Heathcliff, Revisited

David had been searching for that missing element of his life for a long time. He never thought he'd find anything here. He wandered into the small, cold Colorado town alone one day, looking for a place to rest. He had had a long trip from the East Coast, but he was glad he had made the journey.

He came to an old hotel and rang the bell at the front desk. A kind-looking older lady came out.

'Can I help you, dear?' she asked.

'Yes ma'am...I just need a room for the night.'

While she was assigning his room, David noticed a young woman with dark hair sitting across the way in the dining area. She was not eating or drinking, but was just sitting there, pensive. Once he had his room assignment, David went in to speak to this girl. She intrigued him, for some reason.

'Excuse me miss,' he said, 'I am new in this town and I wondered if I might join you.'

She looked up at him from her trance and her eyes looked sharply towards him. It was not a harsh look, but was one of shock. She smiled a half-smile, and said, 'Oh-sure, sure...have a seat.'

She was stunned by this young man-his dirty blonde hair and crystal blue eyes were inviting. He had a little bit of stubble on his face, as if he hadn't shaved in a few days. Those eyes, though-they captured her heart right away.

She wasn't sure why she'd been given this small gift, but she didn't want to question it.

'Hi. My name's David. I just noticed you sitting alone here, and, me being new in town, I wanted to say hello.'

'Well I'm glad you did,' she smiled. 'Sometimes we all could use some company. So what brings you here, to this place?'

He marveled at her word choice. It made the town seem more like a destination: This Place. He wondered what secrets lie there, in that town. He'd chosen it because it seemed remote. Remote was a good thing, David thought. Remote meant no one would know him, and no one would know his past. He had left in a hurry, and had never looked back. His plan had been to remain to himself here, in this new place. But once he saw her, he couldn't resist saying hello. She seemed to eye him with caution, unsure of his motives. He didn't blame her; it must have seemed strange, him coming over randomly and talking to her. It wasn't random, though; not to him. It was all Fate.

'I see I've disturbed you. I apologize. I just wanted to come say hello. You seem..familiar to me for some reason. Sorry. I'll let you be.'

David got up as he said it and went to leave. She didn't have time to respond. She hollered behind him, 'Wait....' But he had already left.

Strange, she thought. He was certainly someone she'd like to get to know, if one went on looks alone. She felt a little giddy as she sat there, trying to digest what just happened. He sure did leave in a hurry. He probably felt he'd bothered her. She was always doing that. She was always staring into space, lost in her own little world, when people would just walk into her life and give her a jolt. Well, that sure was a nice jolt I just had, she thought. New to this town, huh? And staying here in this hotel. She hoped she'd run into him again. There was a lot to tell about this hotel. There was a lot to tell about her.

David went to his room, and smiled as he noticed the dimly lit hallway. It was so quaint, and old fashioned. The carpets were plain beige but the walls had old colonial-style paintings and archways. It was almost like stepping into another time. The rooms had a slightly musky smell to them, he noticed as he opened the door. There was a canopy bed and a fireplace, with a white marble mantle. I've come to the right place, he thought, for sure. He set his bag down and lay on the bed, on his back. He was tired from the travel, but he didn't feel he could sleep. He was too excited about being here. He was sure something had led him here. He kept thinking about her. She had caught his eye right away, not because of her look necessarily, but because of her mystery. He loved a puzzle, and he intended to solve the puzzle that she seemed to be.

As he drifted off, David thought he heard a fan running, or some sort of faint humming noise. He looked up, and thought he saw a ceiling fan running. It didn't make any sense, as it was winter, and cold. He fell asleep before he could give it very much thought. He saw her, with an older man, coming up the stairs in the hotel's long hallway. She looked like something out of a Victorian painting. Her dress was beige, faded, and her hat purple. It was odd how she clung to this man, and David wondered who he was. He went up to speak to her, to say hello, and the man turned on him. 'She's mine!' he said, and as he said it, his eyes seemed to glow red. This man turned on David, and knocked him back so hard that he lost his breath. David was trying to breathe when he woke up.

