Long Form Roleplayers

Previously: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3

Characters:

You are not logged in. - Myster Emmet

You are not logged in. - Bartender Ghost

The Author:
Previously Lloyd and Emmet spoke at length with Richard Hallorann, the groundskeeper of the Overlook Hotel. After arranging for separate rooms, the two detectives decide to split up to better explore. While Lloyd Morgan-Jackson heads back to the Kitchen to meet with Richard Hallorann, Myster Emmet heads gets ready to check up on Wendy Torrance in the Hedge Maze.

Bartender Ghost:
At about 1:10 pm, you leave your room in the east wing. The hallway is quiet. Proceeding towards the stairway intent on catching up with Mrs. Torrance, there is a peculiar noise that catches your attention, coming from around the corner where the Elevator should be.

Myster Emmet:
I stop in my tracks, a part of me chastising myself for wasting time but…my overwhelming curiosity is begging me to investigate the noise. I turn around and sneak towards the corner and peek around from behind it, hoping to find out who or what made that noise without alerting them.

Bartender Ghost:
Looking around the corner you see the Elevators ahead.

The indicator for the elevator shows that one of them is currently going up to the third floor. You are not sure exactly what the sound was, but it might have resembled the barking of a dog.

Myster Emmet:
“Now why would there be a dog in a place like this?” Two sides battled relentlessly in me, one side arguing that I should disregard the noise and make my way to the known location of Wendy before it’s too late…but the other side of me is arguing that I should take the chance to discover new mysteries! Each side makes a compelling argument, but ultimately I made my decision quickly! I head towards the stairs…. And go up them to see who was in the elevator on the third floor!

Bartender Ghost:
Heading up the stairs you hear it again, the sound of a dog? Coming around the corner you see a young child making barking sounds while he sits on his tricycle.

You are not logged in. - Danny Torrance

He looks up to you with wide eyes. "Hello! Cujo, it's a new friend!"

Myster Emmet:
I widen my eyes at the sight of a kid barking like a dog, but I shake my head and give him a warm smile. “Hello there, my name is Emmet, what’s your name?”

Bartender Ghost:
"I'm Danny. Nice to meet you!" He rises from his little bike and starts to slide his hand on some invisible object in the air. "It's okay, Cujo, he's a friend, see. Not like those mean girls."

Myster Emmet:
‘Ah, perhaps Cujo is his imaginary…dog? That’s cute.’ I thought to myself as I bent down so I was eye level with Danny, “Aww, can I pet Cujo too? I love animals.”

Bartender Ghost:
"Of course!" He gestures for you to join him in his apparent petting of Cujo. "I think he likes you, hard to tell. He's always looking around keeping an eye out. Mamma told you and your friend were showing up today. Would you like to come visit daddy with me?"

Myster Emmet:
I joined him in the petting of Cujo, something tickling in the back of my mind to get back on track but I ignored it, curiosity winning once again. “Sure! I would love to meet your dad, I already met your mom and she’s a lovely woman. Especially not like mean girls, those can be the worst.” I give a chuckle before probing; “Have you met any recently? You did mention it…”

Bartender Ghost:
He thinks about something for a moment, "Dad should be in his study over on the other side, I think he would like to meet you." He pauses, "There are some girls that keep showing up, they keep saying they want to play with me. Cujo here has been keeping an eye out for them, he's such a good dog!" He then lumps his hands around the apparent dog revealing what might be its rough size to you, it would stand at almost 3 feet tall.

Myster Emmet:
‘Geez, that’s one big dog.’ Playing along as I think that, I coo at Cujo, “Aww, of course, a good boy would do everything to protect his friend! Aren’t you a good boy?” I reached out to pet the invisible dog, but stopped and coughed. “But, now I think I would like to meet your Dad, it would be rude not to introduce myself to a fellow work buddy.” I smile down at Danny, before walking over to the room I believe Wendy said was where he’s staying: 301.

Bartender Ghost:
He watches where you seem to be moving to pet Cujo with cautious eyes, then seems a bit relieved when you stop. "Dad is working in room 333! It's easy to remember!" He then gets back on his tricycle and starts to roam down the hall when he stops again looking at the numbers on the door, E322. "Oh, we are on the wrong side, we need to get to W333."

