PROSE: "Hospitable Dreams" by Erin Burrows

"Hospitable Dreams"

by Erin Burrows

 The house belonged to the College and was commonly referred to as "The Shelves" because of the number of students the school has living in it. In the current year, six girls were housed there. They hadn't met beforehand, so the first few weeks were difficult, adjustment wise. Now, a little more than halfway through the first semester, their lives seemed to revolve around each others', space not allowing for solitude. They lived and thrived as a unit, eating, sleeping, studying, and interacting together. It was as though they had created a bond so strong, it was unbreakable.



 At the beginning of the semester, Erica had been the first to arrive. She claimed the room closest to the common room, on the second floor. The room came with nothing but a bed, blue and gray with green sheets already made. Upon seeing the sheets, she made a mental note to wash them, unsure of who had previously lived here. There was a bulletin board on the wall that had the house rules and a note from the school:

"Congratulations on being chosen to live in the Miller-Monroe House! Just a few tips before you get comfortable:

-clothes and belongings can be placed in the closets in the basement to make space in your room

-there are enough shelves and drawers in the bathroom for one per person: please be courteous!

-meals are to be had at the Graden Dining Hall

-get to know your roommates: your safety depends on knowing their schedules and them; being close to your roommates can help save you this year"

 Erica thought the last point on the note was suspicious, but soon brushed it from her mind and lugged her boxes back downstairs, determined to get good closet space before all had been taken. She found that the closets were divided evenly and picked the one closest to the entrance of the basement, determined to avoid wasting too much time dealing with the walk up and down the stairs. She unpacked her belongings, neatly stored away her suitcase, and traveled back up the stairs.

The next girl to arrive to the house was a Hispanic girl named Josefina. With her long black hair braided down her back, she dragged in the trunk she had brought, the luggage bursting with culture that seemed from a time before her grandmothers. Her eyes shone with anticipation on her soft face as she entered the house, greeting Erica in the living room area. The first girl rose from her spot on the couch, where she had been flipping through a magazine. She walked over and picked up the other half of the trunk.

"Hello, my name is Erica."

"I'm Josefina," she said, through her thick accent and natural lisp. "Have you been here long?"

"No, maybe about an hour. I just wanted to come in time to get a good bed. You know, before I got stuck with a smelly room."

"Oh si, me too. I heard the casa has a lot of girls staying. So I came early to get a nice room."

"I took the bedroom on the first floor, but the one on the second is free." Suddenly, Erica was regretting her decision to pick the first floor, feeling how heavy the trunk was. The girls were silent until about half-way up the stairs, Erica remembered, "Oh! The closets are downstairs for the clothes!"

They looked at each other, annoyance creeping up their sweaty faces. They decided to take the luggage back down to the ground floor and then have Josefina run upstairs to claim her bed. After she returned, they resumed their trek, descending down into the basement.

As the two girls unloaded Josefina's belongings into her closet, two more girls welcomed themselves to the home. Felicity and Elizabeth had been friends for a considerable amount of time prior to college. Once they graduated high school, they had drifted. But seeing an ad for the house on the bulletin board in the Boarding Offices, they seized the opportunity to rekindle their friendship. As they entered the house, they could tell others had been there, but there was no sign of human life.

“I guess we’re the first ones here,” said Elizabeth.

“It seems like it. I guess we could’ve had time for second coffees,” Felicity mused.

“Well, it’s too late now. Why don’t we take our things upstairs before others get here. Maybe we’ll get to look at all the rooms before choosing?”

So they picked up the luggage they had laid to rest on the ground and proceeded up the stairs looking for rooms to claim. By the time they finally reached the third and top floor, they realized that they would have the task of sharing a room together, the two of them never really having time to separate,  making rekindling a friendship an onerous thing to have to deal with. Evidence of this notion became apparent as the two girls stared at the yellow, metallic bunk beds in front of them. Elizabeth claimed the top bed, throwing her pillow up as Felicity placed hers below. After a quick survey of the room, they saw nothing of any importance except for a note on the bulletin board, just like the one Erica had discovered in her room. Upon reading about the closets being in the basement, the two girls sighed simultaneously and rolled their eyes, picking up their luggage once more and making the long journey to the basement.

As they descended the stairs, they began to hear the voices of two other girls, so they made more noise, trying to prevent either from being scared. When they finally reached the last stair, they threw their belongings down and heaved.

"Hi!" Felicity said, moving towards the new girls and extending her hand. "I'm Felicity, this is Elizabeth. We're staying here too."

"Hi, I'm Erica,” Erica said as she shook Felicity’s hand. “And this is Josefina. I'm guessing you two didn't know about the closets."

"No. No we did not," said Elizabeth. "We went all the way up the stairs and set everything down before we saw the note. I wish we would have known sooner."

"But now we've figured it out," continued Felicity. "So we should finish unpacking as, Josefina? Okay, great, as Josefina does."

