The Van Helsing Conjecture – Excerpt No. 53

2 November 2024

“At least the sheets were just changed,” Clara said after picking up the distinct scent of detergent.

Her stomach growled and remembered there was no kitchenette… At least there’s a phone with a stack of flyers for local restaurants…

“Everything a gal needs…”

Clara sighed, dropped her backpack on the bed and keycard on the desk. Next she took off her leather jacket and focused. Her plain Jane persona was shed in favour of her true form, wings and all.

A surreal and vibrant cinematic photograph of a singularly focused scene, capturing a worn, retro-style telephone situated on a cluttered, beige-colored nightstand in a nondescript, dimly lit hotel room, surrounded by a scattered assortment of crumpled flyers and glossy pamphlets for local restaurants, with subtle, warm lighting casting long shadows across the walls, evoking a sense of nostalgia and isolation, rendered in a photorealistic style with a subtle film grain, as if captured on expired 35mm stock.

Disclaimer: This novel is an work in progress and readers may encounter grammatical errors and inconsistencies. Please view this a draft and not a published work.