The Hotel California

Entering The Hotel

A1.) I was riding in my 2009 Cadillac Convertable, on a long, winding highway in the middle of a barren wasteland that seemed to stretch on forever. My eyes scanned the road ahead of me, and then darted to the dashboard, and I glanced at the time; 10:15 PM. No cars passed, nor were there any headlights that appeared beyond the hills in the distance.
A2.) As I cruised down this road, a slight breeze surrounded me and flowed through my long, dark hair. It was a calm, tranquil night in the desert.
A3.) As I drove on, I pulled out some weed from my glove box and smoked a joint. The warm scent from the CBD rose up and out of my car, riding the wind trailing behind me.
A4.) I look up over my dashboard again, and out to the dark horizon. The sky was navy blue and dark purple, and mixed with the light from the bright stars. The moon was split down the middle between light and dark--- black and white--- Yin and Yang, and shone a dim ray of light onto the desert in front of me.
A5.) As I looked to the hills beyond my car, a bright light became magnified off in the distance. It shimmered from the heat radiating from the road.
A6.) And as I stared at this flourescent light, my eyelids drooped and my head felt as heavy as a ton of bricks. It was like I had taken a fistful of sleeping pills and now they were kicking in...
A7.) As all of my other unimportant thoughts started to fade, one stood out and was brighter than all of the rest; I must rest for the night.

A8.) Soon I had reached the bright light, and it had been emitted from a lantern, and a gorgeous woman held the lamp aloft. She was beckoning me to her, and out of respect I pulled my car over, off from the highway and into a large parking lot I hadn't seen before.
She stood calmly there, illuminated between a set of large oak double doors that were slightly open, as if the darkness inside wanted to escape into the night. The doors were tall and curved at the top, fitting snugly into the high, round archway that was the entrance to an extravagant hotel. I was astonished by the architecture of this building--- maybe an 1800s Spanish style building. Brick or terracotta lined the walls and indentures, with pillars of concrete and window frames of limestone, or possibly granite or stone.
A9.) She rang a bell that broke the silence between us and of my construction admiration. It's sound carried through the air and hypnotized me, stimulating my anxious mind. I was lured to the door like a fish to a fishing hook, and walked up the wide steps towards the doors.
A10.) But my mind had a bit of leftover anxiety, and even though my body assured that everything was fine, my brain couldn't shake the thought that there was something sinister about this place... This could either be Heaven or Hell, I thought to myself.
A11.) As I stood atop the stairs, the woman hung the lantern onto a hook and widened the doors to allow me in. We stepped through, and the menacing doors slowly creaked shut behind us, and left us stranded inside the overwhelming blindness of the silent dark.
She pulled a lighter out of her pocket and flicked it a few times until sparks flew and a flame emerged. A small circle of light came from the lighter and it illuminated her, making her facial features appear more creepy and sinister. That was not our light source though; for she used the lighter to light a candle that sat atop a small wooden nightstand that I hadn't noticed before.
She picked up the Candlestick from the handle on its holder and the flame flicked to the candle, like the pass of a torch, and it gave an even greater light.
A12.) She held the new light source aloft, and started walking forward down the long hallway. I followed after her.
"Why must it be so dark?" I asked quietly, wanting to break this dreadful silence between me and this strange woman.
"We keep it dark at night to allow our inhabitants a good nights rest," She whispered back, her voice carrying to my ears and soothing my thoughts.
A13.) And as if the hotel was stirred awake from this sudden change in sound, I heard some strange noises that sounded like a bunch of whispering and muttering, and it sounded like it was coming from the doors on both sides of the corridor that were all locked.
A14.) But if I listened closely to these whispers, they seemed to be... Singing? They were in fact harmonizing to each other's quiet voices, but what were the words and phrases that they were singing? Well, I listened very closely, and they sang:

A15.) Welcome to the Hotel California,
Such a lovely place, (Such a lovely place)
Such a lovely place...
There's plenty of room at the Hotel California,
Any time of year, (Any time of year)
You can find it here...

The woman showed me to my room, unlocked the door, and opened it up. I walked in and immediately flopped onto the bed. It was very comfortable; Silk sheets, a bouncy and soft mattress, and fluffy pillows. The woman wished me a good night, and closed the door, shutting me out from the world.
As she leaves, I wonder who she is, where she's from, and who those whisperers were. Maybe some wandering city folk, like me.
No matter in dwelling on it now, I might as well get some rest...