| Bound By Time |
| It's 6:30 in the morning and Kit the caretaker and owner of the Dutch Family Inn and Coffee House was already behind the counter getting ready for the morning rush. Upstairs on the second floor in room 12 Johnny was rushing to get dress so he could hurry downstairs to get Kit. He rushes into the dinning room and takes a seat while trying to catch his breath. "Miss!" He says just after taking a deep breath. Kit senced something was bothering the man right away. "Is there something wrong?" Johnny ran his fingers through his hair. "Yes that or I'm loosing my mind. Last night I arrived here with a friend. He had been a little down lately so I thought a change of pace might do him some good. We went to bed at the same time. I woke up about three am and I could have sworn I heard him crying where are you and what do you want from me? when I awoke this morning I saw that his bed was empty. So I called for him and got no responce. About ten minutes later I heard his voice coming from the room next to ours. He was crying no." What room are you in?" "12 and I heard his voice coming from 14." "That's Impossible!" She strechedout her arm. "I need to show you something so I can explain why." They headed up the staircase and down the hall to room 14. When they reached room 14 Kit pulled out an old key and unlocked the door. A bright golden light blinded Johnny for a second as Kit opened the door. "Wow this room is so big and bright!" Johnny said as he sat down in the nearest arm chair. "Why you would ever stop renting it out is beyond me." Kit walked away from the door leaving it wide open. "This room was never rented out. The two care takers and the owners daughters stayed in here. Kit and China Dutch. Kit was the oldest and the more active one. China was shy and had few friends. She use to say that only her family and true friends could see her. Looking back I think she was right." ( 15 years eariler ) "Morning Uncle Bob!" China smiled as she approched her favorite uncle on her dad's side. "Morning China Doll!" China Doll was China's real name. Her dad was into cats so he named her sister Kitty Cat and her mom of course was into china dolls. "Got anything new?" She smiled as sweet as always. "This here watch just came in today." He pulled out a gold and silver rolex. "Ooh! Can you ingrave it for me?" She spoke in a very soft tone. "Sure thing darlin." He smiled back at her as he took a slip of paper from her and headed towards the back room. China arrived at the diner in time for the lunch rush. She sat in her booth chanting under her breath. About ten minutes or so later a young man passes by and greets China. "Hello!" China was so awe struckthat when she said hi back she didn't noticeherself loosen the grip she had on the watch and it sliped through her fingers and onto the floor. In an instant the man was handing China back her watch. "I think you droped this." "You keep it." she shoves the watch back into his hand. Taking the watch back he slides into a seat across from China. "I'm speechless. Are you sure about this?" The room started to glow gold as a smile grew on China's face. "Yes." He placed the watch on his left wrist and then placed his hand against his chest. "WOW! A gift already and we haven't been introduced yet. I'm Ryan." He held out his right hand. "China." She shook his hand with an even bigger brighter glow about her. "have you eaten yet? Because if you haven't I would love for you to join me." Ryan smiles back. "I would love that." China tilts her head towards the table as she talks. Twenty minutes later Ryan bids farewell to China and leaves the resturant after kissing her on the cheek. ( 5 years later ) One day Kit suprised China with a trip to a aroma theropy place. Kit felt se needed it. For the past ten years China had been depressed. Everytime Kit would try to talk to her she would start in on a chant. They arrived at Mombie's Earth Haven around 7 am. Mombie greeted them at the door. "Welcome to my Earth Haven. Please sign in. I must ask that you only sign your first name." He spoke with an Jamacan accent. When China went to sign her name she saw that they were not the first to arive. There was four men and three woman already signed up. Among the men listed was the name Ryan. "That can't be him can it?" China thought to herself. Just after lunch China and Kit were asked to go to a room lit only by sented candles. "I must ask that you remove all jewwlry before entering." Mombie passed around a silver dish and everyone placed their jewelry in it. He then set it on a shelf between two Radki Trible Mask candle holders. The group sat in a circle with their eyes closed. They had to clear their minds and breath deeply until they could almost feel their self floating away. They did this for fifteen minutes. China was the last to leave the room and as she passed the shelf that the silver was sitting on something caught her eye. A shinny gold and silver rolex was laying solo on the dish. China reconized it right away. It had belonged to her five years ago. She was sure of it but how does she prove