THE MOMENT
"Can we he-," The man stood up and approached Paul with the question while the woman and child moved behind him.
"What are you doing in my room?" Paul asked. He glanced around searching for his things; but, they were nowhere to be found.
"Ah," the man relaxed and the tension in the room eased up. "You're in the wrong room. That happ-," again, Paul interrupted him.
"I'm not stupid!" he answered. He marched back to the door to make a point, and to secretly double-check. He swung it open, then nodded. "See?" He held up his white keycard and pointed to the '15' on the door. "I only stepped out for a few minutes and didn't go far. What are you people doing in my room?"
Paul wasn't an angry man in general; but, he'd had a rough week. Staying there that night was an unfortunate necessity and not a vacation. The fire damage wasn't too bad; but, it was bad enough that he didn't feel safe staying in his own home that night. It bruised his ego having to admit he was scared, and now it seemed like strangers were pranking him for no obvious reason. He wasn't in the mood.
"No one thought that," the stranger said. Unfortunately, the answer came with a smirk that Paul easily misinterpreted. "I was explaining that it happens sometimes, I'm guessing you haven't been to a Sharp Motel before," he added.
"It's a motel," Paul shrugged. "I don't know what it is that 'happens'; but, this is my room. Give me my stuff back and get out before I call security." He was most angry about the young girl they had with them. He could see a resemblance and guessed she was the woman's daughter; but, it bothered him that they were teaching her how to run whatever scam they were running. He was going to call security on them anyway as soon as they left. It was the least he could do to try and get her to a more loving home.
"My name's John," the stranger continued to smile unbothered. "My wife Majesty, and our daughter, Royalty," he said as he gestured at them. Paul formed his opinion about them without bothering to study them closely. But, when John gestured at them he took a solid look at Majesty and she didn't look quite normal. She was on the bed behind John, so it didn't click right away; but, even seated she seemed to be taller than John. She had broad shoulders and long legs and Paul guesstimated she'd be about 8 feet more or less if she did stand up. "...and, this is our keycard to the room," he held up a red card, then gestured at the '15' on the still open door. "It matches the color," he added.
"Huh?" Paul looked again. The 15 was in red numbers. He hadn't noticed the change; but, he was sure the numbers were white when he settled in. He remembered thinking it was a nice little touch of class that the numbers matched the card.
"May I see yours?" John asked as he stepped forward with an outstretched hand. Paul was always willing to admit when he was wrong. It was why he went to the hotel instead of staying with a friend. He had several offers; but, he didn't like to impose. And, beyond that, he knew the fire was his own fault. It was a stupid mistake he was willing to live with, and he deserved the inconvenience.
"Sure..," he didn't know what else to do. He didn't know how it happened, he was positive he came back in through the same door he stepped out of after dropping his things off. And, by that same token, he was dead sure the stove was cleared and turned off before he left for work that day. John had proven to be friendly and calmer than Paul had been. The kind man moved past Paul and closed the door.
"What are you..," Paul started to ask, but he didn't have time to finish the question. John touched the card to the lock, then opened the door again. Instead of the parking lot, there was suddenly another motel room on the other side. Its door was open and labeled with a white '15'.
"There's more to the keycard than just opening locks, it's actually a node. You should spend some time learning about it," John smiled and offered the white card back to Paul. "I went ahead and added my contact info to it in case you have any questions, or find yourself lost again," he chuckled.
"How...?" Paul moved closer and looked into the room beyond to see his bags sitting on the bed where he left them. "... what happened exactly?"
"You probably felt like you wanted to 'get away' when you walked out the door. Sharp Development, the owners, have mastered multiversal technology. This doorway can lead to alternate Earths. In fact, your room isn't even on the same planet as this one," he said.
"That's not possible...," Paul shook his head. There was no way it was that easy to just step into a new world.
"I think you need a tour," Paul had been so confused, and focused on his room and John that he almost forgot about the others in the room. He jumped when Majesty spoke up, and he spun around to see he was right. She towered over him like a mountain. "It's about dinner time here, have you eaten?" she asked Paul as she walked past him with a smile.
"Was gonna order out...," Paul answered. His brain gave up on him, and he wasn't thinking anymore. All he could do was answer the questions as they came.
"Nope, you're joining us," she said. She closed the door one more time, then reopened it. His room was gone, and now there was a city street right outside. Across the street stood a red brick building with the name 'Donna Chang's' in neon. "There's a multiverse to learn about; it's pretty lucky you were at the hotel and got lost," she added with a grin as she headed out the door. Royalty ran past Paul to catch up, but John simply gestured at the opening to let him go first.
"Our treat," he smiled.