The last place marked on my map , the Sheridan Boarding House , was located on the far side of the island and the day was already edging closer to sunset . My shadow had begun to show some weariness of our routine , so I decided I needed to lose him before I reached the Sheridan . The road across the island was paved and narrow , with the occasional pothole which required deft handling . I noticed on the map that a rest station was marked and was coming up ahead . I told my driver to pull into the rest station when we reached it . As we pulled over I gauge to see how far my unwelcome companion had drifted . He was just where I hoped he would be . As the cab pulled in I barely waited for him to stop before I bolted out of the door and began to run across the gravel parking lot . It was a full out sprint and I hoped it would be worth the sweat and aggravation . From the corner of my eye I glimpsed him pulling quickly to a stop . He didn ’ t bother to make it into the parking lot . He was afraid he was about to miss on something important and he didn ’ t want to waste time .
I had moved fast enough to reach the large room of the rest station . I dashed to the back toward the restrooms but instead of going into the men ’ s room I slipped out the back door . And waited a beat . When I heard the springs on the front door close it with a slam I race into the nearby woods . I cut a quick path back to the road and came up behind the car he had been driving . Reaching into my pocket I pulled out my trusted pocket knife , squatted down alongside the car and sliced into each tire . As I was coming back across the parking lot I noticed him coming from behind the rest station building . He had surmised that I wasn ’ t in the rest room and had looked out back to see where I had gone . Luckily I was at least one beat ahead of him . As I walked back to the cab my shadow gazed at me with a frown . I slid into the backseat of the cab and gave him a wry smile and a mocking wave as we drove out of the parking lot . I looked back and saw his face flash red with anger as he noticed his car was resting closer to the ground on all sides . Without the monkey on my shoulder the rest of the journey to the Sheridan was smooth and uneventful .
The Sheridan Boarding House was part hotel and part residence for seasonal workers . It wasn ’ t the fanciest place on the island but the building had been well kept and if you needed a room at a decent rate then the Sheridan was the place . It ’ s location on the far side of the island near the forest and the rocky coves made it a less attractive locale for most visitors . If you wanted to disappear for awhile I figure this was as good a place as any and I hoped Twilight had felt the same .
There were a few cars in front and a few cabs waiting to pick up a fare to the other side of the island . I walked up the few steps that lead to the front entrance and walked into the quiet lobby . The sound of the ceiling fans whirling above were the loudest sounds in the room . A few people were reading books or newspapers while nursing the beverage of their chose and there was a man with his back to me in the telephone booth . I continued to scan the room as I reached the counter and rang the bell . An middle aged man with a paunch that pushed at the buttons of his linen shirt walked from the backroom and greeted me with a smile .
‘ Welcome to the Sheridan ! Do you need a room for the night ?, he said adjusting his suspenders at his shoulders , ‘ You ’ re in luck , a few rooms have opened up recently . Had you come a few days earlier I would have had to turn you away .’ ‘ That busy huh ? Sounds like business is good .’
101 THE CONE - ISSUE # 15 - 2018