Myster Emmet:
“Uh, silly me! I’m so forgetful! Let’s go, hopefully we won’t be interrupting him in his process, how is your dad by the way?” I throw out casually as I walked down the hall to get to the West wing…

Bartender Ghost:
You two start to make your way down the hall toward the West Wing. "He's been really busy lately, always spends his time in the room working on his story. I think he's still stuck though, told me that he can't play that much because he is always thinking about it. Mr. Hallorann is real nice though, he sometimes lets me come along with him."

Myster Emmet:
“Well, that’s the life of a grown up, you’re always thinking.” I chuckled but raised an eyebrow at what Danny said next about Richard: “Oh? He lets you come along? What does he do? Does he like to play with Cujo too?”, I ask, making sure I match Danny’s pace so he doesn’t fall behind me.

Bartender Ghost:
"He LLLLOOOVEES Cujo!" His voice echoes down the hall when he says that while you travel down the hallway. "There isn't a lot to do around here, I miss my friends from school. With us out here, mom has been teaching me in the morning and lets me play afterward. Last week, I went out with Mr. Hallorann when he was hunting."

Myster Emmet:
“Wow, I can believe that. It gets pretty lonely without friends in this big place, but I’m glad there’s Cujo and your parents along with Mr. Hallorann to keep you company. Did anything interesting happen when you were hunting? What did you catch?”

Bartender Ghost:
"He needed me to be real quiet, we were tracking a deer. I had to hold Cujo's mouth shut so he didn't scare it away! After he shot it, we ended up pulling it back to the hotel, it was SOOO big. I think Mom was going to make some lunch using part of it today. I feel bad about it though... but dad told me that it's what hunters do. Animals exist for us to eat." He forces a smile while you get to room W333, then he quietly knocks on the door.

Myster Emmet:
While it is not an incorrect assessment of the circle of life so to speak, something rubbed me the wrong way with what Danny said about his dad. It felt unnecessarily...callous of him to tell that to a child. But it was a different time back then...back now? Before I can confuse myself on the semantics of time travel affecting words, I braced myself for meeting Mr. Torrance.

Bartender Ghost:
There is no response from the door causing Danny to look confused. He knocks again, "Dad..." He pauses as though he forgot something, "Father, Mr. Emmet is here to talk." He fidgets a little and then reaches over to pet Cujo reassuringly.

Myster Emmet:
Maybe it's just my paranoia taking this chance to finally stretch its legs, but a chill instantly goes down my spine. I nervously raised my hand to knock three times on the door, "Mr. Torrance? Hello? My name is Emmet, I'm going to be your future colleague, so even if it's for a moment, can we meet face to face?" I raised my voice to be between the level of shouting and normal speaking voice volume.

Bartender Ghost:
Danny looks up at you while you start to raise your voice and then quietly whispers, "He doesn't like it when people are loud." Again some reassuring pets to Cujo. A moment passes, then another, all without a response. "Maybe he isn't in right now?"

Myster Emmet:
I look sheepish for a moment before whispering, "Sorry, I guess it's just a habit. But I thought he stays in his room a lot? Your mom told me so, after all she takes his food to him so he can eat in his room...do you have an idea where he might be if he isn't in there?"

Bartender Ghost:
Danny shrugs his shoulders. "He usually spends most of his time in here working." He then presses his ear to the door listening to the other side. "I don't hear anything, I can normally hear the typewriter."

Myster Emmet:
Alarm bells are ringing inside my head right now in the sense of unease I feel from this situation, I reached forward and tried the door handle...wondering if my fears will be confirmed.

Bartender Ghost:
Your hand grips the knob and gives it a jostle while Danny's eyes go wide looking at you. He relaxes when it fails to turn, the door is locked.

Myster Emmet:
I figured that, but I still had to give it a try. "Danny, does your father take naps during the day?" I ask quietly, an unreadable expression settling onto my face.

Bartender Ghost:
"Maybe? He does seem tired a lot. Never has time to play with me." He pouts and then hugs Cujo again.

Myster Emmet:
I check the time secretly with my phone before asking Danny: "Say, do you know if your mother or Mr. Hallorann has the key to the room? I'm sure there's a master key, but I'm just curious."

