Would you stay the night?

:The Motel:

Penny bit her lip and looked at the motel. The vacancy sign was lit. There were no other cars in the lot, and the pounding rain made it hard to see into the gloom clearly. With a sigh Penny grabbed her purse and opened the car door. She dashed toward the door under the lit OFFICE sign.

The office was sparsely furnished. A counter held a register for signing in and a small plaque that read No Whistling. A calendar graced one wall. Behind the counter was a peg board full of keys. A door opened and a man walked in. Penny flinched at the intense look in his eyes.

"May I help you," he asked emotionlessly.

"I need a room for the night," she said softly.

The man's cerulean eyes raked over her. "It is $40 a night."

Penny glared at his obvious derision. She opened her purse and grabbed her wallet. She slapped two twenties on the counter and crossed her arms. He raise one eyebrow imperiously and turned around. He plucked a key from the board and placed a pen on the register. Penny scrawled her name and swiped the key from his outstretched hand. She hurried out the door and sprinted to room 5.

Once inside she shed her damp coat and looked around. The room was neat, if bare. A bed, an end table and a small dresser were the sum total of furnishings. On the back of the door was a schedule that listed when the room was cleaned. On the end table was a notepad and a pencil.

Penny walked back to the bathroom and turned on the light. It was pristine. There was a tub, a toilet and a counter with a single basin sink. Penny hung her coat over the shower curtain and wrapped a towel around her hair. On the counter were tiny bottles of shampoo, conditioner and hand sanitizer.

She heard a knock and moved back into the main room. She opened the door slightly to find the man from the office waiting patiently. He held out a couple of bottles.

"You have very long hair. The shampoo and conditioner may not be sufficient."

Penny opened the door wider and stammered out a thank you. Lightning flashed and startled her. It also illuminated the cliff beside the motel. A large house sat at the top. Penny noticed a single light on upstairs, and a silhouette of a person. The man glanced at the house and then back to her.

"That is my house," he said calmly.

Penny tilted her head slightly. "Oh. So you're the owner here?"

He nodded. "Yes. I am Sheldon Cooper."

Penny smiled shyly. "I'm Penny. Penny Queen. Do you live here all alone?"

Sheldon shook his head. "I live with my Meemaw."

Penny jumped slightly when more lightning flashed. "Well, thank you for the extras," she said softly.

Sheldon nodded and walked away. Penny closed the door and moved back to the bathroom. She shed her cold damp clothes and stepped into the tub.

Sheldon pulled on rubber gloves and rolled the shower curtain and towels into a ball. He stuffed them into a garbage bag and then sprayed bleach on the tub. He scrubbed until he was satisfied and then stood. He gathered everything up, logged the cleaning on the chart on the door, and exited the room. He put away the cleaning supplies and threw the garbage bag containing the bloody towels and curtain into the furnace. Then he hung back up the key to room 5 and went outside. He walked up the path to his home calmly.

He stepped inside and hung up his coat. "Meemaw, I've returned."

He walked into the living room and pulled a beaded shawl across his shoulders. A soft lilting voice floated through the air.

"Such a good boy, Moon Pie."