Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: MOTEL (03/06/25)
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TITLE: The Man Who Didn't Check Out | Previous Challenge Entry
By JK Stenger
03/10/25 -
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The name was right, so was the location. Out there, sandwiched between First Avenue and the deserted remains of Highway 61, this was the place where nobody cared and nothing mattered.
As I entered, a wave of thick, greasy air, heavy with the scent of sweat and grime hit me. A chubby fellow with a sweatshirt that was tight around the belly, sat behind the reception desk with his eyes glued to a tiny television screen. He watched Tom and Jerry. A hysterical laugh erupted from his throat as Tom knocked Jerry out with a sledgehammer.
He eyed me suspiciously as I approached and cleared his throat. “What do you want?”
“You’ve got rooms, right?” I said.
“It’s a motel,” he scoffed. “Just a room for yourself, or is there … a lady coming? You can rent by the hour, you know.”
“No lady,” I responded, while the sting of his question lingered. My hand slipped into my coat-pocket where I had hid the gun. The cold steel both chilled and comforted me.
“Fine, suit yourself,” the clerk said. He yawned and held out his hand. “That’s 50 bucks. No breakfast, and I want you out by nine. Up the stairs and first door to your right.” He handed me a rusty key. “Number 5.”
As could be expected the room was musty, held a rickety chair, a bed with a lumpy mattress, and a precariously mounted television set, its remote on the chair. Sunset's light filtered through a small window. Soon darkness would swallow up the land and my troubles would be over.
I pulled out my gun and looked at it once more. As my hands brushed the sinister instrument, I recalled the words of the clerk. “Is there a lady coming?”
A dark chuckle escaped me. Annabelle had left. Ran off with Ralph Wagner, of all people. The sound of Wagner’s deceitful laughter still echoed in my mind, a reminder of the dirtbag he was. “Apologies, dude, but her love for me surpasses her love for you.”
I tossed the firearm on the bed and approached the window, where I witnessed the sun’s final descent. Tomorrow, the local paper would bury my story somewhere around page twenty. Gone from this cruel world without hope.
Now, I just had to wait. I would do it once everyone slept.
I got the remote, switched on the TV, then lay down. Tom kept beating Jerry. Only one channel? How weird. As I was about to turn it off, the scene shifted. Mountains and forests unfolded before me, their serene beauty underscored by gentle classical music.
Despite the poor quality of the television, the image was sharp and a warm, calming voice emerged. It said, “Without hope and without God in the world.” *
What?
I became alert.
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” * the voice went on. "For I am your peace.”
At that moment, the scene dissolved again and I was back with Tom and Jerry.
Bewildered, I stared at the TV. Was I losing my mind? Yet, I’d never felt so together. A wave of unprecedented clarity washed over me. Like a curtain parting, a sea of joyful truth opened up before me, its beauty inviting me to immerse myself within.
Without hope and without God in the world … That was me. I’d never given God my attention. He just didn’t matter. But He did. He was my peace, my hope … He was the reason for life and for everything.
I rushed down the stairs to the clerk. He was still sitting there in the same uninterested manner, watching the show. “Did you hear that?” I yelled.
“Hear what?” he mumbled, his voice gruff and uninterested.
“That voice … that heavenly voice? And the music. Did you ever perceive something so beautiful?”
A dark scowl crossed his face as he turned his head. “You are crazy. There’s only Tom and Jerry, and nothing more.” Pausing briefly, he said icily, “Get out. My motel has a strict no-drug policy.”
“But the words ... so beautiful,” I exclaimed with joy.
“Out!” the clerk yelled and his voice skipped a pitch, “before I call the cops!”
I didn’t even retrieve my gun. In the darkness of The Dark Swan Motel, I found the light. I had been blind, but now I saw.
• Ephesians 2:12 KJV
• Matthew 11:28
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