After their brief introductions, they set about getting everything unpacked and organized. The girls talked very little, telling stories or talking about their past experiences in high school, informing each other of their plans for what they were beginning to pursue in college. Little by little, the girls were learning more about each other, developing friendships, and getting ready to live in the Shelves for the next year.

The last two girls to arrive were Molly and Emily. The two had inquired about living at the house at the same time, so they had decided to have coffee a couple of times to get to know each other, so they wouldn't be completely lost. When they asked about the rooms, they discovered that two of the four rooms had bunk beds, making their decision to get to know each other in preparation a wise idea.

It was nearing eight o'clock when they finally came in, helping each other to get all of their bags. The rest of the girls who had already arrived and unpacked were sitting on the couches, rising as the last girls brought their belongings inside. Felicity and Erica rushed over to help carry their bags in, dropping them in the corner by the wall that led down to the basement.

"Welcome to the Shelves!" Felicity greeted. "We've already unpacked all of our things and chosen our beds, so the only two left are down in the basement with the closets." Felicity saw Emily's face slightly twitch, as if nervous or afraid by their accommodations. "Oh! Don't worry," she said. "It's not at all scary. It's actually pretty spacious and comforting down there. It's just as good as the other rooms."

Emily seemed reassured by Felicity's words, so she stopped worrying. There was nothing to worry about.

The girls went around the room and introduced themselves. When they all felt more comfortable, they journeyed down to the basement for the final time that evening in order to help the last two inhabitants unpack their clothes and get settled. They ended up staying there until around midnight, talking and joking, learning more about each other, subconsciously following the wishes and instructions of the letter.

As the semester wore on and the girls became more comfortable in their new home and closer with their roommates, the note from the first night was forgotten. It was never discussed in great detail, so any key information about it was nonexistent; they still didn't know who wrote it, where it came from, or what the last point on the note meant. None of this seemed to matter though, because classes were keeping everyone busy enough. It seemed as though everyone was so busy, they could barely afford to become involved in each others' lives beyond light conversation in passing. It was because of this they were late to notice the changes.

"Has anyone seen Emily or Molly recently?" Felicity said one day as everyone was doing homework in the living room. Everyone was taken by surprise.

"What?" Erica said.

"Has anyone seen them? I haven't seen them in quite a while. Maybe a week or two?"

"That's strange," Elizabeth said. "I thought they went to see their parents for the weekend, but I guess they never came back. Maybe they moved out and went home without telling us?"

"We should probably go check," Erica said, closing her homework in her book and setting it down on the couch next to her.

The four girls got up and slowly went downstairs, staying close together. Even though they were sure the girls had just taken a break, their hearts were still pounding over what they might find. They squeezed closer together with each step they descended, becoming practically the same person, fear growing inside of them. When they got to the bottom step, they all scanned the room in unison.

Molly's and Emily's beds were gone, along with all of their stuff that used to fill the room. Every girl's heart pounded a little harder and their stomachs twisted a little tighter. They shuffled over together towards the closest, opening it slowly, still afraid of what they might find. The closets of both Emily and Molly were still filled with clothes, organized with no pattern, existing as if they had just used them this morning. The only new feature that had been added was a thick layer of dust and a musty smell that spread across the room, intoxicating to the girls trying not to breath.

"This is really weird..." Felicity nervously asserted. The girl normally had a lot to say, but for some reason, she was left dumbfounded.

"Perhaps we should call Housing offices?" Josefina said with a tremor in her voice.

"And say what?" Erica argued. Her voice was stronger than the others. She seemed to have more confidence when it came to decided what to do. "We'll wait to see what happens. For all we know, they're getting their beds fixed or trying to redecorate their rooms. Something."

"Yes, but wouldn't they tell us first?" Elizabeth said. "I mean, people don't just up and disappear with their furniture and a bed that's not theirs and leave all of their essential clothes and toiletries."

"We shouldn't call campus. What if we get them in trouble and they come back and nothing was actually wrong in the first place?" Erica said.

At this, the rest of the girls were quiet. They stared around the room and at each other. As each girl thought about it, they slowly realized Erica had a point. So slowly and silently, they ascended the stairs towards the living room, each girl grabbing her work and going to her own room, closing the door and locking it for the night. None of them got sleep that night, lying awake, trying to solve the mystery of where their friends went.

A week or two passed and a silent agreement was made not to bring up the disappearance of the two girls from the house. There was really no purpose in it at all, they told themselves.

They were halfway done with the semester. The professors were all loading on papers and lectures and extra reading assignments. The schedules of the tenants of the Shelves were so tight, they never had time to remember that there were other people even living in the house. It wasn't until a long weekend break that they took time to rest, once again talking with each other in the living room like they had when they first met. 

On Saturday of their long weekend, they were all sitting around, debating which movie to watch.

“Forget the movie,” Felicity said. “I’m hungry. I could really go for some Mexican food.”

“Oh my god, have you tried Josefina’s pinchos? They are so delicious! Looking at them, you wouldn’t think that. But they smell and taste amazing!” Elizabeth exclaimed. 

