As night falls in 1997 on Halloween Eve, a close-knit family searches for a new home, but at a particular residence, they find eerie coincidences which cannot be denied.
Never Say
Never Say
Overlook
A True Story
The four of us, plus our sweet realtor, were again in search of our future home. My wife of fourteen years, Wendy, was driving, and Dorothy, the realtor, was her navigator. Taking up the second row of seats in our Honda Odyssey minivan was me and my two daughters, Danielle and Kara. We found ourselves hunting a bit later than we should have. The overcast clouds ruled the Mount Vernon neighborhood this late October evening in 1997. Four and five-story condos lined the main road, and the buildings on the right side of the street glowed from the muffled sunset behind them. Seeing the old buildings reminded me that it would be more challenging to catch structural imperfections during our search, but we were determined to do our best.
I mentioned to Wendy a week ago that I hated traipsing through the homes of others. I was thankful when the owners weren’t there. When they were, I could feel thirsty eyeballs following us for a small sign of affirmation and anxious ears hoping to hear the life-and-death phrase I’d like to put a bid on your house. So far, none of the fifteen houses we’d seen in the past few weeks were worthy.
“Will it be much further?” Wendy asked, without taking her eyes off the road.
“Almost there,” Dorothy responded. “Make the next left on Overlook Street.”
The approaching darkness and cars parked on both sides of the street dwarfed our vehicle as we moved through the narrow, single-laned path. The name of the road reminded me of a horror movie I’d seen years ago. I smiled at my imagination and decided to keep an open mind.
As Wendy approached our intended destination, I thought of our agreement that the neighborhood must be quiet and well-kept. As I saw the wild and untidy decorations of the surrounding homes, my mood lifted, regardless. Various sized pumpkins paraded on the lawns, twisted webbing hugged the trees and bushes, and there were silly-looking skeleton’s galore. Even in the sophisticated decade of the late 90s, these ravenous ghouls were ready to feed off the fear of anyone passing by.
“It’s right there in the middle of the block on the right-hand side,” Dorothy said suddenly.
“I see the house number,” Wendy replied. “This open space is as close as I can get to it.
As Wendy expertly parallel-parked close to the curb, I noticed that this home on Overlook Street was one of the few that had no Halloween decorations. The house was an older looking three-story colonial badly in need of a paint job. Other than that sore point, it looked okay structurally. I paid less attention to the unmowed grass and more to the detached garage. At night, this separation from the house could be more than an inconvenience. This point was definitely on the con part of my list.
The van door locks electronically flipped open, and my older daughter jumped out with her sister close behind. Wendy was about to call out to them, but I placed my hand on her shoulder in front of me.
“I got this,” I said with a slight smile and stepped out of my side door.
“Dani, Kara,” I half-shouted out to them as I walked around the van. “You guys don’t even know where you’re going, but you’re rushing to get there.”
“Oh, yes, I do,” my sassy thirteen-year-old daughter Danielle turned her head and replied. “You guys were particular about the address.”
“Whatever,” I said. “Wait a minute. Let’s walk there together, please.”
“Well, since you said please,” Danielle responded with a chuckle, clearly showing her silver braces.
Kara ran to me, and playfully began pulling my jacket sleeve.
“Come on, old man,” she commanded.
“I’m doing my best,” I said as I increased my speed while allowing Kara to lead me to where Dani stood.
The cracked concrete sidewalk led us toward the home’s walkway as we proceeded. When I climbed the small set of stairs, I moved a bit to the right to avoid one of the oversized stone planters, which stood at the top of either side of the front door. After I inspected my pants leg, I noticed that the edge of the useless dirt-filled planter had caused a scrape on my work pants.
“Doggone it,” I said, trying not to swear in front of the kids.
“Watch the coarse language there, Black man,” Danielle spat out.
“Funny,” I replied in her direction as I dusted off my pants leg. “I don’t want to scare the neighbors, even if it is almost Halloween.”
“That’s tomorrow, not today,” Kara’s nine-year-old bright smile and a clear voice rang out. “On Friday.”
“Thank you for the news update, Kara,” I said to my reflection in her round glasses. “With that scary mask you’re wearing, I thought it was today.”
Kara’s tongue automatically stuck itself out in my direction, only to quickly be withdrawn when I tried to grab it.
Danielle smiled at us through her own set of round spectacles, reminding me how near-sighted the three of us were. In contrast, Wendy’s 20/20 eyes sat atop her lightly, mole-freckled face, which was only one of her attractive attributes. As I turned to find Wendy, Dorothy placed her small hand on my shoulder and brought me back to earth.
“Excuse me, Mr. Green,” the realtor stated. “I need to get to the door.”
When I turned and faced the closeness of Dorothy’s pale face, I felt oddly uncomfortable but couldn’t figure why. I carefully backed down one step as Dorothy searched for the key in her coat pocket.