Bartender Ghost:
The time is about 1:30 pm. He sees you fiddling with something in your pocket, eyes going wide! "What's that!" He then starts to pivot around trying to look at it completely missing or maybe ignoring your question.

Myster Emmet:
I sigh, Before grinning madly. "Oh this? Oh darn, I guess I was found out!" I exaggeratedly throw my head back in a 'woe is me' pose...before showing my phone fully to Danny. "Don't tell anyone, but I'm a secret alien who's come here with my alien friend here to live in peace. My kind has a mission to meet and greet every creature, big or small," I point to Cujo's general direction before pointing at Danny, "And to make friends with them. That's why I want to meet your Dad so badly. This here, is my communication device with my alien friend." I pause, wondering if this will be bought.

Bartender Ghost:
His eyes are full of wonder, and his imagination sparks like a forest fire. "Really! There are so many things for you to meet here then! There's the Cujo of course, but the twins, the clown, even that old bartender!" He then goes quiet, "Some of them aren't very nice though... not like the train."

Myster Emmet:
"You already told me about the twins, and I met the bartender, but tell me about the clown and the...train." There's a weird inflection in my voice, but I nevertheless carry on with a smile.

Bartender Ghost:
"Nobody believes me about those two too. Well, any of them actually, not even Cujo." He again hugs his imaginary dog, then takes off his backpack and fishes out a book. It's a book you might recall rather well Mr. Emmet, it's titled Charlie and the Choo-Choo.

"Sometimes there is a train by the gates. I talk to him, his name is Blaine!"

Myster Emmet:
"I...I see." I try my best not to collapse, but fortunately I distract myself by asking about, "What about the clown? Are they nice to you?"

Bartender Ghost:
"I don't like him... he keeps offering me red balloons trying to get me to go to places I was told to stay out of." He trails off. "I think you should avoid him if you see him, Mr. Emmet." He then perks up, "Hey, where are you from? Mars... or Venus?"

Myster Emmet:
'Note to self, Don't float.' I shudder a little before hearing the question, deciding to mess with him I say: "Me? Well, Mars or Venus are not where I'm from. I come from the great planet: Pluto. It's super cold out there, so we warm each other with our friendships and love!" I think for a moment before going with a bluff: "But Danny, I have a special sixth sense that detects when people are in a need of a special mood brightening hug, and your father definitely needs one! So if you could tell me whether your Mom or Mr. Hallorann has the key to the room, I can go in and cheer him up with my special hug!"

Bartender Ghost:
He freezes up when you suggest hugging his dad. "I... I don't think that's a good idea, Mr. Emmet." He nervously starts to twist his shoe on the carpet while looking at the marvelous floor pattern of the estate. "He might not like talking with a guy who..." Another pause, "Likes another guy?" He then looks up to see how you take that.

Myster Emmet:
"Oh, well that's the thing. My hugs are magical, they can make even the coldest of hearts melt. And even if your father doesn't want a hug, well I still want to meet him. My people have known for a long time, that we can't make friends with everyone...but we can at least try." I check the time one more time, wondering if it may be prudent to meet up with Lloyd again with Mr. Hallorann.

Bartender Ghost:
The time is about 1:40 now. "Well in that case Mr. Emmet. Dad has his key of course, but I think the only other one who might have one is Mr. Hallorann. There are a bunch of keys in the office though!" Right as he says that, the elevator bell sounds nearby and the doors can be heard opening. Danny freezes again while his hand nervously reaches out to grip Cujo's fur. A moment later, his father comes around the corner, Jack Torrance.

You are not logged in. - Jack Torrance

"Danny, have you seen your mother around?" He asks flatly as he is rounding the corner, then notices you standing with the boy. "Ah, the other one. Mr. Emmet, right? I'm Jack Torrance, you can call me Jack."

Myster Emmet:
I smile, hopefully not as a grimace as I remember why all these faces look familiar now. “It’s nice to meet you Jack, I’m Emmet Solare, but you can call me Emmet.” I extend my hand out as a gesture of good will. While I’m waiting I’m debating on whether I should tell Jack where Wendy is, or was last seen. I glance at his clothes, wondering if there’s any signs of where he might have been left on them.

