Behind the bed was a rather large window made of thick wood and thick glass. The window must have been more than ten feet wide by eight feet high, with a hand-embroidered curtain of the same white linen on the bed. Whenever the clouds came out, the moon appeared and its faint light shone even more lightly through the linen, creating an almost magical mood in the room, contrasting with the dark colors of the wood and showing interesting silhouettes to someone in the process of sleeping.
The bathroom was on the outside of the room, at the end of the corridor and I didn't intend to walk at night, I used the dressing table to brush my teeth and, overcome by tiredness, set the clock to wake up at 7am the next day; I grabbed my battered nightclothes and covered myself with the sheet, imagining travels, little animals, mythological beings, and other wonders that only a tired mind can conceive…
Going to sleep with these thoughts, only sweet dreams could come up, right? Well, most of them were, but at a closer moment, I started to dream about running and tiredness. With those dreams that the closer we get to the door, the farther it gets. Just a sound during the race, a friendly voice that said "watch out!" In a non-threatening tone that sounded like a backdrop to the whole chaotic process. From what I was running, I could not say, but just as the stalker was about to be reached, I awoke with a shrill sound, a mixture of scream and grunt; as if some animal had become trapped in the nearby forest. I got up scared and, sitting on the bed, looked back at the window and looked for the clock. It was three o'clock, the moon no longer visible, only its brightness passing through the window and the linen and, as the sound did not repeat itself, I slowly went back to sleep, with that sense of caution in my mind and body. I could no longer rest and woke up as if I had just closed my eyes at the sound of the alarm clock.
Outside the sun had not yet risen, but its brightness was already present somehow. I prepared my things for a well-deserved shower and slowly opened the door. There was no sound, not because there were no people, but because the door was too thick! As soon as I crossed the jamb, a small riot broke the air. I noticed that besides me, four other people were staying, all of them commenting on the strange sound of dawn. It was possible to discern the sound of three male and one female voices. I rushed to the bathroom down the hall after finding that the door was ajar and therefore that I would not be "stuck" outside waiting for some stranger to come out.
Upon entering everything was very clean, although it was noted that it had recently been used by the water still flowing from the bathtub. As you might expect, the shower was too low for all my height (I haven't commented before, but I'm tall for a woman, I am 1.89m and weighs 82kg) and it would be necessary to even use the bathtub. I opened the shower tray and let a lot of water run out before plugging in the tub and letting it half fill. I didn't have much intimacy with baths but showers, but as it was there for news and adventures, this would be one of them!
I entered cautiously and noticed that there were bath salts next to the tub, took the bottle labeled "Lavender", knowing how a rice feels when seasoned and laughing at the metaphor my mind had created I decided to dip my head into the tub, stretching a little legs forward and I confess I liked the feeling. I rubbed my head with the shampoo I'd brought and finished with the conditioner, then went out and tried to make everything as clean as I'd found it.
I tied the towel to my hair and, being thin as it was, I knew it would soon be dry and slightly curly. I ironed deodorant and dressed in a pair of jeans, very long socks, which could be pulled off if it was necessary to turn on long pants and a trail shoe. The orange T-shirt under the dungarees was long-sleeved, light cotton, so I finished the first task of the day by opening the door and leaving for my room.
As I passed the room next to mine, I realized that a few steps later it opened and someone headed for the bathroom, but I didn't turn around to check who it was, and with that my mind said: it's then five or six, besides the Crow…
In the backpack that I prepared in my room I put two small bottles of water, cookies, an apple and insect repellent, and sunscreen. I decided to add a hat to my backpack too, for any emergency. I grabbed the room key and went down for breakfast.
The smell of fried eggs and coffee rose to the first steps and I couldn't help salivating. The others were about to finish their breakfast which I would not have so much intention of leaving "fast" ... I really wanted to relax on this vacation and if necessary, I would walk around without a guide if they didn't want to wait.
At the end of the stairs, everyone looked at me and I let out a smiling "Good morning" mingled with my waving right hand and most responded to their satisfaction. Only one of the men looked out and didn't even notice me, while the other two and the woman, who all seemed colleagues, were very receptive; they were young, about 25 years old. The tables held about four people, so the one closest to the window was with this silent man, another occupied by the three colleagues, and I went to the larger table where the food and drinks were and sat on the table closest to her, where I could see through the window and also interact with other visitors if they wanted to. However, after the greeting, they talked back to each other, sometimes recalling the noise of the night before as the other continued to look out, this one older, about 30 years old, and in a few minutes there is another person coming down the stairs.
I was standing, had left my backpack on one of the chairs, and had a cup of latte in the center of a tray and grabbed a pancake with Maple Syrup that has full Canadian flavor; I ended up looking down and another, much older man, in his fifties, wearing well-worn jeans and a black tank top with a cowboy belt; he was wearing a kind of boots and also had a backpack on his back, very empty; When he was finished walking down the stairs, he looked in the opposite direction of mine and commented, "Orning", to what we answered "morning", and after that he looked towards me, measuring my height - what I was used to in Brazil but not in a country where women are tall either - and I could see how short he was, he was six feet tall, blue-eyed and had black hair and beard.
"Wow! If Wolverine really existed, this would be a strong candidate! "I thought, refocusing on the tray and heading for my table.
He walked to the breakfast table and then grabbed several pancakes too, with black coffee and egg bread. He stopped in front of my table and asked if he could sit there, which I nodded, because I was eating an almost whole pancake! Delicious!
"First time in Canada?" He asked as he also cut some pancakes and stuffed his mouth.
"Actually, second! But I only stayed in Toronto the first time I came… "- taking the opportunity to look a little better at my interlocutor.
He nodded and, looking well, had no flaw in the beard that ended at the zygomatic bone; her hair was short to medium, it was not possible to tie, but if it got wet it was possible that it would fall a little in the eyes. I went back to eating and sipping my coffee when he asked:
"You're very far from home, aren't you? That accent I don't recognize. Europe?"- and then it was his turn to check me, he looked at my backpack, then he saw my hands and he climbed by the arm, facing me then.
I laughed, wondering if it really would be hard for me to "merge," and how much I never did the biotype of what they think of Brazilian. I finished chewing, swallowed quietly and made sure to look back to catch the surprise:
"No! I'm 100% Brazilian! You weren't expecting this one, huh?"- and smiles, noticing the blue eyes slightly widening and the head flailing slightly to the sides:
"It really was a surprise!" - he wiped his hand on his pants and extended, introducing himself: "I'm James"
"Howlett?" - I asked smiling and completed, extending the hand:
"They must have already said how much you remember the comic book character, right?"
"Humpf! In fact, they don't comment much." He shook coldly, eating again.
I didn't know what to do and pecked my coffee mug without taking my eyes off him, who didn't look at me anymore…
From the check-in counter, there were footsteps and a cheerier voice that greeted everyone, saying he was our guide. It was my cue to get up and get out of that awkward situation I had put myself in. As I stood, I excused myself and added:
"Sorry if I offended you, mr. James… I didn't mean to… I'm a big fan of the character, believe me, it was a compliment! "- and I left, without waiting for an answer, taking my tray with me and leaving it in the pile of items to wash.
