A short bedtime story for adults

The Quiet Inn by the Lake

The innkeeper left the key under a cup on the desk. Beside it was a note asking guests to ring the bell only if they needed something. You put the key in your pocket and went upstairs without ringing.

In your room, a quilt lay folded across the end of the bed. You opened the window a little, just enough to hear the lake tapping gently against the stones. On the far shore a light went out.

You set the alarm clock face down, took off your shoes, and pulled the quilt around your shoulders. There was a book on the chair with a train ticket marking a page near the beginning. You left it there for the next traveler.

When you turned out the lamp, it took a moment to see anything at all. Then the line of the lake came back into view, smooth and dark. The water moved in its own time. You let it.