The rumble of the landing gear woke him, pulling him back to the insanity of the situation in the blink of an eye. Ellis opened his bleary, tired eyes and gazed around the interior of the dark plane. The small reading light above him was still on from his earlier attempt at keeping himself awake, a paperback book sat rolled in his lap atop a thin throw blanket that offered a paltry excuse for warmth. He heard the static of the speaker as it clicked on and the voice of the pilot greeted him.

“Welcome to The Edge of the World, Mr. Hughs! We’ll be landing shortly.”

Ellis rubbed his eyes and reached down to grab his backpack. He shoved his book inside and rolled his throw into a tight bundle. He fixed his limp dirty blonde hair and tried to orient himself. The world felt as if it were tilted. He popped open the window shade and was met with the blinding white reflection of the sun against the endless snowbanks that spread out over the horizon.

Antarctica.

How the hell did he end up in this Godforsaken place? How did life go so wrong that this was where it led him?

He gathered his belongings and waited for the plane to land. It was so early. The flight from Sydney was a long one. The one from his home back in London to Australia was even longer. He was tired of being in the air.

As the tiny, empty plane came to a stop, the cabin lights flickered on. He steadied himself and pulled his stiff body from the seat. He felt the temperature shift as his back left the heated chair. It was cold. He slid his heavy coat on, grabbed his pack and suitcase from the overhead bin, then moved toward the front of the plane.

He steeled himself. There would be no going back from this point.

The pilot stepped out of the cockpit and shot him a grin that was devious and knowing. A bushy mustache, matched only by the bushiness of his eyebrows, wiggled as his lips curled. Wiry and red, they stood out against his pale skin. Ringlet curls poked out beneath his cap, the fuzzy ear warmers attached to his hat dangled beside his angular face. A lopsided badge on his pilot’s jacket read R. Wallace. He seemed much too cheery given the situation, and the hour.

“Better bundle up, boy-o, it’ll be brutal once I open that door,” he noted, Irish accent thick and loud but so full of life and joy.

Ellis nodded and fixed his scarf and lifted his hood. The door was opened and a bitter chill swept into the plane. Ellis’ body stiffened. He gripped the handle of his suitcase tight and moved toward the exit.

“Thank you,” Ellis said as he extended his hand.

“No problem, boy-o! You sure you want to do this?” Captain Wallace inquired.

Ellis swallowed hard, “I don’t know.”

“Well, you have til tomorrow morning to figure it out!”

“Roland, please stop scaring my new employee.”

Ellis turned his eyes to the new voice that entered the conversation. A tall figure approached, slowly walking up the stairs toward the plane’s entrance. His near snow-white, prematurely grey hair poked out beneath a woolen beanie. The pale color stuck out against a youthful visage, half-hidden behind the hefty scarf over his face.

The pilot chuckled and stepped to the side to allow the newcomer to enter.

“G’day, Lisle,” he said happily.

“Good morning. And hello, you must be Ellis. My name is Carlisle Hawthorne—please, call me Lisle—we spoke on the phone,” the man introduced himself.

Ellis took his extended hand, “Thank you for the opportunity.”

“Of course. Let’s get you inside and into the warmth, shall we? Roland, there’s fresh coffee in the foyer if you’d like to indulge while our guest finishes packing. I will send Masoud to help offload the undercarriage shortly,” Lisle noted as he turned to Ellis. “Is this all you have with you?”

“No, there’s a small box… somewhere,” Ellis said quietly.

“It’s in the cargo hold, I’ll bring it in. Kid barely had anything on him when I picked him up,” the chipper pilot noted as he waved them out into the chilly morning air.

“Then you’ll fit right in, Ellis!” Lisle said with a happy tone.

Lisle took the suitcase from Ellis and urged him to follow. Ellis fixed his pack and inhaled sharply before he stepped out of the plane into the cold Antarctic air. He felt the immediate chill settle in his bones and the air escape his lungs.

As his eyes adjusted to the blinding white landscape, he saw it.

The massive structure was a gunmetal grey color with towering windows set against the backdrop of rolling wintery hills. It looked like a palace, with a grand entrance covered by a portico decorated with wrought iron railings. They wrapped around a marble flooring that was designed to look like the universe in bloom. He could see a beautiful enclosed garden on the right-hand side with sprawling trees and flowers that stretched high into the constant sunlight of the late December solar cycle. The tall windows were spotless, as if they did not exist, and every square inch of the foyer was visible. The roof was covered in snow.

Above the beautiful French doors, in golden letters, stood the words Lonely Planet Hotel.

“Keep up the pace, please, Ellis! We don’t need you getting frostbite on day one!” Lisle called with a chipper, eager voice.

Ellis did as he was asked and trudged up the staircase toward the entrance, “What did he mean? That I have until tomorrow?”

