The Shining (Kubrick Version)

Part 6: Saturday

The snow fell outside and the hotel stood in the dark shadows. Jack typed in The Colorado Lounge and the typing noises echoed in the empty lounge. Wendy had learnt to keep away from Jack and had told Danny to do so as well. It was almost as if she lived in fear of Jack now, like he was the grumpy troll in the castle and Danny had noticed this too, but didn't dare say anything. This day, Wendy had went to make a call to check what the weather was like with the rangers on the hotels telephone, but no response was given. Then, she remembered what Mr Ullman had said on Closing Day. In his office, there was a radio that they could use only to communicate the ranger park. Perfect! Wendy lit a cigarette and walked through the empty, dark lobby and into Mr Ullman's office. Ullman's office was darker than the lobby and bare. His desk was completely cleared of paperwork and other stuff and his shelves were empty. His high backed chair stood there, empty and gloomy. The two chairs on the other side where Jack and Bill Watson had sat on the day of Jack's interview were empty as well. Wendy sat on the surface where the radio sat and put her foot up on Ullman's desk. If Jack had seen, he would of snapped at Wendy for putting his foot up on his bosses desk. 

"This is KBK12 calling KBK1," said Wendy into the radio. "KBK12 to KBK1." A ranger sat in the ranger station and responded to Wendy's call.

"This is KBK1, we're receiving you, over," said the ranger.

"Hi," said Wendy, a bit too enthusiastically. "This is Wendy Torrance at The Overlook Hotel."

"Hi Wendy," chuckled the ranger. "How are you folks getting on up there? Over."

"Oh we're just fine," smiled Wendy. It was great to talk to someone besides her family. "But our telephones don't seem to be working too well. Are the lines down by any chance? Over."

"Yes," confirmed the ranger. "Quite a few of them are down, due to the storm. Over."

"Any chance of them being repaired soon? Over." 

"Well, I wouldn't like to say," said the ranger. "Most winters, they stay that way until Spring. Over."

"Boy," sighed Wendy. "This storm is really something, isn't it? Over."

"Oh yes," said the ranger. "It's one of the worst we've had in years." He paused. "Is there anything else we can do for you, Mrs Torrance? Over."

"I suppose not," replied Wendy, a bit dully. "Over."

"Well, if you folks have any problems up there, just give us a call," said the ranger. "Oh, and Mrs Torrance, I think it'd be a good idea if you left your radio on all the time now. Over."

"Okay, will do that," said Wendy. "It was really nice talking to you. Goodbye. Over and out." She sat there for a minute, listening to the wind howl outside Ullman's office. She hadn't come in here since Closing Day. Her and Jack had come in here to sign the papers and read the terms and conditions on being caretakers of the hotel, while Danny had helped Hallorann load his car. The hotel had been starting to become deserted, with most of the cleaners and staff leaving and the final cleaning in process. In 2 hours, they had been alone. Despite the fact that outside in the lobby, there was only the receptionist at the desk chucking out the 1975 season records (Ullman had told Wendy and Jack that 5 year old season sign in/out sheets and personal details of guests were to be chucked out on Closing Day, but a photocopied copy was sent to the library for reference, strictly only for the hotel staff in case of a criminal investigation or an emergency) and a few chambermaids standing at the door with their luggage pooled around their legs, changed out of their maid outfits and wearing tracksuits and warm jumpers, chatting amongst themselves and waiting for their ride to pick them up, the hotel had still seemed so full and so much more friendly. It wasn't until there was only about 10 staff members who hadn't signed out of the hotel yet and the last cleaners had been loading their vans and cars with their cleaning supplies had Wendy felt lonely. Now, sitting in this empty office with the wind howling outside, she felt more lonely than ever before. She stood up and walked to the window in the office. Not much of a view, really. There was just a small patch of grass and a few plants and on the other side, another wall with a window which had a hallway leading to the kitchen. The plants would all be dead now and no doubt when the staff came back on Opening Day, there would be new plants planted in its place so Ullman could have at least a decent view outside his office window. She felt claustrophobic in Ullman's office now. She walked out, almost jogging, and stood in the middle of the empty lobby. She walked to the receptionist desk and stood in front of it, like she was a guest checking into the hotel. There was a book sitting on the receptionist's table where the cash register stood. It was the sign it/out book for the next season, no doubt freshly printed and just dying to be used. Dying. That was funny. She went behind the receptionists desk and looked in the book. Yep. Whoever had done this book out, probably Ullman's secretary, Susie, had made the book all nice and neat and there were nicely formal letters written on the top of the book: The Overlook Hotel, 1981 Season. No doubt by the time next Closing Day came, it would be full and a new one would be set up for 1982. Who would be the next caretakers? Possibly them? Maybe they would become regular joes in the hotel caretaking business. Wendy looked up and looked at all the empty seats in the large lobby. She walked out, sat on one seat and fell asleep, dreaming quite uneasy dreams of evil lurking in the shadows of dark rooms and a number which would be forgotten by the time she woke up but it was a number that wouldn't be forgotten by Danny anytime sooner.