“Mr. Green was my father,” I said to her in an attempt to change my mood. “If I’m calling you Dorothy, please call me Lloyd.”
“Okay,” she replied with a warm smile. Dorothy unlocked the door, and she and the girls made their way through.
Old lady Dorothy. That’s what Wendy and I called her when she was out of earshot. It was unusual to see someone her age, about seventy-ish, showing houses, but her slight, stylishly-dressed figure moved swiftly through each proposed deal. Silver-haired or not, Dorothy was a lovely person who was as pushy as Wendy when it came to checking out as many homes as possible.
When I turned my head, I found Wendy, who was just behind Dorothy, quietly laughing at me.
“Forget what we came here for?” she asked.
“I can always count on you to remind me.” I moved my arm around her waist as if to assist her in walking up the small steps. By doing this, I was also pulling her in my direction.
When Wendy got to my step, she kissed me on my cheek and pushed me a bit closer to the planter than I wanted to be. The light nudge of her hand caused me to move down one step, just catching myself from tripping. She glanced over her shoulder and stared at me from the open doorway.
“Are you coming?” she said, attempting to sound innocent.
“You’ll find out once I get up these stairs.”
I moved more quickly up the steps than Wendy must have anticipated. I could tell I startled her when she jumped toward the second inner door with a big smile. She stopped just short of bumping into Dorothy and the girls. She almost said the word Stop, but she could soon see my movements were just a bluff. It was my turn to appear innocent, as the others turned to see me standing quietly.
After I shut the second entry doors behind me, and most of our small crowd moved to pass a set of stairs to our left, I noticed that Danielle wasn’t walking with us. She was lingering by some photo on the wall area close to the front door.
“Dani, come catch up,” Wen said, speaking before I did.
Danielle shook her head as if trying to clear it and quickly rejoined the group.
As we passed through the dining room and kitchen and circled toward a rather plain-looking living room, Dorothy stopped for a moment to give what sounded like a scripted speech.
“The owner has already left the house and taken much of the furniture. There are ten bedrooms, three on the first floor, three on the second, and four on the third.”
“Wow,” Wendy said, sounding startled. “What’s the price of this place?”
“The owners set it at $200,000,” Dorothy replied quickly.
Dorothy couldn’t have missed the shocked look that Wen and I threw each other. Most of the houses we looked at were in the 230 to 250 range and had four or five bedrooms.
“How come at such a low price it has so many more bedrooms?” Wendy asked with a serious tone that made me as uncomfortable as it might have made Dorothy.
Dorothy glanced down at the neatly stapled sheets of paper containing the real estate information in her hand and then exhaled quietly before responding.
“I’ll have to check on that. The price listing is definitely correct, and the bank approved you guys for so much more. Let me show you the rest of the house, then you decide.”
Dorothy sounded hopeful, but I already had my doubts. After being mildly impressed by three large bedrooms on the first floor, we circled back to the stairway. As we made our way toward the second floor, each unforgiving wooden step screamed for mercy.
After reaching the top of the stairs, it was difficult not to see a reoccurring theme. The same type of electric light candle holders attached to a mirror, which I saw on the first floor, was also set throughout this level. Perhaps a previous owner thought it was an inexpensive way to fight the darkness, but the placement of each small fixture was so far apart. The redundancy seemed ridiculous, and the lack of lighting throughout the house was disconcerting.
I looked to the right then broke away from the group on my own. There was another bedroom on my left that I only glanced into because its blank walls were as gloomy as the ones downstairs. After continuing to follow the narrow hallway, I was surprised when it led to a second kitchen. Upon inspection, the stove and refrigerator reminded me of the appliances in my parent’s home when I was a boy. On my right was a stove, which had handles instead of round knobs. Handles like that could get caught on a person’s sleeves and almost anything else. On the opposite wall was a curved white refrigerator with a single door. One door meant there was probably a small freezer compartment in the top section. No matter how well these appliances worked, they were badly in need of replacement. I then noticed a door on the wall of the other side of the fridge. The door only moved partially, so I had to push it with my shoulder to open it. It led to a rather sizeable dusty storeroom or what could be a decent-sized bedroom. I shook my head in dissatisfaction after noticing it had no closet but only two standup cabinets.
I reversed course, returned to the claustrophobic hallway, and followed it in the direction of the far-away living room at the other end. I could hear the others’ voices long before I reached them, but the sounds had to come from another bedroom, which was on the right. When I glanced in, the first thing that hit me was the two large uncovered windows on either wall.
“There are two huge walk-in closets in here,” said Danielle. “This is my room.”
“No, it’s not, Dani. This bedroom is mine,” Kara said as she spun around on her toes. “It’s so big; I could play in here forever and ever and ever.”
A chill ran up my back. There was something about Kara’s last phrase that sounded too familiar.
Suddenly, the multiple coincidences hit me, and I desperately needed to share my thoughts with my wife.
