Property 2022

The patrons at the resort eyed me closely, wondering what I, a Hawaiian man dressed in black, might have been doing sitting at a rich beachside property?

The property manager was desperate; he needed a spirit cleansed from the hotel so that it would stop manifesting in random spots, scaring the shit out of the guests. I never use the money to negotiate because my services are not about a fee or a cost. It's typically whatever someone decides to give, and if they can't, that's fine too. This is different; to test his mettle, I tell the general manager that my fee is $2,000 cash upfront. He doesn't blink an eye, and the money is in my hands ten minutes later. It must be serious. He has me follow him to the security office and orders the head of security to play video footage from the night previous. It's the elevators for the 7th floor. On either side of both elevators are huge pine plants. A guest steps out of the elevator, and both plants come to life and scare the guest to death. He faints and hits his head on the floor. Liability. I look at the general manager and the director of security. "Are you serious?"

"What do you mean?" He asks.

"That's somebody in a ghillie suit," I shook my head and handed the money back to the general manager.

"Alright, goddammit!" The manager chased me out to the parking lot. "It's a curse! Someone cursed the hotel!"

"And you want me to do what?" I asked.

"Take the curse off," he was exhausted. "We're losing business at a terrible rate; please help us. I'll double your money."

"Keep the money," I told him. "I'll be back at midnight, I don't want any interruptions, and I don't want anyone breathing down my neck."

"Deal," he said. "You got it."

..to be continued