The Invisible tavern

chapter 2 - Who ya gonna call?

While watching the other tavern patrons drink and play pool, it suddenly occured to me that I would look quite strange if I simply sat there without ordering anything. Upon turning myself around to face the bartender again I was surprised to find a tall pint glass infront of me.

As a Scotland yard detective I wasn't prohibited to drink on the job. Perhaps it was the sight of the condensation running down the glass and the piney smell of the beer, or the bartender's intense, golden eyes watching me. Whatever it was, it was controlling my body involuntarily.

I found myself raising the pint glass to my lips and taking a long sip. That's when I knew I had made a grave mistake. It looked like liquid gold in the glass and the taste certainly hadn't disappointed. It felt slick and creamy on my tongue, with a buttery aftertaste. Before my brain could even register it, I had gulped down the entire glass.

Alright, one is enough. I'll be meeting Lestrade soon, if I'm late again he'll probably...

As I had been thinking to myself, a second glass was raised to my lips. It definitely wasnt myself that had picked up the glass, but the first had tasted so delicious that I found myself giving in and gulping down the second just as fast.

This one had more of an earthy taste and felt richer on my tongue. Before I knew it I was finishing my 5th glass of beer and I was feeling an uncomfortable pressure, soon realising that it was my full bladder.

"Up the stairs, second door on the left"
A female voice, so close it felt quite intimate, yet it was comforting instead of surprising. It took my languid brain a few more seconds than it should have, to realise she was referring to the bathrooms.

I turned to thank her but there was nobody directly behind me. A few of the customers had also left, despite the rain still hammering down outside.

While climbing the stairs in search of the bathrooms my brain was so preoccupied with thoughts of how late I would be back to work, that I walked right into a woman carrying a stack of books. Stammering out an apology, I picked a few of them up for her and couldn't help but notice the titles.

"How to attract the dead" and
"Interacting with poltergeists" to name a few. Though it was certainly odd I brushed it off, as she could have simply been a ghost busters fanatic.

After I had relieved myself and was washing my hands I managed to get a good look at myself in the mirror.
My hair was slightly damp still from the rain and had I always had such dark, lifeless eyes?

With a yelp of surprise I backed away from the mirror, my heart racing and my breathing heavy. After a few minutes I managed to calm down enough to force myself to stare into the mirror again. The strange dark eyes were gone, back to their usual olive green. Laughing a little, I was grateful no one else was in the bathroom with me to witness me scaring the living daylights out of myself.

As I left the bathroom I found myself face-to-face with a stunningly beautiful woman holding my tophat and coat. She insisted that I stay the night in one of their guestrooms, as it was already dark outside and the rain didn't seem like it was going to ease up anytime soon.

Held captive under her glittering blue eyes, I was unable to refuse and simply nodded, allowing her to lead me down the long hallway. The room was quite large and had a comfortable looking bed, along with an on-suite bathroom.   I asked her what the charge would be for tonight but she shook her head, stopping me from reaching into my pocket for my wallet.

Free drinks and a free room? Surely you jest...

It all sounded too good to be true, but before I could argue any further the woman had glided off down the hallway, leaving me staring down at the room key I hadn't noticed I was holding until now.

Room number 13... just my luck.