“Wendy,” I called from the doorway. “Come here. I want to show you something.”
Her crooked eyebrows showed me I had her curiosity. I led her away from the others and into the nearby full bathroom. She looked around at the tiled walls and spoke as if she had called me in there.
“Is this the only bathroom on this floor?” she asked in her usual quick style. “Are there any private bathrooms in the other bedrooms?”
“Yes, this is the only bathroom up here, and no, there are no bedrooms with a private bathroom, but that’s not why I called you in here.”
Her expression went blank as she waited for me to continue.
“This is going to sound weird, but do you remember The Shining?” I asked.
“Yeah, we saw the made-for-TV movie in April this year. What about it?”
“Whoa, I forgot about that one,” I responded. “I’m talking about the real one. The 1980 movie.”
“Oh. The Jack Nicholson film where he goes crazy at that hotel. Okay. What about it?”
“Do you remember the wife’s name?” I asked her.
“How can I forget. It was Wendy, like mine.”
After speaking these words, I could see the lightbulb go on in her head. After rolling her eyes as far up into her head as possible, my dear wife twisted her lips as she spoke to me.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said pointedly without further elaboration.
We could hear the footsteps of our two girls and Dorothy walking into the hallway toward our direction. I was a bit annoyed that Wendy was dismissing our conversation, but I dropped it. She was probably right; it was silly.
We met the others in the hallway and headed to the stairs on the right, which led upward to the third floor. As we reached the level, we all turned left and followed Dorothy. I couldn’t believe that the hallway could be narrower than the floor below, but it was. I raised both arms as we walked, and my extended fingers could almost, but not quite, touch the close walls.
“There are four bedrooms on this floor,” Dorothy stated as she walked. “Each room is about the same size. Two have closets, and two don’t.”
As we turned into the bedroom at the end of the hallway, I noticed Dorothy had left out how small the rooms were. The room was bare except for a single rocking chair in the left rear corner of the room near a close-by window. The floor under the window had a dull shine due to age and the minimal light. The darkened shellac on old rocker reminded me of the one I purchased for Wendy to rock the kids to sleep years ago. I could not help but do a double-take at this piece of furniture. A shadow cast across the lonely chair, making it seem, for just a moment, as if someone was sitting there. A sense of dread made me close my eyes. Before I opened them, Wendy’s voice broke the silence.
“Did you see that?” Wendy asked Dorothy and me.
The first thing I saw as my eyes shot open was Wendy staring at the darkened chair in the corner
“What was that, dear?” Dorothy responded.
Before Wendy could respond to whatever she saw, the mother-hen in her suddenly kicked in.
“Where are the girls?” Wendy asked, knowing that I was closest to the door.
Instead of responding, I moved into the hallway with Wendy close behind me. Both of our heads turned and stared far down the hall, seeing Kara and Dani at what had to be the fourth bedroom door. Danielle was slowly reaching for the doorknob.
“Dani, Kara,” Wen said sternly. “Don’t go in that room without us.”
Both kids stopped in their tracks like good little soldiers. After catching up with them, we entered the fourth and last bedroom on the floor. The lighting was sparse, adding to an already creepy feeling. We all walked together to the center of the room. It was a mirror image of the bedroom we’d just seen on the opposite side of the building.
“Mommy,” Kara said. “These bedrooms are just too small.”
I picked up the response.
“I guess you two already inspected the second and third bedrooms without us and formed your own opinions,” I stated. What Kara said was right, though. Every bedroom we’d seen on this floor was like a matchbox.
“Don’t look at them as small, see them as adequate,” Dorothy stated without missing a beat. She directed her gaze at me. “You mentioned that you fancy yourself a writer. I’m certain with the right conditions; you could get a lot done here.”
My blood ran cold at her words. I found myself counting the wrinkles on her face until Wendy slipped her arm through mine to pull me away. I swore I felt Wendy’s hand trembling through my jacket sleeve, startling me back to reality. At first, I thought Dorothy would think it strange that we pulled back out of her earshot. I later realized that she was used to clients talking amongst themselves to make a decision privately.
“Just to be clear,” Wendy said. “It was your comments that caused Dorothy to say this is a good place for you to write. You and crazy Jack Nicholson. Thank you for creeping me out.” Wendy placed both her hands in her jacket pockets. This shielded look was unlike her. Now she was creeping me out also.
“Now,” she continued. “You said that this place on Overlook Street is like the Overlook Hotel in the movie?”
I nodded my head slowly and quietly.
“The little boy’s name in the movie, it was Danny, right?’ she said, glancing back into the bedroom.
“Right,” I replied again.
“And the bartender who served Nicholson, his name was Lloyd, wasn’t it? Wendy asked.
“Yes,” I replied. “But I looked up something after seeing the movie. Did you know the name of the actor that played the little child named Danny?