Bartender Ghost:
His clothing is a pair of blue jeans and a button-up flannel shirt. Not wearing a coat at present, so it seems unlikely he was outside. He steps up to you and shakes your hand, "Good to meet you, Mr. Solare. Emmet, strange name. Where's that from?"

Bartender Ghost:
Danny watches the exchange while his hand grips Cujo's fur. He seems to be watching you more than his father, perhaps curious if you will make good on your claims of a hug.

Myster Emmet:
"Well, it's just how I was named, didn't ask any questions unfortunately. Just call me Emmet, please." I notice Danny's staring, but I just slyly winked at him before turning back towards Jack. "I assume you already met my better half, Lloyd? You said I was the other one, so I'm assuming that's what you meant."

Bartender Ghost:
"Ah, I see. Wonder what your father was thinking when he choose it. Met Lloyd down in the kitchen when I was looking for Wendy, had some of that stew she was cooking up. Lloyd seems very quiet, which I guess makes you the chatterbox of the two." He is not even looking at Danny while the boy quietly does what he's been trained to do, be seen and not heard.

Myster Emmet:
'Hmmm, quiet? I guess the reason he didn't tell Jack where Wendy was because he's under the assumption that I'm talking to her....oops.' I feel a bit sorry for myself for getting distracted from my main goal, but I still want to chat a little with Jack. "Well, we both like our quiet time. Actually, I feel a bit hungry myself, so I was thinking of heading down to the kitchen. Oh, by the way, I saw Wendy head out for a walk by the Hedge Maze. So if you're looking for her...how is life here? This place seems enormous!"

Bartender Ghost:
He listens while you mention her location, "She does like to go out for a walk. Doesn't have much of a green thumb though, the flowers she plants always die." He then crouches down next to Danny, "You alright, boy? Get yourself some lunch yet?" Danny shakes his head, "Cujo was following a trail. Can't let the varmint getaway, right?" Jack reaches over and ruffles the boy's hair, "Best not let it get away, but you and that dog should probably eat something first. When your mom gets in, let her know I'd like her to come to my room, would you?"

Myster Emmet:
I watch on with interest, 'huh, I guess that's the extent of his affection.' "Don't worry Jack, I'll let her know too. I'll escort Danny to the kitchen. Hope you enjoy the rest of your day." I nod towards him before gesturing to Danny. "Hey Danny, Who's going to reach the elevator first? Me, you, or Cujo?" I say with a challenging smirk, almost like I'm about to go into a sprint.

Bartender Ghost:
While you start to smirk, Jack clears his throat causing Danny to freeze up. "Emmet... don't mind you playing with my boy, he needs a good mate. Just don't be putting any ideas in his head, catch my drift." In that moment you can see that his eyes reflect an intolerance toward you as a thought lingers in his mind.

Myster Emmet:
I stare back with an intolerance of my own, an instinctive dislike of people who crush imagination. Instead I smile at him, "It was such a delight meeting you, Jack, but please forgive me if I say some things a bit...out of this world for you." I then turn to Danny, winking at him and then down at his feet at an invisible dog. "You both ready?" And before Jack could probably say anything more, "3! 2! 1!" I then set out in a deliberately slower paced jog! I take one last look at Jack as I round the corner...wondering if Danny is following.

Bartender Ghost:
Danny is quick to race off with you while Jack opens his door and heads in.

Rounding the corner as you come to the Elevator, Danny suddenly stops. He is on foot with Cujo presumably next to him having left the tricycle behind, but now he stands there staring at the elevators with wide eyes.

Myster Emmet:
I look up at the elevator in front of me, catching my breath a little as I stop and turn to Danny... "What's the hold up? You savoring the taste of victory?" I jest but I wait for his response.

Bartender Ghost:
As you turn back to look at him, you can hear the sound of a Ding from the elevator behind you. Its regal doors open and Danny continues to stay still with his eyes wide. The boy then turns away and wraps his arms around Cujo while seemingly burying his head in the fur, and then does his best to suppress a scream.

Myster Emmet:
I watch Danny's reaction, fear starting to tingle like little needles all over my skin. I slowly turn my head to look inside the elevator....!

Bartender Ghost:
Turning around you see something most bizarre Mr. Emmet. You see an empty elevator. The boy shudders to turn from the faithful dog and starts to fling his hands in the air while looking down at his clothes.