While Wendy slept, Danny was riding his tricycle through the second floor. He went through the corridors, curiously wandering what guests had stayed in which rooms. He found himself in the staff quarters and he rode past their room. The door was open and the room was dark and gloomy. He turned the corner to where the staff supplies corridor was and there, standing right in front of him, blocking his route, was what Tony had warned him about. The evil in the form of twins. The warm up scare. Danny stopped where he was. The twin girls were holding hands. They were wearing their blue dresses which Danny had seen in the Games Room on Closing Day and they held each others hand. They had blank expressions on their faces. Danny wanted to scream but he was too shocked. All he did was watch the girls, afraid they would run up and grab him and presumedly drag him to that evil room. Room 237, where there was something even more evil in there. 

"Hello Danny," whispered the girls in unison. The girls voices were chilling. They were sweet and spooky, like something you'd see in a 1920s movie where the main characters daughter was a cute little girl. Danny didn't reply. He stared at them, not trusting them. "Come and play with us," coaxed the girls. Danny didn't respond. "Come and play with us, Danny." A vision violently flashed in Danny's head. It was the staff supplies corridor, but the twin girls lay there, completely mutilated, blood all over the walls and bits of guts and gore coming out from their bellies. In the corner of the room lay a bloody axe. Danny opened his mouth to scream but no sound came out. The visions came into his head again and again and again. And the girls kept talking!

"Forever," whispered the girls. "And ever. And ever." Danny covered his eyes and started to weep with fear. He sat like that on his tricycle for a minute, then he removed his hands from his eyes. The girls were gone. Danny stood up and forgetting his tricycle, ran away. He ran down the staircase where, on Closing Day, two staff members had walked down after bidding Ullman farewell. He ran through the first floor corridor, the doors staring down at him. He ran faster and faster and then he saw his mother fast asleep in the lobby. He stood in the lobby's entrance from The Gold Ballroom hall. He had tears streaming down his face and was breathing hard. He wanted to get out. No. He had to get out. He had to get out of this horrible, evil place. And then a voice spoke into his mind.

"You can leave," it said. "But then the homeless shelter will be full of cold, diseased people trying to get out of the snow and there will pedophiles a plenty. Diseased ones, Danny. They will give you chlamydia and you'll end up being a diseased, dirty old man, Danny. Is that what you want? Do you want your parents to be miserable? Your father loves it here and your mother is growing to it. Stay a while longer, Danny. Stay here. Not forever, but until we have had enough." Danny winced and took a huge breath. Night was beginning to fall. He took three long, deep breaths and then walked to the kitchen. When he got there, he stood on a chair and got a big glass of water from the tap. He drank it all down in one gulp. He wanted to get out but he was terrified what would happen when they did. He had no choice but to stay. He didn't want to, but he had to. As long as he kept calm and even tried to ignore the ghosts, like they were that mean kid Sammy at daycare, he would probably be fine. He went to go to the lobby to wake up his mother. He was hungry and his daddy might be mad if dinner is late.