“What was it?” she asked, watching me with her head slightly lowered.
“Danny Lloyd,” I answered.
“You’re kidding,” she stated.
“Nope,” I said as I shook my head from side to side.
“Let me get this straight,” Wendy said. “We’re standing in a house on Overlook Street with as many rooms as a hotel, and we feel it’s reminiscent of the Overlook Hotel. The price is low, which makes it an opportunity that’s too good for us to pass up. The poor wife in the movie has my name, Wendy. The child has the same name as my child, which is Dani. The actor who played the child is Danny Lloyd. And finally, the dead bartender that pushes Nicholson, the writer, towards drinking is named Lloyd. Do I have all of this, right?
“I think you covered everything,” I replied. “As long as we don’t compare Dorothy to the slimy old woman in Room 237.”
A shrill laugh came from Dorothy, who was standing with Danielle and Kara. They were all crowded at a window that faced the front of the house. The sound that she made caused me to jump, which I hoped only Wendy had seen. I had never heard Dorothy laugh before, so why now and why so odd? The girls gave nervous chuckles and threw widened glances towards us. I knew that the realtor couldn’t have heard what Wendy and I had said.
“Lloyd,” Wendy said while leaning into my ear as she spoke. “As coincidental as all of this is, I think I’ve had enough. I don’t want to scare the girls, but I think we should leave.”
Without waiting for my response, Wendy directed her voice towards Dorothy.
“Excuse me, Dorothy, I think we’ve seen enough. Great price, but it’s just too big for us to take care of.”
“Okay, if you’re sure. There’s a place on…”
“I’m sorry, Dorothy,” Wendy said, cutting her off. “I know we were supposed to see one more place, but can you and I pick this back up tomorrow?
“Sure, Hon,” she replied quickly. “Early if you like.”
Wendy gave only a minor smile and nodded her head in agreement.
We moved through the hallway toward the stairs, and I gripped the handrail as I began to lead the group. As I placed a foot on the first step down, coldness gripped me, instantly giving me goosebumps. I stepped a little faster toward the second floor, thinking that the movement might help me warm up, and I tried not to trip over my feet.
Once on the top of the second and last stairway landing, I could see the first-floor area. Still, no relief from the chill that surrounded me was in sight, but at least the front door grew larger with each step that I took. What was also changing was the increasing darkness that was winning its battle over the candle mechanisms. I could feel the others a few steps behind. I looked forward to a possible warmer temperature outside, but something stopped me from reaching for the doorknob.
Just to the right of the door was a simple line drawing on faded paper, placed in an inexpensive wooden frame. Someone had sketched a face with its head thrown back and hair wired in every direction. The broad wide-mouth smile was not as wild as the bulging eyes that stared back at me. I suddenly understood why Dani had paused so long at that wall when we first entered the house.
I mentioned to Wendy a week ago that I hated traipsing through the homes of others. I was thankful when the owners weren’t there. When they were, I could feel thirsty eyeballs following us for a small sign of affirmation and anxious ears hoping to hear the life-and-death phrase I’d like to put a bid on your house. So far, none of the fifteen houses we’d seen in the past few weeks were worthy.
“Will it be much further?” Wendy asked, without taking her eyes off the road.
“Almost there,” Dorothy responded. “Make the next left on Overlook Street.”
The approaching darkness and cars parked on both sides of the street dwarfed our vehicle as we moved through the narrow, single-laned path. The name of the road reminded me of a horror movie I’d seen years ago. I smiled at my imagination and decided to keep an open mind.
As Wendy approached our intended destination, I thought of our agreement that the neighborhood must be quiet and well-kept. As I saw the wild and untidy decorations of the surrounding homes, my mood lifted, regardless. Various sized pumpkins paraded on the lawns, twisted webbing hugged the trees and bushes, and there were silly-looking skeleton’s galore. Even in the sophisticated decade of the late 90s, these ravenous ghouls were ready to feed off the fear of anyone passing by.
“It’s right there in the middle of the block on the right-hand side,” Dorothy said suddenly.
“I see the house number,” Wendy replied. “This open space is as close as I can get to it.
As Wendy expertly parallel-parked close to the curb, I noticed that this home on Overlook Street was one of the few that had no Halloween decorations. The house was an older looking three-story colonial badly in need of a paint job. Other than that sore point, it looked okay structurally. I paid less attention to the unmowed grass and more to the detached garage. At night, this separation from the house could be more than an inconvenience. This point was definitely on the con part of my list.
The van door locks electronically flipped open, and my older daughter jumped out with her sister close behind. Wendy was about to call out to them, but I placed my hand on her shoulder in front of me.
“I got this,” I said with a slight smile and stepped out of my side door.
“Dani, Kara,” I half-shouted out to them as I walked around the van. “You guys don’t even know where you’re going, but you’re rushing to get there.”
