El Goblino's best friend

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— ... Hey, is anyone there? ... I'm lost here, could you help me? How long is it to Fair Lawn? ... Hello..? — a guy with a small bag over his shoulder walked deeper into the room. From the outside, this building resembled a huge mansion. Although it looked a little abandoned, the light on in the room made it clear that someone was living there. It was also clear that this wasn't just any old residential building, but a hotel. There was a corner reception desk with a desk bell on it, an inkwell with a pen and paper. A little further off were some suitcases. Overall, the room looked very cozy: there was a soft carpet underfoot, a fire burning, warming the air, bushes, armchairs, nightstands, bookcases filled with books, a clock, and a painting. Well, since there was no one there, and the door was locked further on, I decided to climb over the luggage cart and get the key. Surprisingly, there was only one key hanging on the wall key holder, and it opened the door. It was as if it had been waiting specifically for me. This is strange. I entered a new room, here the light was also on, there were paintings hanging, and there were nightstands and tables. To the left, just like in the reception area, were windows, and the sound of rain was coming from them. Walking further, I tried to find anyone here, calling out repeatedly, but there was no answer, just silence. Or rather, the only answer was the rain, its pounding against the surface, but that wasn't what I needed.

…

Another Oasis song played in the background, and the Ford Taurus continued to drive forward, through the darkness of the forest and its incessant rain, which had begun the moment we entered it. The guy, leaning against the door, looked thoughtfully out the window; his gray cap hit the glass unpleasantly. He sat in a simple black, long T-shirt with a small bag and a half-buttoned gray sports jacket, blue jeans and dark sneakers, but goosebumps from the cold constantly ran over his body. Therefore, noticing some building ahead, it seemed like salvation, but not at all what was happening now.

…

After opening several doors in a row, nothing has changed. However, when the young man entered room 7, the light suddenly flickered. A second later, it went out completely, and the bulbs exploded loudly. Loud laughter was heard, followed by the sound of breaking glass from the window. Something black and low appeared, but with incredibly bright white teeth and large eyes. During my time here, I found a flashlight and some pills, and as I was running back to the previous room, I slammed my shoulder into the doorway, hitting it hard and dropping the pills. The creature ran after me, screaming, but noticing the pills, it picked them up and started playing with them. Having calmed down a bit and realizing it was no longer interested in me, I walked closer and got a better look at it. The completely black creature resembled a girl with hair in all directions, like a hedgehog, and a small dress. She played enthusiastically, raising her hands and imitating the flight of an airplane with pills. I carefully walked past her and slipped into the next door, which was slightly illuminated in blue. Nothing was happening in the next doors, everything was calm and measured. I started collecting coins lying on tables and in cabinets. I don't know why, but let it be. Plus, these coins looked like gold, they would be of great use in the city. I was just planning on buying a new car... As the new door opened, I saw a small... demon? Elf? He was all red with small brown shorts and rather impressive ears. He looked around sharply at the sound and was clearly surprised. Judging by his nose, I think the kids in the yard would easily call him a witch. He jumped off the table and started walking toward me. I took a couple of steps back and hid behind the door, peeking part of my head out from the doorway, watching this little red demon. - You don't need to hide, human. I won't harm you. Instead, tell me—how did you end up here?" - He stopped, looking at me with huge yellow eyes, and asked me a question. - Well... I was driving to see a friend and ended up in this forest. And then, after a few hours of driving around this place, I noticed this hotel and decided to drive up, ask for directions and, if possible, ask for a place to stay for the night - a guy came out from behind the doorway, but didn’t come any closer, nervously fiddling with the end of his T-shirt with his fingers. - Hmm, okay. Well, you can't leave here right now anyway, so consider the hotel a place to stay for the night. - Wait... why can't I leave?.. - You've already passed through many doors, the last five rooms you were in are still open, and the rest are sealed. I don't know why this is happening. — the red creature turned around and walked to the next door, it had a sign 10 on it — in any case, you have no choice but to continue moving forward. - Okay... Mmm, are you some kind of demon? Just all red... - Ha, I like your fearlessness and straightforwardness. Behold, before you stands El Goblino himself, the one and only goblin in this hotel! The young man approached him and the next door opened by itself. - Nice to meet you. Uh... Do doors often open by themselves? The young man smiled at the dwarf goblin, but the opening door left him dumbfounded. - It happens. This shiny blue thing — at least that's what I call it — can sometimes open doors. It's peaceful and often helps me in the dark, illuminating the doors. It's my main assistant here. So, don't be afraid of it, and listen to it. El goblino walked forward, leading the boy behind him. In this room there was a locked door 11 and another door on the right. - Human, do you have a name? - Ah... Of course, my name is Bob. The young man flinched slightly in surprise. - That's a name I've never heard of before. Well, Bob, take a look in that room; there should be a lot of coins and some other valuable item there. - Okay... As soon as I entered the room, the first thing I heard was the sound of rain pounding outside the windows on either side of the bed. To the right was a desk with drawers. There were indeed a lot of coins there, as well as a lighter. That was all there was to it. There was also a table on the left, on it were keys, sheets of paper and a music box that was playing a melody. Taking the keys, Bob hurried to the goblin. However, it turned out that the door was already open and El Goblino was already peering into the darkness of the next room. - .. How did you open the door? - Heheh, we goblins have our own secrets, — he quickly put some key in the pocket of his shorts. Bob came closer and also began to look into the darkness of the room. - Even if you gouge out an eye, it will be lighter. - Have you checked? - Oh, look, what is this? — the guy pointed to the blue light that appeared near door 12. Something silver was glittering below near the door. - It's that shiny blue thing I told you about earlier. It always helps you with every step, whether it's finding a key or the right door. By the way, did you notice how the music box made sounds near the key to get you closer? That was a blue thing too. - Wow..