The room was warm, maybe a little bit stuffy. He looked up. The ceiling was bare. No ceiling fan, no hums. He shrugged it off as a dream. Strange that I'd dream about her and I don't know her yet, he thought. Something struck him, though. In the dream he'd just had, he felt like he was a part of the scene. He felt like he somehow belonged there, in that time, with those people. He tried not to dwell on it and instead went out to explore this hotel he had stumbled upon.

The floorboards creaked when he went out into the hallway. Good grief, he thought, How old IS this place? He noticed the tattered carpet. Still, it was kind of quaint to him. He felt like he'd been here before. That's impossible, he said to himself, I've never left the East Coast until now. He smiled as he remembered his last day there. He'd told his father he'd be away for a while; he was looking for something. His father had never questioned him, but he knew he'd probably never see his son again.

'Hi there.' It was HER. It was the middle of the night, and he thought he'd be alone in his wanderings.

'I couldn't sleep too well, so I thought I'd take a look around,' he told her, eyeing her long white nightgown. She should be cold in that, he thought, but she looks perfectly fine. He saw her shiver and pull a coat up around her shoulders. He hadn't noticed a coat before, but he saw that hers was a dark brown. It went well with her complexion. She had a dark look about her.

'I can never seem to sleep well these days. This place....it keeps me awake. I don't think we were ever properly introduced. Catherine Gaines.'

'Hello Catherine Gaines. I'm David. David Ledger. Nice of you to meet me in this lonesome hallway.'

He smiled at her; the lights were dimmed for night but he could see that she smiled back. She came a little closer, and he was glad to see that she didn't seem scared or apprehensive.

'I was going to tell you earlier, but you left. You could have stayed. I wasn't busy. I was daydreaming, actually, which I tend to do a lot.'

'I felt a little bad, just barging over to talk to you. You remind me of someone, I guess. Anyway, I didn't mean to come across as odd, or overbearing.'

'No worries there. I liked it, actually. Someone being honest enough to just do what they felt they needed to do. So many people I know never do...'

She was about to elaborate but they both stopped when they heard a dull thumping sound coming from the floor above.

'What is this place, anyway? It seems like something from another time,' David asked.

'Oh, it is! It's quite from another time. This is the oldest building in town, and is a historical landmark. They renovated it so many times, but it still has it's original flavor, I think.'

'Tell me, did the rooms used to have ceiling fans? I know it's an odd question but I had a..well, I just wondered about the fans.' He was afraid to mention what he'd seen and heard, for fear of appearing like some sort of nutcase. He wanted to make the best impression he could with Catherine.

'Yeah..about thirty years ago, they had them in every room. They took them out when they put in central air a few years ago. So do you want a tour? I guess it's an odd hour to do such a thing, but I can't sleep, and I know this hotel like the back of my hand. I used to work here. I can show you around if you want.'

'Sure. I'd like that,' David followed her down the hallway. He felt himself getting giddy. She was still perfect, he thought, even in the middle of the night and with no sleep. Stop it, he thought. You know you do this, and it gets you into trouble. Every time you idealize someone, it puts you both at risk. He couldn't help it though. He was mesmerized.

They went up the stairs to the top floor. Thank Goodness this place only has five floors, Catherine thought as they went. I don't want to appear weak but these steps tire me. It's worth it, for him. That face! Seems sad, though, in a way. He can't be quite as sad as me, though.

At the top they stopped for a minute. They were closer now, facing each other. He looked to her to start the 'tour.' He wasn't sure how interesting a tour of an old hotel could be. But as she took him to the drawing rooms and parlors, he saw that she had a genuine appreciation of this place. She told him about the local people and how the McAllisters had practically built this entire town, including this hotel. She lowered her voice and her eyes widened slightly. Something good must be coming.

