Room No. 546
Once a businessman was on a business trip to sell a valuable and precious vase to a manager. The manager lived in the city but the businessman lived in a village so, the businessman had to live in a hotel at the city. After checking at the hotel he settled in and had dinner. When his stomach was full he went back to his room. While passing his room he heard queer sounds coming from room 546. The room’s door had been plastered with signs such as ‘DANGER’ and ‘DO NOT ENTER’. Even though he was curious he passed it unnoticed.
The next evening the businessman loitered around the hotel and once more fond himself on the fifth floor, fourth corridor and in front of room 546. This time he could hear singing from the room. This time time not able to bear the suspense he peeped inside the keyhole of the room. To his amazement, he saw a girl who looked no older than twelve was facing her back to him. Her long, black, flyaway hair was tied into a ponytail and she was wearing a maroon dress. The room was highly embellished with beautiful pieces of furniture. There was a bed, bookshelf, table, chair and a steinway piano. Completly nonplussed, he headed back to his room.
The next day before checking out he looked in the keyhole of room 546 again. This time he neither saw the girl nor he saw the beautiful room, he saw nothing but red, it was like someone had stuck a red painted paper to the door. Confused he headed to the exit. A woman wearing a bonnet and cardigan was saying politely “please visit us again” and “thank you”. Seizing his chance to find about the mystery he headed to the hostess.
As a businessman he specialized in leading a conversation, so he started by greeting her after he got a hearty response he started
” this is a very good hotel and i enjoyed my stay very much but i have a question.” “hear, hear!” said the hostess excitedly,
“i was very curious what is in room 546”
Suddenly the hostess blanched, all excitement gone.”you did not see through the keyhole, did you?” she asked.
“No,” said the man not wanting to reveal that he peeked and pried in other’s business “i just heard singing, that’s all.”
“Oh, the truth is that my late boss’ daughter is in that room, she is considered a very bad omen by those who knew her, when she was around seven years old she was accused of murder so not wanting to send her only child in jail he kept her in a private room in this hotel and that room is 546.” she paused and bit her lower lip “she is the reason of my boss’ death, you see anyone who looks in the keyhole and sees everything scarlet will die in twenty-four hours. Her eyes are scarlet but her parents did not find anything unusual about it.Her name from birth was Scarlet, i don’t know whether the deaths were a happenchance or not, but everyone thinks that’s the story.”
Chilled to the bone, the businessman muttered a hurried goodbye and got into his car. While driving he thought that the woman was pulling his leg and if not all the deaths were serendipity. Then, while passing a confectionary shop on the highway he noticed a girl crying her heart out standing on the road buried in her hands. He pulled over and asked the girl politely what happened, the girl still not lift her face from her hands. She just said in a muffled voice that she had been separated from her parents. The man kindly asked her if she wanted to come in his car and she agreed. After a while she was settled and the businessman asked her to point her way home. As he drove north, he asked the girl her name.
“I am Scarlet”, said a sneering voice, the man jumped in fright and to his horror the girl had bloodred eyes and flyaway, dark hair,”bye, bye” and the businessman fell into deep sleep never to be woken up till Scarlet says so.
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