voice was chanting a rhyme:

“Ashes to ashes when the bat plays.
Hooray! Hooray!
Dust to dust on ember days.”

And then the bat seized Tom.