'The most fascinating stuff, though, is not what they tell in the history books. This place is ALIVE. I sometimes think these walls can respond to us. Oh my! You must think me a kook. I guess I believe in the unexpected.'

'Not at all,' David smiled. He was glad she was so open-minded. She'd have to be, if she were to be his. Somewhere inside of him, he knew she would be, even though they'd just met.

'So tell me, ' he whispered, 'about some of those secrets.'

She smiled, and laughed a little.

'All in due time. This place is pretty old, and holds a lot.'

The sun was slowly rising; they could see its light peeping through the white curtains. Catherine seemed to notice this and rushed to leave right away.

'Well, I need to get back, get some things done. I'll see you later, maybe?'

And with that she left. Peculiar, he thought. Now she was the one rushing off abruptly. David decided he should go explore the town a little, get his bearings as to where the basics were. Everywhere he went, people were friendly and personable. His curiosity was peaked, however, when he sat down for a minute at the local grocery. An old man came up and started talking with him.

'So where are you staying, son?'

David found it cute how the people here all looked at him as if he were the youngest person in the town. He had noticed a lot of older people around, but he saw plenty of young people such as himself at the hotel. He wasn't THAT young, he thought. Thirty-five is old enough to have seen and felt a lot. And he had. He didn't want to feel it anymore. He left behind his family, friends. He did it all for her. He never understood her moods. But that was all behind him now. He was glad he had moved on. He was glad he was here, in this cute little town.

'I'm up at the Heights Hotel,' David told the old man. Immediately David noticed that the old man twitched slightly. He seemed to flinch at the words.

'The Heights Hotel. Hmm. I'd look for a place in the West End if I were you.'

'Oh really? Why? The Heights seems like a good place to me. It's very quaint, old fashioned.'

The old man did not answer, but walked up and left without a word. Strange behavior, David thought. He dismissed the thought from his mind. There's no way he'd leave the hotel where she was. It's like he was drawn to that place, to her. He didn't fully understand why, but he knew the urge was strong.

The town had all the usual places: an old post office, a doctor's office, a grocery store. All of these places seemed small to David, who was used to the easy convenience of a big city. Still, this place has character, he thought. I'll start the job search later this week, he thought. There's no rush. We have all the time in the world.

David saw Catherine in passing, over the next few weeks. He smiled and spoke to her every time, and she smiled and spoke back. It made his days, seeing her. By the end of the second week, he felt he had no choice but to ask her to have dinner with him. He was sure she'd say yes. So when he asked her, one day in the parlor of the hotel, he smiled inside at his confidence as she agreed. They agreed to meet at the hotel dining room, which he found odd. He'd rather take her to someplace nice, maybe a little local place that served 'home cooked' meals. But she was adamant about it; the hotel diner was what she wanted. Far be it of him to keep her from anything she wanted. He wanted to give her anything he could. They hadn't even known each other for very long, yet he felt he'd known her forever. He felt that she was his.

Their dinner was nice. She was wearing the same green dress he'd noticed the day before, but he didn't care. She could wear whatever; he'd like it. They talked easily about the hotel, which seemed to be a favorite subject of hers, and about his travel, which was a favorite subject of his.

'So tell me about your past, how you grew up. Are you originally from here?' David asked.

'There's not so much to tell, really. But yes, I've been here as long as I can remember.'

He lowered his voice a little bit.

'Can I ask you something about this town? I noticed a lot of old people around, when I go out. All of the younger people seem to stick to this end of town. Any idea why that is?'

'It's been that way. The older folks seem spooked by this end of town. I'm not sure why.'

'Odd. Well, anyway, I like it here. I'm thinking I'd like to stay around for a while.'

'Of course you will.'

'What? Is that an order?' David laughed. He thought she was teasing him, and he liked it.