“Oh, yes, I do,” my sassy thirteen-year-old daughter Danielle turned her head and replied. “You guys were particular about the address.”
“Whatever,” I said. “Wait a minute. Let’s walk there together, please.”
“Well, since you said please,” Danielle responded with a chuckle, clearly showing her silver braces.
Kara ran to me, and playfully began pulling my jacket sleeve.
“Come on, old man,” she commanded.
“I’m doing my best,” I said as I increased my speed while allowing Kara to lead me to where Dani stood.
The cracked concrete sidewalk led us toward the home’s walkway as we proceeded. When I climbed the small set of stairs, I moved a bit to the right to avoid one of the oversized stone planters, which stood at the top of either side of the front door. After I inspected my pants leg, I noticed that the edge of the useless dirt-filled planter had caused a scrape on my work pants.
“Doggone it,” I said, trying not to swear in front of the kids.
“Watch the coarse language there, Black man,” Danielle spat out.
“Funny,” I replied in her direction as I dusted off my pants leg. “I don’t want to scare the neighbors, even if it is almost Halloween.”
“That’s tomorrow, not today,” Kara’s nine-year-old bright smile and a clear voice rang out. “On Friday.”
“Thank you for the news update, Kara,” I said to my reflection in her round glasses. “With that scary mask you’re wearing, I thought it was today.”
Kara’s tongue automatically stuck itself out in my direction, only to quickly be withdrawn when I tried to grab it.
Danielle smiled at us through her own set of round spectacles, reminding me how near-sighted the three of us were. In contrast, Wendy’s 20/20 eyes sat atop her lightly, mole-freckled face, which was only one of her attractive attributes. As I turned to find Wendy, Dorothy placed her small hand on my shoulder and brought me back to earth.
“Excuse me, Mr. Green,” the realtor stated. “I need to get to the door.”
When I turned and faced the closeness of Dorothy’s pale face, I felt oddly uncomfortable but couldn’t figure why. I carefully backed down one step as Dorothy searched for the key in her coat pocket.
“Mr. Green was my father,” I said to her in an attempt to change my mood. “If I’m calling you Dorothy, please call me Lloyd.”
“Okay,” she replied with a warm smile. Dorothy unlocked the door, and she and the girls made their way through.
Old lady Dorothy. That’s what Wendy and I called her when she was out of earshot. It was unusual to see someone her age, about seventy-ish, showing houses, but her slight, stylishly-dressed figure moved swiftly through each proposed deal. Silver-haired or not, Dorothy was a lovely person who was as pushy as Wendy when it came to checking out as many homes as possible.
When I turned my head, I found Wendy, who was just behind Dorothy, quietly laughing at me.
“Forget what we came here for?” she asked.
“I can always count on you to remind me.” I moved my arm around her waist as if to assist her in walking up the small steps. By doing this, I was also pulling her in my direction.
When Wendy got to my step, she kissed me on my cheek and pushed me a bit closer to the planter than I wanted to be. The light nudge of her hand caused me to move down one step, just catching myself from tripping. She glanced over her shoulder and stared at me from the open doorway.
“Are you coming?” she said, attempting to sound innocent.
“You’ll find out once I get up these stairs.”
I moved more quickly up the steps than Wendy must have anticipated. I could tell I startled her when she jumped toward the second inner door with a big smile. She stopped just short of bumping into Dorothy and the girls. She almost said the word Stop, but she could soon see my movements were just a bluff. It was my turn to appear innocent, as the others turned to see me standing quietly.
After I shut the second entry doors behind me, and most of our small crowd moved to pass a set of stairs to our left, I noticed that Danielle wasn’t walking with us. She was lingering by some photo on the wall area close to the front door.
“Dani, come catch up,” Wen said, speaking before I did.
Danielle shook her head as if trying to clear it and quickly rejoined the group.
As we passed through the dining room and kitchen and circled toward a rather plain-looking living room, Dorothy stopped for a moment to give what sounded like a scripted speech.
“The owner has already left the house and taken much of the furniture. There are ten bedrooms, three on the first floor, three on the second, and four on the third.”
“Wow,” Wendy said, sounding startled. “What’s the price of this place?”
“The owners set it at $200,000,” Dorothy replied quickly.
Dorothy couldn’t have missed the shocked look that Wen and I threw each other. Most of the houses we looked at were in the 230 to 250 range and had four or five bedrooms.
“How come at such a low price it has so many more bedrooms?” Wendy asked with a serious tone that made me as uncomfortable as it might have made Dorothy.
Dorothy glanced down at the neatly stapled sheets of paper containing the real estate information in her hand and then exhaled quietly before responding.
“I’ll have to check on that. The price listing is definitely correct, and the bank approved you guys for so much more. Let me show you the rest of the house, then you decide.”
Dorothy sounded hopeful, but I already had my doubts. After being mildly impressed by three large bedrooms on the first floor, we circled back to the stairway. As we made our way toward the second floor, each unforgiving wooden step screamed for mercy.
