The Shining (Kubrick Version)

Part 9: Early Thursday Morning

At The Pink Flamingo Hotel in Florida, Dick lay on his bed, bare footed watching Channel Ten's Newswatch. The kitchen had just closed and the hotel was starting to quieten down for the night. Soon he would get up and have a nice hot shower then go to bed. The next day was his day off and he planned to spend it by the pool with a good book. He hadn't thought of The Overlook Hotel in weeks. Heck, he hadn't thought of Danny Torrance for weeks. He was busy cooking. Florida was experiencing their hottest winters, with temperatures in 28 degrees Celsius but a cold drop was expected to come in a fortnight, bringing temperatures to a chilly 13 degrees Celsius. That would be when The Pink Flamingo Hotel would start to quieten down and only people from extremely cold places would swim in the water. He was just about to get up and have that shower that had been on his mind since he had checked out of the kitchen when he heard Danny call him for help. Dick's face turned from calm to terror and he lay there, shaking. The world around him was gone. The Overlook Hotel's corridors, bloody and full of ghosts and confetti, came into his mind and walking through it, Jack Torrance holding a roque mallet. 

***

Jack Torrance walked through the dark second floor corridor. The corridor was completely dark this time, with no slight lighting on. The only light came from the area where The Colorado Lounge grand staircase was. He saw that the key was in Room 237's door. He twisted it and it opened. The lights in the room were on and bright, yellow light flashed from the room into the second floor corridor and made Jack flinch. The room was empty as he had expected. Still, he walked in. He felt tense as he did. He looked over his shoulder to check the room door was open. Yes. It still was. Outside the room, it looked dark and gloomy. The door on the opposite side stood facing him, like a soldier on duty. He turned around and walked past the neatly made bed. It was very neatly made. There was even a placard on it. He picked it up and read it, taking great care not to scrunch it. 

WELCOME TO THE OVERLOOK HOTEL!

TEA AND COFFEE AVAILABLE IN MINI FRIDGE

PLEASE BE COURTEOUS AND CHECK OUT BY 10AM

ENJOY YOUR STAY

FROM THE OVERLOOK HOTEL MANAGEMENT

Jack put it back down on the bed. No way nobody could get into that bed and leave the paper so nicely set. It was clear that it was put there by a chambermaid on Closing Day for the first person who decided to check into the hotel and who got this room. He walked to the mini fridge and opened it. The mini fridge was empty. No tea and coffee inside. Not even the pints of milk that were kept in most hotel mini fridges. Enough procrastinating, Jack, he thought. Time to check out the bathroom. He saw the bathroom door was just slightly closed. A bit of light came out through the crack in the door. He pushed the door open with a shaking hand and took a step in. The room smelt of soap and shampoo. He saw that the medicine cabinet was open, but inside it was empty except for an empty soap packet left inside. Obviously a chambermaid had been rushing like mad on Closing Day to leave the hotel and had left it in the cabinet. The shower curtain was shut. Everything seemed to be okay. But he saw that shadow sitting behind the shower curtain. He knew he had. He turned around quick as a whip and looked at it. A hand reached the shower curtain and pulled it aside. In there sat a beautiful young woman. She couldn't be anywhere over 30 at all. She was sitting in the bath, staring at Jack with a curious, sad look. She stood up and Jack observed how tall her legs were. Now he could see her whole body. She had a beautiful one. She stepped out of the bath, the water making splashing sounds and now she was completely out. She didn't seem cold, despite the fact it was snowing fiercely outside and the room was frigid cold. She walked over to Jack with that same look, only now she had a slight smile on her face. Jack gave her a perverted look and walked over to her. She was much prettier than Wendy. He stood facing her. She smelt of Lowilla soap and her hair gave scents of shampoo. She held his shaking hands and looked down at him, like she was about to play paddy cakes. Jack leaned towards her, shut his eyes and kissed her. It turned into making out. She smelt absolutely beautiful. And her lips were smooth too. But he noticed that there was a disguised smell in her. It smelt like moss from a dirty pond and mould and the longer he kissed her, the more crackly her lips felt. He opened his eyes and happened to glance in the bathroom mirror. The woman was still there. But she was no longer young and pretty. She had completely transformed into a disgusting, dirty old hag. Mould and moss surrounded her wrinkly, fat body. Jack looked at her face and saw it was wet, wrinkly and haggard. Wrinkles hung from her face like streamers. She cackled laughter and Jack freaked. He walked backwards, taking great care not to trip over. He gasped and groaned. The woman came after him, limping, her hands out as if to grab him. She laughed and Jack made direct eye contact with her. Her eyes glinted. He went out into the dark corridor. He took one look at the nasty old woman walking towards him. He slammed the door shut and locked it with the key. Then he backed away as if the door was contagious and ran down the corridor to his quarters. The woman's cackling laughter echoed around the corridors and Danny heard it very clearly and fell to his mattress, almost passing out.