thoughts screamed back at him.
“I am Granville Grimm and am pleased to welcome you here,” said the man with the faintest of waves of his hand. “Thank you for agreeing to assist me with my project.”
“Er … actually I was hoping we could chat about that,” said Rory. “I’m not really …”
Oblivious to Rory’s faltering protest, the hotel owner continued. “I need some help and I believe you are the person to provide it. I am only too well aware that the public perception of what we offer here is not … shall we say
favourable
at times.”
That’s the understatement of the year,
thought Rory picturing the screaming headlines in
The Chronicle
that spelled out death and evil in equal measure.
“I’m not sure I’m …” stuttered Rory.
“What I want here is … how can I best describe it?” interrupted Granville Grimm searching for the right words. “What I want is to be … functioning properly again.”
Rory looked at the man and found himself wondering if he wastalking about the business of the hotel or about himself. For all of his politeness, Granville Grimm’s low, saddened tones presented him as a very melancholic man.
“I am not looking for the high levels of success and achievement you have gained for Zizz Cola,” he continued in his low voice. “I just want people to view us in a different light.”
Rory stopped himself from saying “…and presumably to have a few guests that check out in the normal fashion by just handing their key back.”
Granville Grimm’s softly spoken voice and his deliberate choice of words somehow made the idea of changing the hotel’s image and getting people back through the door sound like a straightforward project. Rory had to remind himself that this was Hotel Grimm which, as he had just learned, had its very own curse. From the hotel owner’s silence it appeared that Rory was now expected to begin to present his thoughts on the situation.
Rory cleared his throat and chose his words carefully. “I think I understand what you want. I don’t mean to be pessimistic but … er … there are rather a lot of … er … large obstacles in the way of success.”
There was silence from the other end of the table. Feeling increasingly nervous, Rory blundered on. “I mean it’s not just the issue of how you are viewed down in the town. Aren’t there some deeper issues that are causing problems here?”
“Do forgive me, but I’m unsure what you mean,” said Granville Grimm sounding slightly baffled.
“I mean that no matter what you do to try to change things here, could there be something working against you?” said Rory.
“Go on,” said Granville Grimm.
Rory took a deep breath. “I mean The Curse of the Stonemason,” he said.
At that moment the stuttering conversation dried up completely and the room seemed to freeze over.
“I want no mention of that.” The tone in Granville Grimm’s voice chilled the atmosphere still further.
“No of course….” said Rory.
Granville Grimm gave him a long hard look. Rory held the man’s gaze as long as he could and pushed away the fleeting thought that this might turn him into one of the hotel’s gargoyles.
“Perhaps we should move on,” said Granville Grimm at last. “In fact, I think it would make sense for you to see around a bit, to get an idea of what we have here that might appeal to people.”
Rory tensed up. He really did not want to go any further into the building at all. The words “death” and “trap” lodged in his head. At the same time it felt like he was at the point of no return. What would happen to him now if he turned around and said that he wasn’t really qualified for the job of rebranding Hotel Grimm?
“Our butler, Grog, will show you around,” Granville Grimm gestured with a weary wave of his hand.
There was a squawk from the other side of the room as the man who had opened the front door to Rory, reacted with shock to the fact that he was being expected
“I am Granville Grimm and am pleased to welcome you here,” said the man with the faintest of waves of his hand. “Thank you for agreeing to assist me with my project.”
“Er … actually I was hoping we could chat about that,” said Rory. “I’m not really …”
Oblivious to Rory’s faltering protest, the hotel owner continued. “I need some help and I believe you are the person to provide it. I am only too well aware that the public perception of what we offer here is not … shall we say
favourable
at times.”
That’s the understatement of the year,
thought Rory picturing the screaming headlines in
The Chronicle
that spelled out death and evil in equal measure.
“I’m not sure I’m …” stuttered Rory.
“What I want here is … how can I best describe it?” interrupted Granville Grimm searching for the right words. “What I want is to be … functioning properly again.”
Rory looked at the man and found himself wondering if he wastalking about the business of the hotel or about himself. For all of his politeness, Granville Grimm’s low, saddened tones presented him as a very melancholic man.
“I am not looking for the high levels of success and achievement you have gained for Zizz Cola,” he continued in his low voice. “I just want people to view us in a different light.”
Rory stopped himself from saying “…and presumably to have a few guests that check out in the normal fashion by just handing their key back.”
Granville Grimm’s softly spoken voice and his deliberate choice of words somehow made the idea of changing the hotel’s image and getting people back through the door sound like a straightforward project. Rory had to remind himself that this was Hotel Grimm which, as he had just learned, had its very own curse. From the hotel owner’s silence it appeared that Rory was now expected to begin to present his thoughts on the situation.
Rory cleared his throat and chose his words carefully. “I think I understand what you want. I don’t mean to be pessimistic but … er … there are rather a lot of … er … large obstacles in the way of success.”
There was silence from the other end of the table. Feeling increasingly nervous, Rory blundered on. “I mean it’s not just the issue of how you are viewed down in the town. Aren’t there some deeper issues that are causing problems here?”
“Do forgive me, but I’m unsure what you mean,” said Granville Grimm sounding slightly baffled.
“I mean that no matter what you do to try to change things here, could there be something working against you?” said Rory.
“Go on,” said Granville Grimm.
Rory took a deep breath. “I mean The Curse of the Stonemason,” he said.
At that moment the stuttering conversation dried up completely and the room seemed to freeze over.
“I want no mention of that.” The tone in Granville Grimm’s voice chilled the atmosphere still further.
“No of course….” said Rory.
Granville Grimm gave him a long hard look. Rory held the man’s gaze as long as he could and pushed away the fleeting thought that this might turn him into one of the hotel’s gargoyles.
“Perhaps we should move on,” said Granville Grimm at last. “In fact, I think it would make sense for you to see around a bit, to get an idea of what we have here that might appeal to people.”
Rory tensed up. He really did not want to go any further into the building at all. The words “death” and “trap” lodged in his head. At the same time it felt like he was at the point of no return. What would happen to him now if he turned around and said that he wasn’t really qualified for the job of rebranding Hotel Grimm?
“Our butler, Grog, will show you around,” Granville Grimm gestured with a weary wave of his hand.
There was a squawk from the other side of the room as the man who had opened the front door to Rory, reacted with shock to the fact that he was being expected
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