it? She went straight to her room and locked the door behind her. China sat down on her bed as she slowly turned the watch over. There Staring back at her was the inscription she had ingraved all thoes years ago. China was now glowing and so excited. She haden't been this excited since the day she bought the watch. China left the room in search of the watch's current owner. She walked outside and into the courtyard where a bunch of the others were sitting around talking about their first lesson. Amungst them was the man she met five years eariler. She tried to approch him but the others showed up behind her and squezed their way through. She tried to call his name out but it didn't work. this continued on all day long. The next day the group decided to head into town to check out some shops. Robbi had driven a van so he said everyone could ride in it. They all piled into the van and headed towards The Dutch Family Hotel and Coffee House. When they arrived they headed into the diner to get drinks. China sat at her booth reading the inscription under her breath. Kit wandered down the road to the ice cream parlor. She returned five minutes later with two sub size coconut topped ice cream sandwhiches. She handed one to China then anounced to the rest that they were on sale buy one get one free. China took her coffee and ice cream outside. she sat on the sidewalk bench located in front of the hotel. The windows went from celing to floor in 15 squares. Just a moment after China had taken her last bight of ice cream she spoted everyone heading back from the ice cream parlor each person carying a brown paper bag. Ryan seemed to be in a deep conversation with Megan. A semi short haired strawberry blonde who looked to be about twenty five or so. China lothed her. China called out to Ryan but he seemed not to notice her sitting there. This made China very sad. She went stright up to her room to be alone to sort out her thoughts and to wait and see if anyone misses her. She leaned up against her wall that devided her room with room twelve. Inside room twelve Ryan was sitting on the floor trying to rest while his friends slept on the beds. "Ryan." Ryan could hear China's voice through the wall crying out to him. He started to shake all over. "No! Not again! What do you want from me?" Ryan closed his eyes and began to cry himself. "I just need to talk to you. I have something of yours. Please Ryan just hear me out." China's voice faded. Ryan wiped his tears away and turned his face towards the wall. He then placed his left ear up against it. He could hear faint breathing coming from the room on the other side of the wall. This made Ryan very happy and sad at the same time. He got to his feet and headed towards room fourteen. When he entered the room he found a half asleep China curled up into a ball on the floor against the wall. She had tears running down her cheeks. Ryan nelt down by her and in a quiet voice began to speak to her. "Are you ok?" He asked as he helped her to her feet. "Yes now. Thanks to you Ryan." She quickly wiped the tears from her eyes. They walked over to her bed and sat down on the edge of it. "Where did you get that?" Ryan was pointing to the gold and silver watch in China's hand. "It's yours. I've been trying to give it back to you since yesterday. But everytime I got the chance it was like you didn't care that I had it. Once I approched you head on and you walked right past me like you didn't know I was there. Like I didn't exist." She sighed and placed the watch into Ryan's hand. "What does this incription mean? To my soul with love, from China." This was the first time seeing the inscription giving him the slightest doubt that the watch was his. "It means that who ever I give that watch to will also be given my soul. It means we will be bound by time. No matter where we go or what we do we will be bound together until we die." Ryan slid the watch back on his wrist and looked deep into China's eyes. Ryan placed his left hand on China's face and began to kiss her. A golden light lit up room fourteen as the sun began to rise. Megan was going from room to room searching for Ryan when she came to room fourteen. She opened the door slowly and found him topless and lying on China's bed. What seemed to be in slow motion she pulled out a 35mm from the back of her pants and shots rang out. Kit was the first to arive in the room shortly followed by the rest. As the smoke cleared all they could see was Ryan motionless on the bed. Kit entered the room and saw China sitting on the floor by the window staring at Ryan. She was still in her gown which seemed to be soaking up blood. (Present Day) "That was the last day anyone ever entered or left this room." Kit told Johnny as she followed him out the door locking it behind them. "But how do you know all this?" Johnny asked more confused than before. "My dear boy who do you think locked this door all those years ago?" Kit smiled at him as they walked back down to the coffee house. Don't Judge A Book By It's Cover Home |
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