The clock on top of the hotel showed 7.30 and has been showing the same for last twenty years ever since Mr. Sam Died. Shan had told me this, and I had no reason not to trust him. I trusted Shan, as he told me many other things that always proved true.
Anything related to this hotel often proved true, even if it sounded terribly untrue. For example, according to Shan, the former owner of this bar and hotel, Mr. Sam had an artificial nose, though we had never seen one or even heard of anyone with a fake nose. To find out how accurate Shan’s words were, I asked Nathan, the first employee of this hotel.
He used to be the room boy in the hotel in 1992, although I was not even born then, and he still looks after the front office of this hotel after thirty years and two wives. According to Shan, Mr. Sam’s artificial nose story was completely true.
Nathan once told me, "I used to serve coffee to Sam every night. But I always watched him through a window as he removed his nose and put it on a table before he turned off the lights. He would never sleep with his fake nose on. I thought he felt uncomfortable sleeping with his artificial nose, especially while turning sides. Maybe the first thing he did in the morning was to put his nose back in place, even before drinking a cup of tea. Sam was a great man."
"But how did he lose his nose?" I asked.
Shan said jokingly, "His wife must have bitten his nose."
"‘No sir" said Nathan, "His face was seriously injured and his nose had to be replaced by an artificial one in an accident."
"And was he still wearing his fake nose when he died?" I asked.
"No, sir, said the old Nathan. One morning, when I went to Sam’s room to serve him his morning tea, I found him dead on the bed, without a nose! His nose was on the side table beside the bed. I feel, if I left without his nose, the world would know about his artificial nose. Mr. Sam was such a good man, so I first fixed his nose and then went and informed the manager about his death. He died of a heart attack. I took care that his body went with his nose in the coffin."
We all agreed that Nathan was also a good man.
Shan and Nathan believed Sam’s ghost was still haunting this hotel, but I haven’t encountered him yet. I smiled, thinking about a ghost with a fake nose, but old Nathan didn’t seem to believe that.
He said, "I haven’t seen a ghost from close quarters, but only from a distance near pine trees in the beer lounge."
I looked at deodar trees. They were at least 100 meters away from the hall and almost two hundred years old.
Shan looked at me and said, "So many customers that used to come to the bar are all gone now. Sometimes I find it difficult to differentiate between the living and the dead. But the actual ghosts are those who, after drinking alcohol, disappear without paying."
Haha, I didn’t need to disappear without paying. Ever since I arrived in this town in the last 3-4 months, I rarely paid for my drinks. The reason for this was my friend Shan, the current owner of this hotel. He gave me concessions on everything, as he knew me as a writer and was my fan. He was so happy that I selected this town and his hotel to live in, away from the fame and crowd."
However, the man at the counter bar, Nathan, was not adding to the glamor of the bar, but was good at serving wine, making cocktails, and directing drunk people to the toilet room. He also never used to pay for his liquor, though.
Of course, Shan was complaining about his declining income, but he was not interested in selling the hotel, at least not yet. Then how did Shan manage his expenses? Obviously, because there were still some genuine customers who felt homely comfort in his hotel. He regularly chatted with them and encouraged them to drink whiskey or the wine. Shan was doing his best efforts to attract customers in his hotel.
If I had my own magazine I would publish this story. My magazine would not be for the ordinary. It would seek unique stories, stories that show courage in striking new ground.
Was He Sam is startlingly original. It is humorous and surprising. It gives life to memorable characters. This is the first story I have read this afternoon and it is a pleasure to start my day with such a remarkable piece.
😄
You really deliver with this piece, @rayt2. That first paragraph pulls us right in, and the rest of the story lives up to our expectations. The false nose, Lady Gaga, Rudyard Kipling...a gentle farce that is amazingly original.
Kudos, @rayt2. We appreciate that you choose to publish such fine pieces with us and we also appreciate that you are a positive member of the community who supports other authors.
Your content has been voted as a part of Encouragement program. Keep up the good work!
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I laughed a lot here. Good story😉
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Weldon job my friend, I love your story. Please continue with a good job
Was he Sam?
The characters have a comic side to them even when discussing important things which I loved.
Shan made me laugh a lot😁..
Apart from the story itself, I especially like your choice of words and the way you portray the dialogue between the characters.
Great story, and great title as well. The title was just as important as the story, and it was the perfect fit
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story. The plot is simple and it flows easily from one part to the next. There's a certain humor that comes out naturally from the characters which doesn't seem forced or exaggerated in any way. Kudos to you, @rayt2. !LUV the references to famous writers and Gaga. Thanks for sharing. 😊
Have a great day ahead, @rayt2. 😊