Awakening

Chapter 9 - Arrival

While the flight arrived at Heathrow airport on time at 5:35am my body still thought it was 11pm. I had slept no more than an hour or so on the plane catching up on movies and work. I was currently trying to watch the end of the latest james bond movie and finally exited the plane when the cleaning crew was staring at me. I was in no hurry but it was obvious they were.

As I walked through the terminal it was very surreal. I felt like I was on a movie set of the zombie apocalypse. Given I was the last off the plane, most people were long gone and the departing flights wouldn't let passengers in for a while. I walked through empty hallways and terminals with uninterrupted lines of chairs and gleaming floors. It seemed as if even the employees had left even though escalators and moving walkways were still in motion.

My solitude was interrupted when I caught up to a young mother and her three small children. Their pace was slowed by the wobbly walk of the toddler who refused to sit in a stroller and wobbled along pointing a various lights and signs. The oldest boy was probably 7 or 8 and was clearly ready to run. The long moving walkways were tempting but his mother wanted him to stay close. "I'll walk with the older one on the moving walkway." I said to the mother. "That is, if you'd like to let him run a bit." At first she looked at me warily. I could almost hear her calculate the risks and then decide I probably wasn't a kidnapper. She gave her son a nod and the little boy took of jogging down the moving walkway. We made our way through the terminal, the little boy doing 2-3 times the amount of walking as we did - looping around to run each moving walkway a few times. There are few things more precious than the laughing of small children.

We parted ways at passport control where again there was a sea of lines with no people. I had my luggage with me so it was a quick walk through customs and I was out into "official England." I found my scheduled ride who whisked me into the fresh air and we were on our way. I was thankful we were headed out of the city given the look of traffic. The first hour or so after an international flight was always a bit queasy for me. Spending it while in heavy traffic wasn't on my list of things to do.

My driver was pleasant and the half hour journey passed quickly. I asked him about sightseeing in the area as well as Windsor castle. He filled me in on much of the royal gossip and recent conspiracy theories. Between stories, I managed to ask about the I asked about the town of Hurley as we were nearing town. He said he'd never really been there himself and suggested I spend time in some larger towns surrounding the area for dinner and shopping. He was wondering how I'd heard of the town at all given I was American. "I was adopted from this area when I was young but this is my first trip to the area." I thought again how strange it was that a work trip would be the thing to bring me back. When I was young I had little desire to learn about my background, but over the past few years my curiosity seemed to be increasing.

As we turned from the main road, we entered a street that was clearly residential. There were moderate sized houses with lovely front yards and brick walkways. I felt the stares of people as our car passed along and it was clear they didn't receive many visitors through the isolated town. It took no more than a few blocks and we had arrived at the Inn. As the driver stopped at the front door, I was pleasantly surprised. It looked just as it had in the few pictures I had found and even the cartoon map started to make more sense. The Inn was a very old building in the center of a very old town with narrow winding streets and buildings clustered together. There were a few plaques indicating the post office and general store, the rest seemed to be residential. Many large estates behind big gates and hedges. I hoped there were enough sidewalks and paths to allow me a walk to the river and I planned to find out soon enough. I could feel the drag of my body clock informing me it was time for some sleep. I paid my driver and opened the dark black door to the Inn.

Demetrius had arrived for his shift about an hour before Maggie was due. He was in a sunny mood reflecting the recent changes in the weather. He was also looking forward to meeting his first guest - Maggie. While it would soon become an every day task he felt a certain excitement about his first guest check in. He wanted things to go well and would make sure she had a fantastic stay. He noticed a car pulling up and a young woman stepping out. She seemed to be about 5ft 5 and could certainly manage the stairs in room 6. No need to worry about room placement then – Whew! She entered into the Inn and headed for the small front desk with a radiating smile. It only added to his sunny outlook for today. "You must be Maggie" Demetrius stated, then quickly corrected himself "I mean Miss Sinclair."

"Well hi - yes I am and please call me Maggie." I said surprised at the recognition. "I guess you don't have many guests checking in at 7am this morning." I joked.

"No - just you. If I can just see some formal identification and get your credit card I'll let you get settled into your room." He stated as he proceeded to take my information for their books. "How was the weather in Chicago?" he asked politely.

"It was actually cold and rainy." I said with a little bit of a surprise in my voice. "Who would have thought I should come to London to see some sun."

"We've actually had quite a gloomy spring so far. Today is one of the first days it has been pleasant." He remarked.

"Well then it looks like I picked the right week to visit." I said tucking my passport and credit card back into my purse. Demetrius was being extra diligent but she was tired. "Everything ok?" I asked watching him write everything down while following a little card with instructions. Perhaps it was because I was so close to a bed that I was finally crashing.

"Yes, it's my first guest check in by myself. Thanks for your patience." He said nervously. I relaxed and gave him a big smile. "Take your time, I'm sure everything will be just fine."

Demetrius located my key for room 6 and handed it to me. The keys in the old part of the Inn were still manual keys attached to a large brass key fob. "We've put you in room 6 and you can enter right now. No one has been in your room so it should be all ready for you. Please let me know if something isn't to your liking." He stated. "You can head up the stairs that were to your left when you walked in the front door. Take a right at the top of the stairs and room 6 is clearly visible."

I thanked him and declined the offer to help with my bags. I was glad I packed light as there were clearly no places here where roller suitcases would help. I stepped back into the entryway and climbed the stairs as instructed. Given the age of the building it wasn't surprising that the stairs were uneven in both slant and size and only added to the charm. As I turned right at the top of the stairs there were a handful of rooms with number 6 at the end. I laughed as I passed room 8 with it's 3/4 sized door. With my curiosity at a peak level I walked to my door and inserted the key and after a few jiggles, seemed to step back into time....

As Demetrius filed away the necessary information about Maggie and her stay he remembered he had forgotten to check the staff notes from the shift change. His sunny mood clouded a bit as he saw Sarah's handwriting indicated he shouldn't put Maggie in room 6. He decided he would discuss with Maggie after her rest and closed the book.