Now let’s walk over the bridge again. It’s absolutely definite that none of the people in the pictures have moved since the last time you were here. That would be impossible. So don’t even look for it. And obviously, people in black and white photographs never step out from their frames and cavort in the shadows. That’s not real, so there’s no point at all in keeping a close watch whether or not the shadows you cast seem to twitch and sway a little in the dappled light of Sun or Moon.
Now, If you’re like most of our guests, you probably came in via the Sunside Road entrance. As you make it across the bridge and the bridge doesn’t collapse behind you just as you step off–
(And that never happens. Your hosts are very careful about your safety, and they make sure all paths and ways are clear and safe; it would take something supernatural and impossible to interfere with it, and none of that stuff is real, so don’t worry about it, okay?
Besides, there’s a little tribe of elves who rebuild the bridge every morning around 4 a.m. So it’s all fine. They’re very cunning and those little tracks you see are certainly not their footmarks. Moving on….
It’s a very ordinary human characteristic to assume that spectral forces mean us ill simply because they’re out to get you and steal your hearts/minds/bodies/socks. But sometimes, there is serendipitous conjuncture, which is the same thing as saying, “It turns out that the vicious conspiracy controlling the world is actually on your side, through pure coincidence, a whole lot more often than the people who say they’re on your side, none of whom can actually be trusted.”
Such it is with the Sunside Road exit.
Don Henley famously said, of the Hotel California, that you can check out any time you want, but you can never leave. This is almost true of the Blackthorne, and the saddest part is, it turns out not to be the case. For just a moment, on that dirt road, it looks like you’ll be there forever, that the road will twist, turn, then face the future straight-on and never actually arrive.
But in fact, that’s illusion. The Resort holds tight for just a moment, and then you’re out.
…amongst the normal world, with normal people, doing normal things.
And that’s the real horror.
So let’s not travel far up this particular road. Give it a wave as you pass by, and then head straight back into the heart of the Resort. We recommend the Pub; heck, we know that every time WE think of leaving, we sure need a drink.