The dinner went on that way. Very casual, comfortable, and easy. He loved her smile, her laugh, that little crinkle her face had when she looked at him a certain way. By the end, he felt like he could sense the electricity between them. She surprised him though; she said goodnight and left without a kiss, or even a handshake. David lay awake that night pondering on the significance of this. He felt very drawn to her; maybe she didn't quite feel the same about him? Yet, they'd had a wonderful dinner together. He'd try again tomorrow, he told himself. Maybe they would just take it slowly. He could never believe that they weren't meant to be. He had that feeling in his gut that told him. He wasn't usually wrong about these things.

The next day, and every day for the next two weeks, David asked Catherine to dinner. Every time, she was content to meet him in the hotel dining room. When he suggested other places, she got very nervous and refused to consider it. He found this behavior odd, but everything else about her, he loved. She finally allowed him to kiss her goodnight, and when he did, it was all he could do to stop himself from taking her right there, in the hallway. But he was a gentleman, or at least he tried his best. He would respect her wishes, and let her tell him when she was ready.

Kind of like the secrets. He let her tell him those, too, in her own time.

As they were saying goodnight one Friday, Catherine told David to join her in her room. He thought, At last! He was mistaken, though, about her intents.

'Remember those secrets you wanted to know about? I think it's okay to tell you about that now,' Catherine said, as David came in hesitantly to her room. The room gave him chills. It was cold, and dimly lit. What is it with these people, he thought, they don't like lights? Something felt slightly ajar, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

'I had to be sure you were the one,' she said, as she pushed him back on the bed and crawled on top of him. Whoa, he thought, now we're getting somewhere!

'I had to be sure, Heath,' she said, and she kissed him hard. He had no idea why she called him by the wrong name, but that was really the last thing on his mind at that moment. Maybe Heath was a past lover. Who cared? She could call him epithets at that moment, and he wouldn't have cared.

He went to remove her blouse, which was pink, and almost see-through. She stopped him; she wanted to be the one in control. Fine by him! In taking off his shirt she tore it, and tossed it in a heap on the floor. She put her hands on his smooth, ripped abs and sighed as she felt him there. Her kisses on his stomach almost sent him over the edge. She undid his pants, and tore them off him so fast, he didn't know what hit him. She seemed almost possessed. He almost felt attacked, he would later realize. But in the moment, he enjoyed it. He enjoyed every part of her she'd let him touch: her soft thighs, her smooth neck. He didn't even mind when she pinned his hands and kissed him on his chest. The woman knows what she wants, and I'm just glad it's me, he thought.

Later, they lay there side by side, catching their breath. David felt odd being the only one naked, as she'd never let him take off her blouse. That was all she was wearing though, but still, he wondered why she kept it on. Then he felt a chill and understood.

'Why don't you turn up the heat in here?' he asked.

'Is it cold? I hadn't noticed.'

David thought this strange, as he was suddenly freezing. He reached to touch her but she was gone. He sat up, and said her name aloud, several times.

'Catherine? What's going on.....'

He never finished his sentence. She was there, in front of the mirror across the room. She stood there, translucent in the fading light. Her reflection could not be seen. At first, he thought he was just not seeing due to the poor lighting. But he got up, pulled his pants on, and started walking over to her. She had no reflection in the mirror, none at all. David was so spooked, he headed for the door to leave, as quickly as he could. As he put his hand on the doorknob, he felt her cold grip on his free arm.

'Where do you think YOU'RE going?' she asked, angry now. She had a hard grip on him. It reminded him of a steel clamp, it was so hard. He pulled away quickly and made it out into the hallway. He didn't understand any of what was going on but he knew he had to get out of there, and fast. His shoulder hurt like hell from her grip, and he thought he may be bleeding a little from the scratches. David ran up the stairwell as fast as he could. He wished he'd thought to leave the hotel entirely, but in his haste he took the nearest way out. When he got to the top of the stairs, he started knocking on doors and trying to get in. No one seemed to answer. His heart was racing, he was a little out of breath. What on Earth was that all about? He couldn't figure it. They'd just had an intimate evening and things seemed great. Then this outburst. At the end of the hallway he found a door that was unlocked. I can't believe the luck in that, he thought, but who cares. I just need a place to hide, and rest.