Myster Emmet:
"Danny?! What's wrong? Are you being attacked?!" I asked hastily, kneeling down in front of the boy in order to make eye contact.

Bartender Ghost:
The young boy is looking down at his clothes and then looks at his apparent dog. Turning to face you, you can see him holding back tears. "I... I need to change my clothes." He then looks at your coat, "You do too..."

Myster Emmet:
"Why? Unfortunately my kind hasn't been able to see the best, so could you describe why we need to change clothes?"

Bartender Ghost:
"You can't see it... can you?" He reach out and touches your coat. "It's a mess... I'm a mess... Cujo's a mess. Its blood. It just came rolling out of there..." He then looks around at the immaculately clean hallway, the carpet as lovely as ever with its famous pattern.

Myster Emmet:
"No, it's a trade off for our wonderful technology and love, but fortunately I know of a solution for cleaning up the blood!" I take out my phone, making sure that no one else is around, and with the device I start moving it around in the air while making vacuum cleaner sounds! "Vrooooommmm!" My mouth spewed these funny noises as I moved the phone like it was slurping out all the blood! I make a once over Danny's body along with mine. Once I was done, I kneeled once more and leaned next to Danny, "One last thing!" And took a picture of us! I then showed the photo to Danny: "How's that? All clean!"

Bartender Ghost:
Danny watches you closely as you perform your trick, and yet he doesn't look impressed. When you kneel down next to him, he just looks at you. "You're just like Mom. You don't believe me, do you?" The expression on the boy's face is one of heartbreak, and yet as clearly as he believes what he is saying, there is simply no evidence that the hallway, him, you, or his imaginary dog is covered in blood.

Myster Emmet:
Realizing the mistake I made, I dropped my façade for the moment. I looked deep into Danny's eyes, "I'm sorry, Danny. I can't see it. But just because I can't see it, doesn't mean it's not real. I believe you." I let that statement hang for a second before continuing: "Since it seems the blood got on both of us, how about we change our clothes really quick before we head down?" I ask with a calm voice.

Bartender Ghost:
He nods his head while you comfort him. The Elevator doors are wide open still. He wipes the tears from his eyes, he looks rather skilled at being able to hold them back, and then rises up. "I'm in room E201... Let's hurry." He sniffles and moves toward the spotless elevator.

Myster Emmet:
"Alright, let's a go!" I say in a fake italian accent, 'wait...did Mario exist yet? Ahh, no matter'. I walked into the elevator and pressed the button for the second floor. I take this moment to check up on Danny's condition and the elevator around us…

Bartender Ghost:
After pressing the buttons, the elevator door starts to close and he grows very quiet and very anxious. "That walls... are covered in it." He says quietly. A moment later the door opens at the second floor and he quickly steps out of it and toward the end of the hall eager to get to his room.

Myster Emmet:
I sigh, looking around the elevator, before making my way down the hall right behind Danny. 'For a little kid he sure walks fast!' I think as I struggle to speedwalk at his pace.

Bartender Ghost:
Indeed he does, children are very quick when motivated. He turns the corner to the room and opens the door, perhaps you noticing that it was unlocked. He leaves it open for you before calling out, "Mom! You here?" There is of course no response as you know her location.

Myster Emmet:
“Danny, I don’t think your mother is in there.” I debate with myself over the moral use of privacy, but my curiosity won once again as I breached into the threshold of the room. Plus he left it open for me. I take a look around the bedroom, wondering what differences if any are here…

Bartender Ghost:
The room looks similar to your own, with a single king-sized bed in the center. Some paintings on the wall, a television and radio. You can see the dresser open with some clothing hanging out, notably a pink nightgown. The boy moves over to the dresser and opens it wide, then recoils as he looks where he touched it as though there is a stain there now only he can see. He then pulls off his shirt and starts wiping his hands on it.

Myster Emmet:
“What a beautiful nightgown.” I remarked nonchalantly as I studied the room around me, notably focusing on the paintings in the room. I make sure to give Danny some privacy for him to change.

Bartender Ghost:
He is a young boy and doesn't care too much about his chest, but he does move into the restroom closing the door as he takes some "clean" clothes with him. Looking at the paintings, they are nothing too unusual, landscape images. You would seem to have a moment to yourself, Mr. Emmet, if you wish to snoop around.

