I was staying in an old hotel during a work trip.
Late at night, I got into the elevator and pressed the button for the fifth floor. The elevator moved normally at first, then stopped.
The doors opened onto a hallway I had never seen.
The carpet was dark red. The lights were dim. There were no room numbers, only blank doors on both sides.
I looked at the panel. The display showed the number 9.
But the hotel only had seven floors.
I pressed the close button immediately. Nothing happened for a few seconds. Then, from somewhere down the hallway, I heard a phone ringing.
The doors finally closed.
When I reached my floor, I went straight to my room and did not sleep much.
The next morning, I checked the elevator. There was no 9 button, and the front desk confirmed the hotel had no ninth floor.
I still remember the smell of that hallway. Dust and flowers.