He went in and locked the door. As he stood with his back to the door catching his breath, he tried to remember any clues as to why Catherine was behaving so. She said something about secrets before she let him in her room. Some secret! He had hoped for some kind of lore about the hotel maybe, or something about her family. Her secret seemed to be that she was nuts.

'Hello David,' a voice came out of nowhere.

David jumped inside.

'Who's there? How did you know my name?'

'I work the front desk, dear. I know all of the names of the patrons here.'

It was the older lady who had checked him in. He was relieved to see someone he knew. Good luck finding her room.

'I'm so sorry to barge in here like this. You really should keep your door locked. But I'm glad you didn't. Something is wrong with Catherine. She just attacked me. I had to get out of there.'

He still couldn't see her, so he turned on a lamp near the door. The room was empty. What the? David thought he must be losing his mind. He called out hello several times, but had no answer. Maybe I just heard what I wanted to hear, he thought. He looked around. The room itself was bare. No bed, nothing at all in fact, save a long mirror and this lamp. And a book. He picked it up to see that it was Wuthering Heights. I never was much of a reader, he thought. But then he noticed the description on the back.

It described the doomed love affair of Mr. Heathcliff and Catherine. Apparently Heathcliff was possessive of her, but theirs was a true love, and she died in the end. Something clicked in David's head. Ever since he came in this hotel, he felt something was controlling him in some way. He'd never been a possessive person, yet he found himself wanting Catherine to be 'his.' Maybe it was just lust. No, it was more than that. It was like a trance, like he had to have her as his. But now, as she had turned on him so suddenly, he felt his trance had been broken. He no longer wanted her. He felt clear for the first time since he came here. She called him 'Heath.' Maybe this book was hers. Maybe she was just obsessed with it, and wanted him to be a part of some fantasy. No thanks.

Where were the people? The hotel seemed suddenly abandoned. It was night; maybe they were all just asleep. But still, if someone knocks and yells for help at your door, wouldn't you let them in? Maybe not, around here. I think I need to get out of here. I'll take my chances against Catherine. I'm stronger than she is. That grip was the grip of death, though.

David turned to the door and took the knob. He couldn't get it to turn open, after he unlocked it. He pulled and pushed hard. No luck, after all.

'There's nowhere for you to go, David.'

That woman again! He knew he wasn't imagining it.

'Where are you? Come out, phantom!'

Who speaks like that? 'Come out, phantom?' This place was getting to him. He felt like it had control of him.

She appeared at last, out of thin air, by the mirror.

'You've been sent here for a purpose, David. She's been waiting for you.'

'Listen, you, I'm not interested in whatever twisted games you and Catherine and whoever else are playing here. I think it's time I left this hotel. I don't like the way this night has gone. And I don't like this place all of a sudden.'

'But you can't leave, David. You see, you're hers now. As she is yours. It's Fate. You can't fight Fate.'

'This man can' he said as he grabbed the mirror and smashed it to the ground. He used its frame to knock a gaping hole in the door. As soon as he could crawl through the hole, David stumbled out into the hallway and started down the hall. He was hoping he could get out the front door, or at least somewhere safe. He'd seen enough ghosts for one night. Was Catherine a ghost? She had felt real to him when he was with her. Yikes, I may have been intimate with a ghost, he thought.

There was no time to ponder much further as David ran into human roadblocks at every turn. Well, maybe 'human' was the wrong word. At every turn he saw spirits, one a man in Victorian dress, one a woman with tears in her eyes. As he ran upon these he was stopped cold and could go no further. He stopped in the middle of the second floor. He had made it down one flight of stairs, but couldn't get to the main level.

