A strange, out of town, tech repair...

Even with the wipers on high I couldn’t see much more than a thick ripple of rainwater in front of me. Hopefully I was still in the correct lane, but I really wasn’t sure anymore. Then, an instant soft, but stiff drag on the wheels told me I had hit a deep puddle of water and I pressed the brakes to slow way down. Too late though. I felt and heard a drenching rush of water flood the underside and engine compartment and the car stalled. No wipers now, no radio, and no engine power. I turned the ignition key with the hope to get going again but there was nothing. Just the angry pound of the rain on the metal roof and windows – and the flashing, purple sky. The water had obviously shorted the electrical system – making this my second tech problem to fix on this trip.

The first one was bad enough. An abnormal series of thunderstorms had knocked a remote server station off-line – probably a lightning strike. The station had an automatic generator backup, but the fact that it didn’t take over and keep things running probably meant that there was some damage done and not just a power failure. I was keeping my fingers crossed that the car problem would be solved by just letting the engine dry a little after the rain stopped. I crossed them tightly because I wasn’t in the mood for two major headaches. One would do fine.

At least the cell phone worked reliably as I punched in the numbers to call my office and share my day so far with them. Thanks for sending me on this repair trip right away instead of waiting for the storm to pass, I felt like saying. "Hello? Kathy? It’s Rick. Can you hear me OK?"

"Sort of, you sound a little distant though. Where are you now?"

"My car just stalled. I think I soaked the engine when I hit a puddle. This storm’s insane! I’m gonna try to find a spot to spend the night and then get a better start in the morning. I’ll give you an update tomorrow sometime. Alright?"

"Sure. Just take it easy though, It’s not worth kil..n.g….yr….

"Kathy? You there?…." Then, what had started as conversation, trailed off into useless static and then some weird attenuating tone – like an alien ship flying off in an old sci-fi movie. "Technology sucks!" I yelled and threw the phone down on the passenger seat.

I was happy that I left in a hurry earlier and had just thrown my things in the back seat. Not having to get them out of the trunk would be that much less time in this pouring rain. I looked around through the downpour as best as I could and tried to put a plan together. No Days Inn in sight, however there was something down the road that had a remote chance of being a bed & breakfast judging by its size and style, and the shape of the sign in front. Already tired from a long drive, and not feeling fussy about accommodations, I was going to make a run for it and see what happened. I grabbed my night bag, held the door handle for a moment to build courage, and then threw the door open and jumped into the rain. Kicking it closed with my right foot I started to sprint as fast as I could toward my target, getting soaked head-to-foot within seconds. The huge beating drops blurred my vision and the lightning flashes and shockwaves from the thunder made me feel horribly vulnerable to mother nature’s wrath. Please let there be some nice people in this place!

There was no judgement of time as I ran. Just drenching rain and a glowing purple sky that illuminated everything in front of me with its anger. But it wasn’t constant. It shifted and changed and seemed to have some strange relationship with the lightning. There was no comparable experience to this in my mind’s memory and it caused me to react involuntarily with a deep panicked breath. I gasped from the rainwater that was sucked into my mouth and it snapped me out of my fear a bit – like waking from a nightmare but still in the haze of sleep. Now the white, inn-style building was probably within a quarter mile or less. I felt a little foolish about my reaction moments before and focused on reaching the front porch that would offer the beginning of some shelter.

When my foot landed on the first step there was a softness, like wood that’s been rotting for years. Maybe this was just the last item on their to-do list, as soon as the budget allowed. As I got to the top and ducked under the roof I wiped my eyes and looked around. A quick chill went through me, either from the cold wetness or from an uneasiness at the looks of this place. If this was an active bed & breakfast it probably wasn’t listed on too many travel related web sites. Here I was though, and I intended to make the best of it.

I set my bag down, tried to shake the excess wetness from myself, and straighten my hair as best as I could. I figured that the more presentable I looked the better of a reception I would receive by whoever was inside. When I felt I was ready I knocked on the door. Are you kidding! the voice in my head said to me. Yeah, I know, but I’m low on options, I sarcastically snapped back at it. Determination was now the only thing I had to work with and I wasn’t going to run back to the car without giving this a respectable try.

Something like five minutes passed and nothing was happening as a result of my knocks. Plan ‘B’ time – sleep in the car and wait out the storm. I grabbed my bag again and started down the stairs and into the rain. As my shoes splashed through the water there was a snap of lightning and the world in front of me glowed with that purple light – but with a more direct presence now. My skin tingled and I felt it all around me. "Hello! Where are you going?" came through the rain behind me.

It wasn’t right. None of this was. I just left a vacant house but the voice I just heard was real, or seemed to be real. Stopping suddenly, I turned around and saw an older woman standing in the open front door. A light or a lantern was on in the window. My desire to get dry and sleep on a bed overcame my disbelief, and I ran back toward the porch.