After reaching the top of the stairs, it was difficult not to see a reoccurring theme. The same type of electric light candle holders attached to a mirror, which I saw on the first floor, was also set throughout this level. Perhaps a previous owner thought it was an inexpensive way to fight the darkness, but the placement of each small fixture was so far apart. The redundancy seemed ridiculous, and the lack of lighting throughout the house was disconcerting.
I looked to the right then broke away from the group on my own. There was another bedroom on my left that I only glanced into because its blank walls were as gloomy as the ones downstairs. After continuing to follow the narrow hallway, I was surprised when it led to a second kitchen. Upon inspection, the stove and refrigerator reminded me of the appliances in my parent’s home when I was a boy. On my right was a stove, which had handles instead of round knobs. Handles like that could get caught on a person’s sleeves and almost anything else. On the opposite wall was a curved white refrigerator with a single door. One door meant there was probably a small freezer compartment in the top section. No matter how well these appliances worked, they were badly in need of replacement. I then noticed a door on the wall of the other side of the fridge. The door only moved partially, so I had to push it with my shoulder to open it. It led to a rather sizeable dusty storeroom or what could be a decent-sized bedroom. I shook my head in dissatisfaction after noticing it had no closet but only two standup cabinets.
I reversed course, returned to the claustrophobic hallway, and followed it in the direction of the far-away living room at the other end. I could hear the others’ voices long before I reached them, but the sounds had to come from another bedroom, which was on the right. When I glanced in, the first thing that hit me was the two large uncovered windows on either wall.
“There are two huge walk-in closets in here,” said Danielle. “This is my room.”
“No, it’s not, Dani. This bedroom is mine,” Kara said as she spun around on her toes. “It’s so big; I could play in here forever and ever and ever.”
A chill ran up my back. There was something about Kara’s last phrase that sounded too familiar.
Suddenly, the multiple coincidences hit me, and I desperately needed to share my thoughts with my wife.
“Wendy,” I called from the doorway. “Come here. I want to show you something.”
Her crooked eyebrows showed me I had her curiosity. I led her away from the others and into the nearby full bathroom. She looked around at the tiled walls and spoke as if she had called me in there.
“Is this the only bathroom on this floor?” she asked in her usual quick style. “Are there any private bathrooms in the other bedrooms?”
“Yes, this is the only bathroom up here, and no, there are no bedrooms with a private bathroom, but that’s not why I called you in here.”
Her expression went blank as she waited for me to continue.
“This is going to sound weird, but do you remember The Shining?” I asked.
“Yeah, we saw the made-for-TV movie in April this year. What about it?”
“Whoa, I forgot about that one,” I responded. “I’m talking about the real one. The 1980 movie.”
“Oh. The Jack Nicholson film where he goes crazy at that hotel. Okay. What about it?”
“Do you remember the wife’s name?” I asked her.
“How can I forget. It was Wendy, like mine.”
After speaking these words, I could see the lightbulb go on in her head. After rolling her eyes as far up into her head as possible, my dear wife twisted her lips as she spoke to me.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said pointedly without further elaboration.
We could hear the footsteps of our two girls and Dorothy walking into the hallway toward our direction. I was a bit annoyed that Wendy was dismissing our conversation, but I dropped it. She was probably right; it was silly.
We met the others in the hallway and headed to the stairs on the right, which led upward to the third floor. As we reached the level, we all turned left and followed Dorothy. I couldn’t believe that the hallway could be narrower than the floor below, but it was. I raised both arms as we walked, and my extended fingers could almost, but not quite, touch the close walls.
“There are four bedrooms on this floor,” Dorothy stated as she walked. “Each room is about the same size. Two have closets, and two don’t.”
As we turned into the bedroom at the end of the hallway, I noticed Dorothy had left out how small the rooms were. The room was bare except for a single rocking chair in the left rear corner of the room near a close-by window. The floor under the window had a dull shine due to age and the minimal light. The darkened shellac on old rocker reminded me of the one I purchased for Wendy to rock the kids to sleep years ago. I could not help but do a double-take at this piece of furniture. A shadow cast across the lonely chair, making it seem, for just a moment, as if someone was sitting there. A sense of dread made me close my eyes. Before I opened them, Wendy’s voice broke the silence.
“Did you see that?” Wendy asked Dorothy and me.
The first thing I saw as my eyes shot open was Wendy staring at the darkened chair in the corner
“What was that, dear?” Dorothy responded.
Before Wendy could respond to whatever she saw, the mother-hen in her suddenly kicked in.
“Where are the girls?” Wendy asked, knowing that I was closest to the door.
Instead of responding, I moved into the hallway with Wendy close behind me. Both of our heads turned and stared far down the hall, seeing Kara and Dani at what had to be the fourth bedroom door. Danielle was slowly reaching for the doorknob.
