screamingatanemptyroom:

writing-prompt-s:

You’re currently on a road trip driving to a place all the way across the country. You’ve been hearing some weird noises in your trunk ever since you stopped at an inn a day ago, but you’ve chalked it up to the car being it’s old crusty self. All of a sudden, one of your car’s tires pops, and you stop on the side of the road to change it. Upon opening the trunk, you discover three little dogs snoring. When you go to pick one of them up, however, you realize it’s actually one dog with three heads. You inspect the collar around the middle head, and it says,

Cerberus
One heck of a big boi 
If found, please return to Underworld
(666)-666-6666

It
had been a hell of a day.

I
was traveling, brought on by an urge I couldn’t control. It was starting to get
cold outside, and just like all the years before, I was getting depressed and
angry. My boss at the flower shop had chewed me out, frustrated.

“How can the seasons
affect you so much? You’re worthless after spring and summer!”

I
could only shrug, overcome with a melancholy I couldn’t explain or brush aside.
And so, like always, he had sighed, promised me a job when I got back, and
wished me farewell. And so I went on a road trip, heading to a warmer place
where flowers grew.

So
far, the trip had been awful. Gas prices were much higher than I expected,
forcing me to skimp on the hotel I stayed at. In the end I spent the night in
the horrible dark gloomy hotel in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by water of
all things. I had to park my car in a spot quite a ways away, and be rowed
towards the hotel by a creepy looking guy with a weird smile.

Now
normally I would have been interested in such a strange and interesting place, but
the cold weather and the gloomy atmosphere just made my mood take a sharp dive
for the worse. I couldn’t smile at the man even as he cracked a joke about
welcoming me to the underworld.

I
did offer him a tip, but he would only take a single coin. He grasped it in his
hand with a smile and when I pressed to make sure he didn’t want more, he
simply shrugged and answered: “It’s tradition.”

To
my dismay the hotel really was called “The Underworld Inn.” I half expected a
theme decoration or people in silly costumes, but to my surprise, the place inside
was surprisingly well lit and normal appearing, the room was clean and the
staff was extremely polite. They offered me a complimentary dinner, but feeling
tired, I refused, and slept the rest of the night.

I
had had nightmares all night long, which made sleep truly impossible. And that
was one of the main reasons I hated the colder seasons. Every night I tossed
and turned, a sense of loss permeating my entire being. A hand grasped in mine
only to be ripped away. No matter what I did the dream ended the same way, me
lost and alone, crying the same name over and over.

I
woke up in tears, like I always did, but no matter how hard I tried I could not
remember the name.

“I’m
sorry.” I whispered out loud, wiping the moisture from my eyes. I wasn’t sure
who I was apologizing to, but I knew I had forgotten something truly
important.  

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