Welcome to the Horne

Back in 2021, I went to an event that was held at a hotel conference center, and my experience there that night was so unusual that I knew I had to write about it. In Welcome to the Horne, a scientist arrives late the night before a conference at the Horne Hotel and tries to get some sleep before his busy day starts. But everything is a little off. From the strange shape of his room to the odd condition of the plumbing, he's left confused and uncomfortable. And the front desk seems to be willing to make things better--almost too willing--but they only end up making things worse.

Some of the things in this story actually happened, like the messed-up plumbing and the unexpected knock at the door. And I tried to sprinkle in a bit of dreamlike Lovecraftian horror to make things a little more exciting and interesting. Anyway, I'm hoping you find this short story to be a fun little exercise in (mostly) subtle, creeping terror, with a humorous little twist at the end.