“Dani, Kara,” Wen said sternly. “Don’t go in that room without us.”
Both kids stopped in their tracks like good little soldiers. After catching up with them, we entered the fourth and last bedroom on the floor. The lighting was sparse, adding to an already creepy feeling. We all walked together to the center of the room. It was a mirror image of the bedroom we’d just seen on the opposite side of the building.
“Mommy,” Kara said. “These bedrooms are just too small.”
I picked up the response.
“I guess you two already inspected the second and third bedrooms without us and formed your own opinions,” I stated. What Kara said was right, though. Every bedroom we’d seen on this floor was like a matchbox.
“Don’t look at them as small, see them as adequate,” Dorothy stated without missing a beat. She directed her gaze at me. “You mentioned that you fancy yourself a writer. I’m certain with the right conditions; you could get a lot done here.”
My blood ran cold at her words. I found myself counting the wrinkles on her face until Wendy slipped her arm through mine to pull me away. I swore I felt Wendy’s hand trembling through my jacket sleeve, startling me back to reality. At first, I thought Dorothy would think it strange that we pulled back out of her earshot. I later realized that she was used to clients talking amongst themselves to make a decision privately.
“Just to be clear,” Wendy said. “It was your comments that caused Dorothy to say this is a good place for you to write. You and crazy Jack Nicholson. Thank you for creeping me out.” Wendy placed both her hands in her jacket pockets. This shielded look was unlike her. Now she was creeping me out also.
“Now,” she continued. “You said that this place on Overlook Street is like the Overlook Hotel in the movie?”
I nodded my head slowly and quietly.
“The little boy’s name in the movie, it was Danny, right?’ she said, glancing back into the bedroom.
“Right,” I replied again.
“And the bartender who served Nicholson, his name was Lloyd, wasn’t it? Wendy asked.
“Yes,” I replied. “But I looked up something after seeing the movie. Did you know the name of the actor that played the little child named Danny?
“What was it?” she asked, watching me with her head slightly lowered.
“Danny Lloyd,” I answered.
“You’re kidding,” she stated.
“Nope,” I said as I shook my head from side to side.
“Let me get this straight,” Wendy said. “We’re standing in a house on Overlook Street with as many rooms as a hotel, and we feel it’s reminiscent of the Overlook Hotel. The price is low, which makes it an opportunity that’s too good for us to pass up. The poor wife in the movie has my name, Wendy. The child has the same name as my child, which is Dani. The actor who played the child is Danny Lloyd. And finally, the dead bartender that pushes Nicholson, the writer, towards drinking is named Lloyd. Do I have all of this, right?
“I think you covered everything,” I replied. “As long as we don’t compare Dorothy to the slimy old woman in Room 237.”
A shrill laugh came from Dorothy, who was standing with Danielle and Kara. They were all crowded at a window that faced the front of the house. The sound that she made caused me to jump, which I hoped only Wendy had seen. I had never heard Dorothy laugh before, so why now and why so odd? The girls gave nervous chuckles and threw widened glances towards us. I knew that the realtor couldn’t have heard what Wendy and I had said.
“Lloyd,” Wendy said while leaning into my ear as she spoke. “As coincidental as all of this is, I think I’ve had enough. I don’t want to scare the girls, but I think we should leave.”
Without waiting for my response, Wendy directed her voice towards Dorothy.
“Excuse me, Dorothy, I think we’ve seen enough. Great price, but it’s just too big for us to take care of.”
“Okay, if you’re sure. There’s a place on…”
“I’m sorry, Dorothy,” Wendy said, cutting her off. “I know we were supposed to see one more place, but can you and I pick this back up tomorrow?
“Sure, Hon,” she replied quickly. “Early if you like.”
Wendy gave only a minor smile and nodded her head in agreement.
We moved through the hallway toward the stairs, and I gripped the handrail as I began to lead the group. As I placed a foot on the first step down, coldness gripped me, instantly giving me goosebumps. I stepped a little faster toward the second floor, thinking that the movement might help me warm up, and I tried not to trip over my feet.
Once on the top of the second and last stairway landing, I could see the first-floor area. Still, no relief from the chill that surrounded me was in sight, but at least the front door grew larger with each step that I took. What was also changing was the increasing darkness that was winning its battle over the candle mechanisms. I could feel the others a few steps behind. I looked forward to a possible warmer temperature outside, but something stopped me from reaching for the doorknob.
Just to the right of the door was a simple line drawing on faded paper, placed in an inexpensive wooden frame. Someone had sketched a face with its head thrown back and hair wired in every direction. The broad wide-mouth smile was not as wild as the bulging eyes that stared back at me. I suddenly understood why Dani had paused so long at that wall when we first entered the house.
“Did you see this?” I asked Wendy who had caught up with me. Her response came quickly.
“Why would anyone place a drawing like that just inside the front door for everybody to see?”
