(Written 30 August 2009)
You know it is impossible for a house to be haunted, and you know it is not very likely a murderer is lurking in the hallways or is waiting for you inside your room when you are out for a moment. You know thinking otherwise is silly, but you still feel your skin tense and your blood rush right before you walk into the door to your rented room. You know there is no danger, but the light switch can’t be turned on faster and you couldn’t possibly scan the room with your eyes without haste before even thinking about stepping foot inside. You know better- there is nothing there to get you and all you’re going to do is have a pleasant night of sleep after listening to the creaking pipes that is very much not a ghost.
Last night these thoughts were running through my head after I left my sister’s room to return to my own while staying at the Coundon Guest House in Coventry. It is a beautiful building, with the brick walls and quaint furniture that one expects to see each time he or she steps inside a house like this. The house is large, and old, and currently there are not many people staying in it- I think we are two of six guests total and the house looks like it can accommodate at least 50 comfortably. I like staying here, especially since it is quiet and has given me a chance to take a little break from the hustling craziness of being in a different British city almost every day. When it is night and Cassandra and I are ready to turn in, I walk outside her room into a long dark hallway and fumble with my keys to open my own door, all while noticing the stiff feeling on the back of my neck that something right then is going to surprise me or that I may bump into something very, VERY wrong. As soon as I get into my room though and turn the light on as quick as I can, my heart settles and I feel relieved as I remind myself I’m just being silly. Damn it, then I remember that I still need to use the restroom, which is close by but is in its own corridor through the long, dark hallway. Maybe I can hold it…I can pretend that I fell asleep hours ago, which if that were true I wouldn’t be getting up to use the restroom anyway until I wake up for good in the morning. That’s not healthy though, and I know better. I know there is nothing to be nervous about by stepping out of the room. I know that as a fairly rational 24 year old who loves to walk around in the dark all the time at home that I have the ability to be brave, even though I also know there is nothing to have to be brave about. I need to stop thinking like an idiot and get on with my business and on with the rest of the night. I do believe I saw a switch for a hall light earlier in the day, and I hope more than anything my memory is correct.
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Tonight is our last night in Coventry. We arrived yesterday after a painful nightlong bus ride from Glasgow to London and from London to here in the late morning. The day before our bus trip from Stirling to Glasgow was not at all pleasant, because just before that after leaving our hostel and having breakfast at a coffee house Cassandra and I got into a horrible argument. Once we arrived in Glasgow we didn’t talk about the argument, but instead just went on with the day. Since Glasgow isn’t really touristy, and all we had to do was kill time before the night ride, we decided to walk around, shop around, and watch a movie. Right before the movie started I told Cassandra that we need to have a talk, and I apologized to her, but so far we have yet to really hash things out how they need to be. I’ll wait until she’s ready and won’t try to force her into any discussion she’s not ready for.
In the evening we found a place to eat dinner. It happened to be a pub, which is where most of the affordable eating takes place in the cities it seems. We were only going to have one drink, maybe two, before heading to a bookstore. We decided that the movie we watched, The Time Traveler’s Wife, had so many holes in the story that we need to figure out if a good portion of the story was left out from the book. We’re going to read the story while I’m in Budapest and have our own “book club” over the Internet. I know, sometimes we are adorable. Unfortunately we never got out of the pub to find our books because we ended up befriending two Germans who were visiting Scotland for a short while as well. We left the place as soon as it was time to board our bus, which luckily was just around the corner, and I know that at least I woke up at the end of the bus ride feeling very dehydrated and having a headache.
Tomorrow morning we’re taking a train to Salisbury and will take a tour bus to Stonehenge as soon as we get there. I’ve been to Stonehenge once before several years ago and I remember I had a funny reaction to it. I’m curious to see how my sister reacts to it. You know, every time I say its name or think about it all I can think about is the scene from This Is Spinal Tap where the band has a model of Stonehenge made to be placed on their stage during a very dramatic moment in their performance. If you know what I’m talking about, then for one you are extremely awesome and we need to be best friends, but also you know how the “dramatic scene” turns out to be. I have a feeling the way the band felt about their own Stonehenge is how most people feel about seeing the actual Stonehenge, but only because it has been turned into such an incredible tourist attraction with a damn near paved path around it. It’s still a part of curious history though and the structure itself is great to see, no matter what other junk has been placed around it.
I believe my time is up for the night. I wish I could post this right now but there is no internet around here. There is also no public phone in our hostel or anywhere down the street so I can’t call home to let everyone know I haven’t been killed or possessed while in this hostel in Coventry. I’m hoping I’ll be able to let someone know tomorrow. Here’s hoping. J
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