“Oh, don’t mind Roland, he likes to stir up trouble.”

The two men approached the building. Lisle bit the finger of his left glove and freed his fingers from the leather bonds. Ellis noticed the skin upon his hand seemed scarred and bright pink, it looked as if it hurt. The hotel manager set his thumb against the door scanner. The mechanics sprung to life and the doors unlocked. They swung slowly with a grand flourish to their movements and opened the way to the foyer. Ellis could smell the coffee, hear the trickle of water from the fountain in the corner, and the blast of heat that beat down on him was immediately felt.

“Welcome to The Lonely Planet! Please feel free to leave your pack here and grab a coffee or tea, you must be dreadfully tired from that early flight,” Lisle noted with a large grin as he removed his scarf. 

The hotel proprietor’s face was clean shaven, features long and angular. His eyes were pale blue and his teeth were perfectly white, perfectly straight. He was handsome. His cheeks were flushed from the cold winds and his eyes looked large behind his glasses. The sides of his hair had been buzzed down, the lengthy top was made of wavy, loose near-silver curls that fell to the right-hand side.

Ellis nodded and set his backpack down near the concierge desk beside his suitcase. He moved toward the carafe of coffee and poured himself a cup. With wide eyes, he took in the grand foyer. The interior was coated in navy tones with gilded accents, speckled with stars and planetary artwork. It was beautiful, calming, and perfectly offset the heavy stretch of sunlight that lasted many months here.

The fountain trickled down like a meteor shower beside the concierge desk. A massive rug with woven constellations in its surface laid beneath his feet. The doors were golden, with more iron decorations adorning their surfaces. At the end of the corridor stood a grand archway that led to the back of the resort. Behind the coffee bar, Ellis could see a glass doorway that seemed to enter into the beautiful botanical garden he briefly glimpsed earlier

“If you’d be so kind as to follow me, Ellis, I’d like to get through the last of this paperwork and get you to your new room. I’m sure you need a nap,” Lisle said gently, his Cockney accent familiar and comforting.

“Of course,” Ellis replied as he followed his new employer behind the concierge desk. He stopped briefly to fix his face in the mirror that sat beside the key rack. His hair was in need of a wash, it was defeated by the weight of his slouched beanie, and his hazel-green eyes were bloodshot. He looked horrid compared to the tall man who now employed him.

They stepped into an office that was warm and filled with interesting items. Ellis had never seen such a massive personal collection of literature in his life. The bookshelves were packed tight, several loose novels without homes sat atop the furniture, held up lamps. It was apparent he was an avid reader. It gave off the impression of a fairytale character, one who hoarded novels and had little space to put it all. The kind of libraries one would see on social media, the kind bibliophiles lusted after.

The oak desk in the center of the space was lined with paperwork. Pens littered the area. File folders sat open with notes set atop them. A golden globe was propped open with a few decanters of various liquors in several stages of consumption tucked away inside. Golden cups held whiskey stones and a sweet vanilla infused scent wafted out from the previous night’s drink.

“I see you take the whole… no technology thing seriously,” Ellis noted.

“Indeed! Nothing beats old fashioned pens and paper. Obviously, the resort itself is state of the art, but we tend to do everything old school. Even our technology is retro in style. Disconnection from the circuit boards is part of our mission. I assume that means you behaved and left your devices at home?” Lisle inquired as he sat at his desk.

“Yes.”

“Thank you. It’s part of the deal but, I assure you, we’ll keep you busy enough. You’ll hardly miss them and we are well equipped for any emergency that may arise, so rest assured you’ll be safe and well cared for. Come, warm yourself while I figure out where I put your file.”

Ellis did as he was asked and sat in the armchair across from his employer. Lisle slipped out of his heavy coat and riffled through the stacks of paper. The shawl collared sweater he wore looked much too big for his thin frame. His glasses fogged as he breathed, the intensity in his gaze as he searched for the needed information was a bit intimidating compared to his welcoming aura.

“Apologies. It’s the last day of the season so things are a bit hectic as we get ready to transition to our new reservations tomorrow. There it is! Alright, we’ll make this as simple and as painless as possible. This is your confidentiality clause,” Lisle noted as he slid the paper across the desk.

“I already signed this, I thought?” Ellis stated.

“You did. We require two. One when we hire you and one upon arrival.”

“Why?”

Lisle smiled, “How did you hear about this job, Ellis?”

“I was referred by a professor from uni, I think you two are acquainted? Professor Whitmore?”

“Which means you come highly recommended. I trust him, dearly, which is why I was so eager to get you on board. I digress. Had you heard of us before that?”

“No, sir. I couldn’t even find information about the hotel online.”

“Precisely.”

To be continued in chapter one, part two...