"Who are you?" she asked in a confused, shaky voice. It wasn’t very late yet, but I was guessing that I woke her up and that she was still adjusting to consciousness, based upon the look on her face. When I reached the porch again I halted and introduced myself in the most calming way I was able. She obviously didn’t need some stranger running at her during this storm.

"Hi, my name is Rick Williams. My car stalled on me down the road a little ways and I’m looking to rent a room for the night to get some rest and a fresh start in the morning. The sign out front and the look of the building made me think this might be a bed & breakfast."

"I’ve never heard ‘bed & breakfast’ before, but this is the Yankee Inn and you’re welcome to rent a room for as long as you need. Ten dollars a night and that’ll include a breakfast in the morning if you want."

She invited me in by holding the door open, then followed me and got what was probably a guest book to sign. Ten dollars is hardly worth her trouble I thought, I’ll pay her more anyway. I looked around and started feeling more comfortable already. The inside had a warm, cozy charm that I didn’t expect judging from the outside. Some kerosene lanterns burning – probably from the power being out - gave off an almost romantic glow that perfectly matched the décor, which was badly outdated but still pleasing and in good condition. There was also an ethereal feeling to it. Like a gust of wind or a clap of thunder could make it vanish in an instant, but that was probably just my current state of mind I figured. The whole day was abnormal and I was getting used to that as an expectation. She spread open the ‘guest’ book on a desk-like table in the corner of the foyer where I was standing, and pleasantly asked me to fill in some information on a clean page. We exchanged some conversation while I did this, mostly about the storm, which she said "came out of nowhere," then another brilliant flash and explosion of thunder startled us both and made me glad I had gotten inside. Through all of this she seemed disconnected in some way from me and the surrounding situation. Maybe her husband had died, leaving her to grieve inside herself since then. This could also explain the deteriorated condition of the outside. In any case she continued to be pleasant and offered to show me up to the room I would stay in.

The rest of the place was as nice as the foyer had been. Though all in the same old style, there was a reassuring feel. Even the creaking floor beneath the rug reminded me of my childhood visits to my grandmother’s house. We continued up a stairway and then a short way down a dimly lit hall. She had brought another kerosene lantern with her, lit it on a table in the hall, and then led me into my room where she set it down on a dresser by the bed.

"Here’s your room," she said and handed me a key for the door. I slid it on my key ring as she continued. "The bathroom is just down the hall and you’re welcome to share breakfast in the morning in the dining room that we passed coming up." With that I got the first glimpse of a smile on her face since arriving and then she said "good night," left the room, and I heard her footsteps trail off down the stairs.

I had seen no other people here, but as I took some things out of my bag and got undressed I heard a couple voices fade in and out. Maybe I would see them in the morning for breakfast. It would be great to be around a few more people I thought. It would make this whole experience seem a little more real. Exhausted now, I finished getting out of my wet clothes, put out the oil lamp, got into the tall wooden bed, and fell asleep within minutes – not even the continuing storm was able to keep me from that.

The morning light penetrated my eyelids and woke me. They felt like they were glued shut, and opened slowly and with some difficulty. When they did there was paralysis! I was frozen in shock. The old style, but comfortable room I had gone to sleep in didn’t exist now. There was dust and cobwebs covering everything and old boards lying around. There was daylight now, and the storm had passed, but I was terrified and afraid to move! I had to get out of here – out of this insanity! I forced myself out of bed, threw on my wet clothes, grabbed my bag, and ran downstairs.

It was all the same. Cobwebs, dust, old sheets covering furniture and tables. A place that had been abandoned for decades. There would surely be no breakfast here I thought with a sick laugh, and then ran out to what I hoped would be the real world.

Outside, a car was passing down the road, the driver and passenger looked at me like I was some lunatic escaping from an asylum. From somewhere else a voice yelled, "Hey! What are you doing in there?" They were real though. There was no purple sky anymore and these people were real! I ran back to my car, ignoring the call, and jumped inside. I stuck the key in the ignition, turned it, and the engine started as though there had never been a problem. I put it in drive, calmed myself a bit, then drove off with no destination in mind except to get somewhere else. After a few minutes of driving, my cell phone went off – I could tell it was voice-mail from the ring. I pulled over to play it back and listened to "Hey Rick, it’s Kathy, nice job. The servers are all back online and fully functional. I guess that’s why we pay you the big bucks!" Then a little chuckle.

If that was the case there’d be no more stops before going home. I had momentarily debated driving to the remote station just to verify the servers’ operation for myself but decided not to fix what was apparently not broken anymore. I would head straight back and have the next night’s sleep in my own house. Now, what to say when I get in the office tomorrow…? A smile of relief crept onto my face at knowing the drive back would allow me plenty of time to think of an answer, as well as put this crazy episode far behind me. Then, from the key ring in my ignition, a glint of purple light caught my eye…