It was a bright sunny morning. The lush green grass and the tantalising scent of jasmines and poppies attracted colourful butterflies. I was resting peacefully on my chair in the middle of the fascinating beauty of nature, sipping a cup of cold coffee and reading the daily newspaper, when an advertisement caught my eye.

It was the advertisement of a marvellous building perched on the edge of a cliff, towering above the sea. Its name was ‘Lagoon Hotel’, and the ad stated that it was newly-launched. I had been longing for an excursion since it was summer vacation and this seemed like an exciting opportunity, so I rushed inside to call my friends about this.

Just as I picked up my phone, it started to ring. I was surprised to see my best friend Sinan’s name flashing on the screen. I answered the call and after some small talk, I got to the point. I was surprised to find out that Sinan also wanted to talk about going on a trip. So it was decided that I, Sanan and our other best friend, Ayoub, will spend some time in this newly-launched hotel and will also venture out to explore the surroundings.

After getting permission from our parents, all of us agreed to depart for the hotel the next day. In no time, I got busy in packing and preparing for the trip. The next day, after loading the luggage into my old jeep and bidding farewell to my family, I started my journey.

On the way, I picked up both my friends. We started reminiscing about old times and were thrilled with our reunion. It took us around three hours to reach the hotel.

After we arrived, all three of us were shocked because the hotel didn’t look anything like what was shown in the picture in the advertisement. It looked old and quite dilapidated. However, the location was as wonderful as described.

So, we decided to stick to the plan and go inside. As we entered the hotel, there was no one except an old lady at the reception. She gave us a warm welcome as if she knew us. After completing the formalities, she led us to our rooms and gave us the keys. The strange thing was that there was no one else in the hotel. The furniture and architecture were old-fashioned, and it seemed that nobody lived or stayed there.

My friends and I ignored everything and concentrated on our holiday hiatus, since what mattered most to us was to spend some time together. We all went inside our rooms, which were adjacent to each other. As I freshened up and was looking out from the window, there was a knock on the door. I opened it and found the same old lady who was at the reception. She told me that the lunch was ready. I was impressed by the hospitality.

I came out and sat at the dining table, thinking the woman must have called my friends. I waited for some time then decided to call them. There were no signals, so I got up and knocked at their room doors. There was no answer. Thinking that my friends must have taken a stroll outside, I came back to the dining table and I started my lunch.

More than an hour passed without any sign of my friends, so I decided to explore the building and its surroundings. Strangely, I didn’t see any other soul as I explored the area. I was getting really bored as well as nervous, so I came back to my room and lay on the bed. Suddenly, I heard some strange sounds and then a scream at a distance.

Just then, I heard Sinan’s agitated voice, followed by Ayoub’s voice, calling for help! Goosebumps took hold of my body; I wasted no time and ran out of my room, but I tripped over something and rolled down the stairs into the hall, badly hurting my head and collarbone.

There, I saw a small figure standing as still as a statue in front of me. Frozen with fear, I tried my best to run towards the exit. Just as I reached the main door, the dark hall illuminated with beacons and candles, and there were chants of “Boo!”

My eyes stretched out of their sockets as laughter echoed when I saw Goosebumps and Sinan rolling with laughter. The mysterious old woman revealed that she was Sinan’s aunt and that Sinan had come up with this unusual plan to test my nerves and have some little fun. Just then the actual hotel staff appeared. Sinan revealed that he had booked the place for a few hours so that they could perfectly execute the plan.

Perplexed by such a horrific, yet sensational ending, I burst into laughter with relief. It was a memorable trip that would be entrenched in my mind for the rest of my life.

Published in Dawn, Young World, June 29th, 2024