Myster Emmet:
Well, I throw away all my reservations about respecting privacy in favor of snooping around! First, I look in the dresser, rustling around the clothing to see if there’s anything hidden inside.

Bartender Ghost:
The first thing of note is that everything is orderly. Feminine clothing is on the left, and masculine clothing is on the right. Looking through the drawers going down, you eventually find the bottom two filled entirely with children's clothing.

Myster Emmet:
I take a closer look at the masculine clothing, considering that Jack spends all or most of his time in his office, I think it’s a bit suspicious that his clothes are still here. If I was Wendy, that would be a place to hide something. I carefully removed a stack of folded clothes, so as to not disturb things too much.

Bartender Ghost:
The clothing does seem in line with Mr. Torrance's style, with a few flannel shirts, jeans, etc. Besides that, there doesn't seem to be much of anything in the drawers. The door to the restroom opens again and Danny comes out dressed in different clothes, carefully holding the previous ones. He drops them in a pile with some others. He then takes a towel and starts to stroke it in the air. "I'll get you cleaned up Cujo."

Myster Emmet:
I feel a sense of warmth watching Danny care for Cujo, despite the odd scenario of him rubbing a towel in the air…but I take out my phone and drop it on purpose. “Oops, don’t want to lose this.” When I kneel down to pick it up, I take a brief glance under the bed..if I can even do that at all. ‘Huh, I don’t think I checked under the bed in my room either.’

Bartender Ghost:
Your clever trick works though the boy is clearly distracted. Dropping down you do find an object hiding under the bed, a wooden baseball bat. The boy continues to clean his dog. "Sorry Cujo, I know it hurts."

Myster Emmet:
‘What the?….Interesting.’ I note this for future reference, but then realized that I could ask about it to Danny. But I didn’t know what Danny might say to others if he knew I saw the baseball bat..a clear weapon hidden under the bed. Instead I decided to play it safe, “Hey Danny? What’s your favorite activity? Other than cuddling with Cujo.” I add as a tease before sending the money shot! “Do you play any sports?”

Bartender Ghost:
He continues to clean his adorable dog, holding the towel up to about 3 feet high. "Dad always wanted me to play catch with him, but I didn't like it that much. I was always afraid that he would hit me." He then leans forward and kisses Cujo roughly where maybe the animal's shoulder would be?

Myster Emmet:
"I see, is that what humans call...baseball? I have been fascinated with all the kinds of recreational activities humans come up with to bond and entertain with each other." I played up my ignorance just a tad with the alien cover. I watched for any reaction out of Danny in response to baseball in particular.

Bartender Ghost:
"Dad is a big fan of baseball, but I find it boring. Tells me that I need to Man Up, but I'd rather do some coloring." He seems to finish up the cleaning of Cujo and drops the towel with the other clothing. He then turns his head toward you, "You should change too Emmet, your coat is dripping it on the floor..."

Myster Emmet:
“Oh! Yeah, sorry, I’ll go do that. I’ll be right back in a jiffy! If you need anything, just yell. I’m going to be in E223…” I wave goodbye to Danny, as I step out of the room into the hallway. I then walk back to my room E223 and unlock the door. Hopefully there’s no one inside? If there is, I’ll be really surprised!

Bartender Ghost:
The passage to your room is simple enough, with no unexpected guests. As you enter your room the clock shows a couple minutes before 2:00 pm.

Myster Emmet:
‘Almost time, better get a move on. Wait, let me just…’ I quickly check underneath the bed in my room, wondering if all the rooms had a baseball bat lying around. If not, I’ll just change into new clothes.

Bartender Ghost:
There is nothing hiding under your bed today, Mr. Emmet, perhaps a story for a different time. Changing into some different clothes is simple enough. The question remains of what do you do with your discarded imaginary blood-soaked garments?

Myster Emmet:
With no actual thought out solution, I decided to follow the mold of the people around here and shoved the ‘blood soaked’ garments under the bed…where they can’t be seen. I then went back outside into the hall, hoping that I didn’t make Danny wait for too long.

Bartender Ghost:
Danny is still in his room with the door slightly ajar. He is now sitting on the bed with the TV on. He notices you outside as the next block of children's programing starts up with the passing of the hour. He looks up, "Have you seen mom? Normally she has lunch ready by now."

