The Wonders Of Vast Emptiness

Chapter 4: The People Of Tlio And Lots Of Royalty

After arriving at the hotel, Dr. Twolson quickly felt in his wallet, looking for money. He then pulled out many crumpled bills of all varieties. The man at the counter looked very friendly and very young, almost as young as Sam. "What can I do for you today?" he asked in a chipper tone. "I would like to select 2 rooms. Is this money correct?" The man stared at Dr. Twolson for a few seconds. "Yes, it is correct. Not around here, are you? Another tourist?" Sam nodded, as he thought it would be easier to do so. Dr. Twolson paid for both of the rooms, and the bellboy took their bags. When they got up to their rooms, Dr. Twolson swiped his room card and then what Sam saw next was amazing.

From what he had seen, the 2 rooms were 50 a night, which made him expect a 1 star motel, but this was more fancy than a 5 star hotel, which would have cost 40 times more on Earth. Were they still on Earth? To this, Sam had no idea. And then the bellboy, after he had dropped Dr. Twolson's bag at the room, he led Sam to his room. It was just as nice as Dr. Twolson's. Sam tipped the bellboy with some money he had brought of his own, and then put his bag next to the impressively huge bed. When Sam entered the room, Dr. Twolson said, "I heard this hotel got great reviews," and then winked at Sam.

As Sam found out soon, the rooms were not the only thing that was amazing about this hotel. You could order anything off the menu, and it would come free. How he found this out is because he wanted a bit of breakfast the next morning, and prepared his wallet, but the bellboy handed him a bill, in which the total was nothing. "If you are wondering if it will be charged to your room, all meals and snacks will be free." A question had been floating around in Sam's head, ever since he got here. "Dr. Twolson, how did your wife find out how to have that strength?" "Well, you see, when the gateway was in the prototype phase, we wanted to test it out. So my wife decided to go, and she came back with super strength. The things that happen in these worlds to you, they always come back with you when you come back."

Sam left Dr. Twolson's room, and he heard a knock on the door. It was housekeeping. The woman entered, and Sam was startled, so he pricked his arm quite hard on his bag's corner. It hurt quite badly, and there was a small hole in his skin, but no blood was drawn. Something had to be very wrong. "Um, why aren't I bleeding?" he asked the maid. "Blood? Oh, no. We don't bleed here. Haven't ever since this place was built." Sam felt relief wash over him. He then pondered what Dr. Twolson had said about what happens to them in the separate worlds, stay. Would that mean he wouldn't bleed again? That hypothesis could be true. He left the maid to her business, and headed downstairs. From the fruit basket in the lobby, Sam selected a banana, and then went back upstairs to his room.

Dr. Twolson was waiting for him in the hallway. "I'm going to the clothing store I saw out the window a few miles down. Would you care to join me?" Sam wanted to, as one being confined in a hotel for quite a while makes you want to get out. "Sure," he said. They both got ready, put a do not disturb sign up and locked their rooms, and then headed towards the exit. Dr. Twolson looked at the place on his phone, and then punched the address into the glowing transportation device. In seconds, they were there. Sam used some of his money to buy a jacket, as when he had gone outside to play a bit of basketball, the weather was very frigid. Dr. Twolson picked out a very stylish hat.

The clerk at the counter did not look very happy. He was about 80 years old, and his eyes sagged. "We are looking to buy these," Dr. Twolson said. The old man grunted, shot an angry glare at Sam, and then checked them out. For some reason, Sam was very unsettled by the way the man had looked at him. Dr. Twolson must have had the same impression, because as soon as the man had finished, they both walked out of the store and reluctantly pushed the transportation device. Back at the hotel, Sam had to consult Dr. Twolson about the man. "Why did that man look at me that way?" he asked. "I don't know, to be honest. I think some people like us more in this area than others, and some dislike us more than others. I doubt he is anything dangerous." And, the two then parted ways, to go to their rooms. Sam still felt uneasy.

The man's piercing stare still was haunting him, that was all. Sam decided to turn on the television. He didn't have it for long, as soon as somebody knocked on his door. He jumped, based on the encounter he had earlier. Luckily, it was just the bellboy. "What would you like for dinner, young sir?" he asked. He came in, and gave Sam the menu. After quickly scanning it, Sam replied: "Just the potatoes with some soup. I'm not very hungry." For a few hours, he just laid there. Ever since that man had stared at him in the store, he felt less safe in the place of Tlio. He knew their journey had just started, so he didn't want to disrupt Dr. Twolson. And then he headed down to dinner.