A Wrap

Justine spun and smiled “What a lovely first round of production. A few hiccups for sure, but it should be smoother sailing from here on out.”

She frowned for a moment, “Of course, they tell me that they are partly changing the damn interest of the season.“

She turned and addressed the contestants, “My dear contestants, here are some minor details for you. Your rooms have been assigned. They are on the second floor. I'm sure you can figure out who has what. The BP store is open between 6:00 and 21:00. You’ll find it off the main hall. Can’t miss it.”

Justine sprinted over to where Thomas was, “Anyway, ladies, I'm having a word with dear Thomas. And after that, we have a full schedule to attend tomorrow, so I suggest that gals get some rest.”

Justine grabbed Thomas’ hand. He heard a slight popping sound and he found himself somewhere completely different.

As he looked around, he saw that the room's walls were painted a light forest green. He noted the hardwood floor as being light red. Normally it would be a soothing feeling if he were not disoriented by the entire trip here. The item that caught his eye first was the king-sized bed. Cream cover sheets had an assortment of textured pillows in shades of white and gold near a tufted headboard and a chunky knit throw on the foot of the bed.

On either side of the bed, stylish nightstands of the same wood as the floor held antique lamps with warm, amber light. Vintage rugs in muted green laid in front of the nightstands.

He turned to look left of the bed. In one corner, there’s a plush sofa upholstered in a soft fabric, paired with a small side table perfect for a cup of tea or a book. A large window with sheer, flowing curtains allowing the dusk light.

Looking to the right of the bed he noted a mahogany bookcase filled with books. Next to the bookcase was a pair of solid-looking doors with light decorations.

Turning around he noted three doors evenly spaced. In between the doors were bookcases that held knick-knacks. The door closest to the window was painted with white clouds in blue. Next in the lineup was a plain beige door. The last door was a fire-red door with a swirl pattern of purple.

Justine grinned and spread her arms out “Welcome to the master suite. For tonight, we’ll have you sleeping by yourself. But I think we’ll have some company for you later. Any comments, dull bulb?”

Thomas snapped out of his musings and stared at Justine, “What are you?”

She grinned more broadly, “Oh darling, I'm just your normal HH host. Probably incomprehensible to your normal mind, but very ordinary. I’m not that scary compared to some other hosts. I mean if I had to give my ranking I would…”

He held his hand up, “Ok, ok, I get you’re stiffing me. Tell me why you drag me up here.”

She went to the sofa and draped herself on it, “Oh, nothing. I just want to play with my contestants a little. Just one thing.”

She waved her hand, “This old bird has been renovated as best as we can to an early 21st-century style. However, there are still some old-fashioned games here. I warn you to be careful.”

She stood up and clapped her hand, “I would suggest you sleep. The old girl hasn’t had a proper man in her in a long time. I would not wander around tonight. Just saying.”

Justine bowed and clapped her hands twice. A puff of smoke billowed around her. When it disappeared she was gone.

Thomas stared at the spot where she disappeared. He shook his head and headed towards the double doors. He grabbed the ornate handle and gave it a jingle. He was disappointed that the door was locked. There was nothing for it but to check the rest of the room for anything useful.

He went to the vibrant red door and opened it up. The room beyond was painted in bold, playful colors—bright yellows, electric blues, and rich reds. The scent of buttery popcorn wafts through the air, along with the occasional bleep-bloop of arcade machines.

He scanned the room. To his right was the source of the popcorn smell: a snack bar with an old-fashioned popcorn maker. Straight in front of him was a door marked theater with a sign on it saying closed. To his left, were about a dozen arcade cabinets.

One of the arcade cabinets was marked as ‘The Typing of the Dead’. Curious, he went over to the cabinet. The screen looked like all the others, however where the other cabinets had joysticks and buttons this was different, it had a regular keyboard with a trackball on the side. He examined it and figured it to be a computer installed in this arcade cabinet. Glancing around again he left the room.

Between the books and this entertainment room there should be no problem with boredom, Thomas thought. Course there is the slight distraction of being here against one’s will. And worry for everyone else.

Shaking himself out of the track of thought he moved to the cloud door and opened it. In it, he found the bathroom. The bathroom features a freestanding soaking tub under a frosted window, double sinks with gold fixtures, and a rainfall shower that feels like a spa retreat.

Stepping forward to the sink he examined what was there. A mug, toothpaste, unopened brushes, and razors were laid out. Well, it was as good a time to clean the teeth. He tried pulling his dentures out. What he found instead was teeth connected to his gums. He shook his head. Of course, being younger he would need to adapt to various things, like his teeth. He quickly took a toothbrush, opened it and the tube, and started brushing.

Youth, he mused, what old farts want except it happened to him for real. It wasn’t even by replacing organs with younger ones, or dyeing hair to a youthful glow. No niggles of feeling gravity pulling you down, no weariness in the bones. However, what would happen when he got back? Could he, Agatha, and Alexa return to whatever life they had? Would they be sent to ‘the present’ or would it be back sixty-plus years ago? And how would it work with Second Lieutenant Poulin? Would she be brought forward or would a different arrangement be made? He spat into the sink and rinsed his mouth.

He walked out of the bathroom and into the main room. He now turned his attention to the last plain door. He opened it and found a walk-in closet.

The walk-in closet is thoughtfully organized, with a chic island in the center for accessories. There were three different areas. On his left were suits and garments looking to be of his size. On the right were dresses and other feminine products. In the middle were neutral options like hoodies. In the corners were two hampers. Wandering over the suits he noticed that they were on a carousel. Finding a button next to the hamper he pressed it down. The suits start rotating up into the ceiling as new ones descend. He released the button and the last suit went up.

He frowned. Well, his baser needs were accounted for and beyond quite frankly. Discounting shenanigans, everyone else should be fine as well. The extra things of this show disturb him. What would happen to everyone? Were they safe? How would they get out of this place? Could they even do that?

Well, there was no point in fretting about it anymore. His thoughts were returning to the same points. He might as well sleep.

He grabbed a set of blue striped pajamas from the middle and quickly changed into them. Tossing his suit into a hamper, he climbed into the bed. Sleep soon came and he drifted into a dreamless night.