He stopped to gather his thoughts, and catch his breath.

What is this place? He thought, exasperated by this point at how maddening this all was.

'This place,' Catherine said, 'is our home. And now that you've come, it's your home too.'

'Sorry, Sweetheart, but I don't think so. What's the deal, anyway? You trying to live out some kind of fantasy from a book? Newsflash: I'm not Heathcliff.'

'But you are, Darling. You've just been denying it.'

And with that, she grabbed him and he was suddenly unable to move. Trapped by her gaze, and some other force she seemed to emanate, he stared into her eyes. She was translucent now, clearly otherworldly. The other spirits formed a circle around the pair, as if to protect this scene.

'This hotel has been here for centuries, as have we. Our lives were real, and we intend to have peace at last. Now that you have come, we can close the doors forever.'

She was serious, and calm in her tone. When he thought about it, it all seemed to make sense. She never left the hotel because she couldn't. Neither could the others. He had been warned, by the old man in the grocery. Did this entire place really exist? Or was it all a mirage? He had come here looking for something; he found much more than he bargained for. He wasn't Heathcliff Resurrected. He was just a normal guy who had fallen for the wrong one. There must have been something about his character that drew him to this...drew him to her. He wanted that type of love; mad, unending, Romantic. But that was all in books! In the Real World, 'Romantic' devotion often equaled obsession. Or, in this case, possession maybe?

He had to figure a way out. He kept hoping someone else would come in, some other wayward soul, and the attention would be off of him long enough for him to escape. He felt bad for thinking it; he never meant harm to others. But let's face it: He'd do anything to get out of this place!

As he was about to resign himself, David saw a shaft of light. Catherine turned toward the light and her grip on David was gone. He woke up several hours later, on the ground, alone. He was surprised to feel grass beneath his face. It was cold, and he was freezing. He had a blanket on him, which he couldn't remember and he had no idea how it got there. He was glad though; as he was still without a shirt. He got up slowly and looked around. He was in the middle of a field. He started walking toward the sound of traffic.

David came upon the highway and hoped someone would be kind enough to give him a ride. He was barefoot too, seeing as he'd had no time to put anything on since bolting last night from Catherine's room. He was afraid to go back to the hotel, but maybe he'd go back with police or some help, just to get his things. He had no idea how he got out here, on the edge of town.

A truck came along and the man inside offered David a ride.

'Thank God you came along,' David told the stranger.

'What are you doing out here anyway, son? And where's your clothes? Shirt and shoes?'

'That's a good question. I need to go to the Heights Hotel. My stuff should be there. I don't remember how I got here.'

'The Heights Hotel? That place was torn down thirty years ago. In fact, it was about in that same area where you were standing when I picked you up.'

'What??? But.....I checked in. I talked to people there. I saw the rooms. Hell, I STAYED in one of the rooms!'

He was speechless. He didn't know what to say about any of it.

'Where do you suppose my things are, then? My clothes? I didn't come to this town with much, mind you, but I had a suitcase.'

'Maybe we should go back and look for you?' the stranger offered.

So they turned around, and went back to the edge of town. The stranger told David to stay in the truck and keep warm while he took a look around. He came back about ten minutes later with David's suitcase, and a torn shirt.

'Wow...thanks. Was there anything else there?' David asked, as he put on a sweatshirt and his boots.

'Nope. Well, actually, there was. Just this book.'

It was Wuthering Heights.

David laughed to himself. No need to try and tell this man what happened. He'd just think me crazy.

As they drove toward the populated part of town, David felt relief as he saw a Holiday Inn, circa 2001. He thanked the man for the ride, and grabbed his suitcase.

He looked back to stop the truck; he'd left that book in the front seat. He wasn't sure why he wanted that book, but he did. As he turned back, he saw a pink blouse fly out of the back of the truck, and then it was gone.

David left that small Colorado town that very minute, never to return.......