Myster Emmet:
I shake my head, “Not at the moment. I did see her outside by the Hedge Maze, but I’m sure she’s probably walking back inside. How about we go downstairs into the kitchen to check if she’s back? We can take the stairs.” I added to ease Danny’s concerns.

Bartender Ghost:
"Yeah, that's probably a good idea." The Television starts up the next show in the block, a cartoon called Dungeons and Dragons with Danny eyeing it for a moment. "It's probably a rerun, they never get home anyways." He then turns off the device, then pats his thigh, "Come Cujo, let's go."

Myster Emmet:
I inwardly scream at seeing that cursed cartoon…but I make sure that displeasure isn’t anywhere on my face as I smile warmly at Danny. “Come on Cujo! Follow us! Good boy.” I coo as I lead all of us out of the room, and towards the stairs.

Bartender Ghost:
Danny closes the door behind him while you three leave. Looking down the hall for a moment at a large window showing the outside, the incoming storm is picking up and it is starting to snow. "I hope she is okay..." Danny says half-heartedly and then starts to move toward the stairs with you.

Myster Emmet:
“Don’t worry, if she isn’t in the kitchen, I’ll make sure to check outside.” I don’t tell him that I was supposed to check up on her earlier, but was distracted by him. We make our way down the stairs until we reach the ground floor, where I take the lead to walk to the kitchen…

Bartender Ghost:
Leading toward the kitchen you can smell that lovely stew that Mrs. Torrance had been cooking earlier. Right as you pass into the dining hall though, Danny starts to act up, "Cujo... what's wrong?" The boy holds up his hand as though trying to comfort his imaginary companion.

Myster Emmet:
I turned back to Cujo and Danny, “Is something the matter? Is something wrong with Cujo?” I ask in a slightly worried voice.

Bartender Ghost:
"Cujo... are you okay?" He reaches out to touch the dog but then recoils his hand. "Is your shoulder hurting, I cleaned it..." Danny then looks up to you as though he is going to respond. Just then you hear what sounds like the scraping of metal coming from the kitchen.

Myster Emmet:
I immediately turned back around to face the entrance to the kitchen, instinctively putting my body between Danny and Cujo with the entrance. I call out: “Hello? Mrs. Torrance? Is that you?” I slowly move forward towards the kitchen while doing so, keeping my guard up.

Bartender Ghost:
There are more scraping sounds of metal, as though a large object is pushed against the floor. As curious as that is though, Danny is entirely focused on the imaginary dog. "Where are you going, boy?" He then starts to run off down the hallway from you while you start to hear the sounds of light talking coming from the kitchen area, you think it might be your companion, Mr. Morgan-Jackson.

Myster Emmet:
I really want to regroup with Lloyd, but my protective instincts cause me to turn back and run after Danny and Cujo! I yell out, “Danny, Cujo, wait up!” Hopefully I’ll be able to keep up with them.

Bartender Ghost:
The boy is unsurprisingly fast as he runs into the Foyer. Holding out his hand in the direction of the West wing rooms, he starts to slow down as you manage to catch up with him. "Cujo... what's wrong."

Myster Emmet:
“Hah…did Cujo find something?” I pant at the sprint I had to do, ‘This kid will be the death of me.’ I look towards the West wing Rooms wondering if anything looks out of place.

Bartender Ghost:
"He growled at me... and then he... ran off..." The boy looks like he is about to cry, "He's never growled at me like that." Without warning he then hugs your leg.

Myster Emmet:
I startle at the surprise hug, but I let him do it while I reach out and stroke his hair. “Danny…” I pause, wondering what to say, “I’m sure it’s not your fault. Cujo might have just been…I don’t know, but I’m sure he’ll be back. You’re best friends, right?”

Bartender Ghost:
He does his best to hold back tears, a recurring theme you might notice about him at this point. "I'll find him later... let's find mom." He turns his head towards the dining hall while his stomach growls.

Myster Emmet:
I reach out to take his hand, but then realized that would probably be a little weird considering I’m not his family. So I match my pace with his as we walk back into the dining hall. “Let’s go see what’s in the kitchen.” I say to him as I walked over to finally peer into the kitchen.

Published: 2023-02-18, viewed 14 times.