Breathe Again! - Short Story

The Man in Room 104

A wonderful hotel opened on the shores of the Mediterranean. They boasted that they were the number one hotel for excellent service. Modernization allowed a customer to ask for anything their heart desired and within minutes they had exactly what they wanted. The way they were able to accomplish this was with a new electronic remote that was carried around in the hotel patrons back pocket. They could either key in certain words and phrases asking for what ever they wished, or they could press pre-programmed keys asking for items that were commonly requested. There was even a key pad tethered to each bed. This allowed for immediate service even while resting; the most asked for item was, “a blanket”.

By offering this fabulous service, every employee knew that their job was on the line if they failed to provide for the customers needs; when they want it, they want it now!

Every night when the sea breeze started to roll in from the ocean, fog would lower the temperature of the night air and soon there would be calls coming in for blankets. The employees called this “the blanket run.”

On one such evening a man in room 104 got chilly and proceeded to reach for the electronic remote and selected the “Blanket” button. Within minutes a senior employee tiptoed in, laid a blanket over the sleeping man and then quietly left the room. However within a short time the man was asking for another blanket to curb his chill. In the same brisk manner, the senior employee rushed to the room and quietly spread out another blanket over the occupant.

Now the employee was starting to get a little concerned for this guest. It appeared that every few minutes or so, the man was asking for another blanket. Time after time he was called in to drape another blanket on top of him.

As morning dawned this man’s calls had finally ceased, so the senior employee was able to breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that he had satisfied this customer’s wishes. It was a job well done.

The dawning day had passed into mid morning when a call came from room 104. It was the maid requesting that the manager come to the room at once. As he entered the room he was surprised to see a very tall pile of Blankets neatly laid one on top of  another. Underneath what appeared to be close to thirty blankets was the customer who had passed away sometime early in the morning.

As an investigation commenced the police asked the hotel manager to make available the senior employee. In the course of questioning, the employee explained that the man had repeatedly asked for the blankets, and he then stepped aside. The officer turned to the manager and stated that the report was almost finished except for one final detail; “we have yet to determine the cause of death”. Without hesitation the senior employee spoke up and with confidence said, “Officer, as one who has been trained in the fine art of superior service, under the direction of this fine hotel, it is my professional opinion that this man died of being — too cold.”

***

When we speak of spiritual duality, we are talking about how true faith becomes joined with ideas and concepts that are merely religious in nature. When a religious man invites his natural instincts to dictate Christian policy he adds duality to faith. Part of the message comes from God and part of it comes from a dependency on fleshly reason. Thus if religion adds too many lies, too many rules or too many blankets, it can snuff out the life of the believer.

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