***

—————————————————————— It's been a long time since I appeared here. El Goblino and I have become real best friends, and he told me he often travels through Dupe's doors. The dupe only allows hotel residents to enter, but he lets their friends in, too. In this way, we often move around the entire hotel. And it turns out the goblin has a key that opens any door, which was a great help getting around. ——————————————————————— ——————————————————————— For some reason, locks kept appearing on doors, even if they'd recently been picked. El Goblino believes that the light renews them. By the way, speaking of blue light, I started wandering around the hotel alone sometimes and the light really is an excellent support in the most unexpected situations. I noticed that when the light prompts you, a music box appears next to an object or door, playing a ringing melody on its own. I also learned that it has attributes - a moon candle, a moon cocktail and a cross. —————————————————————— —————————————————————— The cross is very useful for dealing with the rest of the hotel's aggressive inhabitants. The smiley face, the eye things, the guy with the eyes, the screaming idiots as the goblin calls them, were easily driven out by this cross. —————————————————————— I also learned that a spider lives in some of the drawers. It would be cool to befriend it...- —————————————————————— After writing three and a half pages, Bob exhaled and straightened up, stretching. He had noticed more than once, when he was walking with the goblin, new people coming here, and more than once he had seen their deaths. Every time a person died, the blue light would take them for a while and return only their bones. And the bones were already being dragged away by everyone... That's when I got the idea to write "survival instructions" on paper and scatter them in the right places. I hope it works and there will be fewer deaths.

***

I think I stepped on something... It was a hellish pain in my leg, constantly throbbing and showing no signs of going away. El Goblino was right about staying away from doors over 60; things really are a little different here.

…

- I was in the greenhouse, it was dark, I was walking toward the blue light and the sound of the next door. - I see, it's one of those thorny plants that often live in greenhouses, but they're also common outdoors, so be careful. I still don't like your idea of going alone in unfamiliar places, — the goblin grumbled nearby, examining a rather swollen foot. — It's not that fatal, it'll pass with time, just be careful, okay? - Yes, sorry... By the way, do you know what that yellow light is that goes on after door 100?

***

I poked my head through the far doors again and... found myself in the mines? The air was thick and damp, the lights flickering, and the atmosphere tense. I was wandering through these stone tunnels and collecting coins, when I entered one small stone room, its entrance was suddenly covered up, and I found myself trapped.

***

I ended up in some kind of... water? I tried to swim up, but it seemed useless. There was only dark water around, and I was suffocating.. I took a breath and.. nothing happened. A few seconds later, the water glowed bright blue, and a crescent moon appeared ahead. A voice was heard: - Oh... Hello. I didn't expect to see you here. And you've never appeared in this dark place before. You were stuck in a room and died of starvation... A painful death... El Goblino has been looking for you for several days now. I'll transport you to him, but you won't be the same... Anyway, we'll see each other later, right? You'll come back in a different form, right?... Of course you will.

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