All of the girls felt their stomachs growl. It wasn’t until this moment that they realized that only Felicity, Elizabeth, and Erica were there.

"Wait, where is Josefina?" Felicity said, looking around at the faces surrounding her. 

"Maybe she went home?" Erica asked.

"I didn't think any of us went home," Elizabeth said. "Plus her home is in Central America, which is quite a ways away for a weekend trip. When was the last time you guys talked to her?"

"Uh... Wow, I guess not for a week. Maybe two. Since that one nigh-" Felicity stopped mid sentence, seeing dread fill the face of each girl. Each girls' pale face got paler, almost ghostly looking. Eyes darting from girl to girl, they all stood suddenly, sprinting over to the stairs and pounding their way up. On the third floor, Josefina's door was closed. They opened it, welcoming themselves into her empty room. There was a pause as the girls stood there and took everything in. Then they all suddenly pivoted and went back down, not stopping until they reached the door to Josefina's closet. It was closed just as all of theirs was. They slowly opened it. Its style suddenly resembled Molly's and Emily's; moldy, dusty, and unused. Her trunk had been moved from her upstairs room into her closet and leaned against the wall, awaiting use. Each girl felt fear and confusion as they never had before, over double the amount they felt last time they didn’t know where one of their roommates was.

"Nothing happened, okay?" Erica said, gaining the courage to speak.

"Well obviously something did-" Erica gave Felicity a hard glare, daring her to speak.

"Nothing. Happened." Erica snapped.

They stood there for a few more minutes before being able to move. Erica left first, going quickly up to her room and shutting the door. Elizabeth and Felicity stood side-by-side, unsure of what to do.

"Why is she acting so neurotic? She must know something," Felicity said. "She knows something or she did something."

"Don't be silly," Elizabeth said. "She's just as scared as we are and doesn't know what to do. She is probably just unsure of how to deal with it. It’s freaky when your friends disappear."

“Then why aren’t we calling campus police, or just police in general?”

“I don’t know. Erica probably has a good reason. We just need to keep moving on like nothing is going on. Just pretend like everything’s okay.”

"How are we going to stay here?"

"We just stick together. Hopefully that'll prevent anything from happening."

Felicity nodded in agreement and the two girls went back up to their room, closing and quietly locking the door behind them. They didn't want to take any risks.

Felicity and Elizabeth kept their word to stick together. They escorted each other everywhere, never leaving the other alone for fear of what happened to the rest. They avoided Erica at all costs, afraid of what she knew and perhaps what she did. They were successful after a couple of days, because Erica kept herself closed off in her room all of the time. Elizabeth and Felicity weren't too cut up about it, but slowly, the musty smell in the basement seemed to increase, the growth of the scent wafting from Erica's closet. As they were getting clothes, Elizabeth pointed it out and both she and Felicity stood with wide eyes.

"We should-" Felicity started.

"Yeah." Elizabeth agreed, not wanting to hear Felicity's suspicion, afraid it would match her own.

With arms linked, the two girls walked up the stairs as if it were a funeral march, because to them, it was. After what was an eternity, but still not enough time to prepare, they reached the second floor and the first bedroom in the house. They stared, unsure of what to do. Felicity, plucking up little courage, reached out her hand and shakily tapped on the door. There was no answer and they tightened their grips on each others' arms. With a deep breath, Elizabeth turned the handle and swung the door open slowly.

Nothing. Just as with the rooms of the other four girls, there was nothing left. The room was bare and open and haunting. Felicity and Elizabeth stood shaking before they turned around and ran upstairs. They locked themselves in their room and scrambled up to the top bunk, covering themselves in Elizabeth's blankets, hiding from nothing but an empty house. They rocked and they whispered and they shook and they held tight grips on anything their hands could clasp. Terror filled them, leaving no room to figure out what to do next.

With their adrenaline wearing short, they began to fall asleep, eyelids drooping over eyes and heads falling back onto the bed. Finally, without anymore words, they slipped away into nightmare-filled dreams.

After what seemed like five minutes, but was actually a few hours, Felicity awoke to the sound of Elizabeth shrieking, opening her eyes in time to see her go stiff. As she saw the hand coming towards her too, she realized there was nothing else to be done but follow in the same way Elizabeth had, trying to create a call of help that would come quickly enough to rescue them. Nobody was going to come.

 Lily laid Felicity and Elizabeth on top of all of the clothes, telling them in the sweet voice of a six-year-old, "Nighty night Felicity. Nighty night Elizabeth. I'll see you in a week." She walked over to her bed and picked up the long gray lid that laid there, waiting to be used. Before putting the lid on the container, she brushed away the hair from the faces of the two girls, just as she had done with Molly, Emily, Josefina, and Erica. The lid was clicked closed and with all of her might, Lily pushed the containers to the side of her room, leaving her room to stare at the empty brown shelves, ready to be disassembled and moved.

"Hey Lily," her dad said, poking his head through the door. "All of your dolls packed up and ready?"

"Yes daddy," Lily said, looking over and patting the gray plastic bins that held the girls who once occupied the Shelves.