Derrick walked down the maze of hallways, closely following the strange creature leading him past the myriad of doors and rooms. Everything looked identical, from the plain white walls to the bright red doors. He was grateful to have a guide, but it still made him uncomfortable.
The small creature was half his height, barely three feet tall. Although wearing a bellhop uniform, Derrick could still see that the exposed skin on its' hands and face was a bright green. Although its' body was small, the arms were unusually long, extending past its waist. The hands were unusually large, too, with long, thin fingers. But the worst was its head. It was wearing a small cap, but he could tell the creature was bald. Its' nose and ears were very extremely long, becoming thinner as they stretched, ending in a small sharp point. It kind of reminded him of the Wicked Witch from the Wizard of Oz. But if Derrick had to guess, he would have called this creature a goblin.
I hope I don't end up looking like that, thought Derrick, remembering his experience with his last guide.
The goblin suddenly stopped in front of a plain-looking nondescript door. Derrick was so startled that he almost bumped into the loathsome creature. He carefully avoided touching it. Part of his confusion stemmed from how ordinary the door looked. The hallway leading to the Minotaur room had been themed, with dark gloomy cavernous walls and fiery torches. But this door looked like it belonged on a regular motel room or something.
"Um, are you sure you have the right room?" Derrick asked. "I mean, I thought I was going to the Ranger Outpost."
The creature said nothing. It just opened the door and revealed the interior of the room. Derrick was shocked by what he saw inside.
The walls of the room were lined in stacked parallel thick oak logs. The wood looked real and it reminded Derrick of a log cabin. Even the furniture looked like it was hand-carved from real wood. There was a small table, as well as a few chairs. Derrick was relieved to see a normal-looking bed (as opposed to the straw of the Minotaur room). Well, relatively normal-looking. The simple frame was made of thin branches of wood. The mattress and pillows were filled with the soft downy feathers of some large bird and the blanket was made from the skin of a furry animal. A large bookcase covered one wall, the shelves overfilling with books of various size and shape, some as thick as a phonebook and some as thin as a pamphlet.
But the most shocking thing had to be what he saw on the wall opposite the door he had entered. Hanging on the wall on both sides of what appeared to be a wooden door were two very realistic looking paintings depicting a peaceful meadow on a hill, just above a dark wood. The scene was so detailed he could almost imagine hearing the animals of the forest and feel the breeze blowing across the field.
Wait ... was it really blowing?
The flowers moved before his eyes as if touched by the wind. Derrick wondered if they were some kind of digital paintings, a television screen showing a scene from a recording. As if mesmerized Derrick walked forward and reached out to touch the painting. The goblin said nothing, ignoring Derrick and unloading his bags onto the bed with a thud. Derrick was stunned as he put his hand through the picture and felt the warm sun and cool spring breeze.
It's no painting, thought Derrick. It's a window!
"It's real!" said Derrick with excitement.
Derrick turned around but the goblin was gone. Apparently it wasn't in the mood for conversation.
Just as well, thought Derrick. At least I don't have to tip it. I don't even know what to tip it!
The receptionist had explained everything pretty well anyway. Derrick could move into this room, but he would be required to complete a daily task if he wanted to stay there. When Derrick accepted, the receptionist eagerly transferred him to the new room. By the look on her face, Derick guessed she was glad for the help. She kept gushing about how long it had been since someone had selected that room and how grateful she was that he agreed to use it. It was almost like they were short-staffed or something. But the receptionist went to great lengths to assure him that it wouldn't be all work, and that the tasks shouldn't be too difficult. In fact, she thought he would probably find them much more fun than just hanging around the resort and doing all the boring normal tourist stuff.
Derrick turned towards the bed, looking for his bags. He was not surprised to find them gone, replaced by a short tunic. It was composed of a bright green thin cotton fabric. It looked like something Peter Pan or Robin Hood might wear.
Oh well, thought Derrick. At least it isn't a dirty loincloth. In fact, it smells kind of nice.
He held it up and sniffed it. It smelled like the outdoors, a mixture of fresh-cut grass and flowers.
He sighed as he looked at it.
Am I really going to do this? I mean, once I put this on there is no going back. At least for the week my family is staying here, Derrick thought nervously.