Fledgling Scribbler

Everything turned bright white. He felt a strange sensation that was indescribable. It seemed as if endless possible worlds were colliding in his memories. He saw things as they could have been if he had made different choices, things that could have happened from others’ choices, things that were seemingly impossible. He reeled from the overload of information and just as he felt that he couldn’t take it anymore, it stopped. He took deep gasping breaths and felt the alien memories fading away, though not completely gone. He turned toward the door and found that he was not alone. The woman from the front desk, Arlene Conroy, was standing there, looking around the room in wonder.

“Ms. Conroy, what-” Eddie stopped when he saw her eyes open wide in astonishment.

“How do you know my name?” Arlene said, fear apparent in her voice. “Why are you in here? This place looks just like one of my motel rooms.”

Eddie furrowed his brows in confusion. “You checked this room out to me not half an hour ago.”

Arlene opened her mouth in shock. Then she looked at the key in her hand. “I found this key behind the front desk, but I’ve never had a Room 10. I was just trying the broom closet to see if it was maybe mislabeled.” She looked around. “This… definitely does not look like the broom closet.”