Wendy asked, eyes narrowed and staring hard at the drawing. She then turned to speak to Dorothy, who was practically by her side.
“Do you know who that is?” Wendy asked, taking a serious tone with Dorothy that surprised me.
“It’s a portrait of the wife of the previous owner',” Dorothy said slowly. “The wife said there were many drawings by him throughout the house, but she took them with her. For whatever reason, this is one of the few things in the house that was left behind.”
We quietly walked out. Dorothy lagged to make sure that the front door was locked correctly.
As we rushed to the car, Wendy gently placed her arms around Danielle and Kara’s shoulders as if she was leading them to the back seats. I understood that Wendy possibly needed to get the same question answered that I had. I was willing to wait until after we dropped Dorothy off at her office, but Wendy wasn’t quite so patient.
As the two girls climbed into the car, she asked them, “What was Dorothy laughing about when you guys were upstairs in that last bedroom?”
Danielle and Kara looked at each other and giggled.
“When we were all looking out the window,” Danielle replied. “I saw the sign that’s on the lawn next door. I pointed it out to Dorothy, and I guess she thought it was hilarious.”
Again, Danielle and Kara began to laugh, but this time out loud.
Wendy and I looked over our shoulders towards the front yard of the next house.
“What sign is that?” I asked.
Both girls pointed towards the neighbor’s walkway where a black wooden sign sat, with bright gold letters. The neighbor must have taken an old plank and cut it into the shape of an arrow. It pointed directly at the house we had just checked on. The web draped sign said:
“Why would anyone place a drawing like that just inside the front door for everybody to see?”
Wendy asked, eyes narrowed and staring hard at the drawing. She then turned to speak to Dorothy, who was practically by her side.
“Do you know who that is?” Wendy asked, taking a serious tone with Dorothy that surprised me.
“It’s a portrait of the wife of the previous owner',” Dorothy said slowly. “The wife said there were many drawings by him throughout the house, but she took them with her. For whatever reason, this is one of the few things in the house that was left behind.”
We quietly walked out. Dorothy lagged to make sure that the front door was locked correctly.
As we rushed to the car, Wendy gently placed her arms around Danielle and Kara’s shoulders as if she was leading them to the back seats. I understood that Wendy possibly needed to get the same question answered that I had. I was willing to wait until after we dropped Dorothy off at her office, but Wendy wasn’t quite so patient.
As the two girls climbed into the car, she asked them, “What was Dorothy laughing about when you guys were upstairs in that last bedroom?”
Danielle and Kara looked at each other and giggled.
“When we were all looking out the window,” Danielle replied. “I saw the sign that’s on the lawn next door. I pointed it out to Dorothy, and I guess she thought it was hilarious.”
Again, Danielle and Kara began to laugh, but this time out loud.
Wendy and I looked over our shoulders towards the front yard of the next house.
“What sign is that?” I asked.
Both girls pointed towards the neighbor’s walkway where a black wooden sign sat, with bright gold letters. The neighbor must have taken an old plank and cut it into the shape of an arrow. It pointed directly at the house we had just checked on. The web draped sign said:
OVERLOOK HOTEL – Caretaker Wanted
Wendy and I stared, not saying a word for a few moments as the smiles dropped from our faces. As I glanced just under the signpost, I realized that there was something else there. Dug securely into a coarse-looking stump of wood was a three-foot-long fire ax, with a wooden handle and a foot-long blade that was an inch thick. What I saw had to be a toy prop placed there for laughs, but I couldn’t find the humor in it.
Dorothy finally made it to the van and quietly reclaimed her passenger seat in the front. With that, I sat next to the girls, and Wendy took the driver’s seat. It was not like Wendy to quickly pull away from the curb without checking for other cars. She was also driving too fast for the local street that we were on. Once we made the left off Overlook Street, I finally felt the engine revving as usual.
Since Dorothy didn’t attempt a new conversation, she must have felt the chill in the air. I crossed my arms, still trying to keep in some of my body heat, but I couldn’t shake the coldness. I had a passing thought of how Jack must have felt as he froze to death in the maze just outside the Overlook Hotel at the end of The Shining.
No one said a word until we got to the realty office in town.
THE END
Dorothy finally made it to the van and quietly reclaimed her passenger seat in the front. With that, I sat next to the girls, and Wendy took the driver’s seat. It was not like Wendy to quickly pull away from the curb without checking for other cars. She was also driving too fast for the local street that we were on. Once we made the left off Overlook Street, I finally felt the engine revving as usual.
Since Dorothy didn’t attempt a new conversation, she must have felt the chill in the air. I crossed my arms, still trying to keep in some of my body heat, but I couldn’t shake the coldness. I had a passing thought of how Jack must have felt as he froze to death in the maze just outside the Overlook Hotel at the end of The Shining.
No one said a word until we got to the realty office in town.
THE END