Fast Fiction: Honeymooners
The young honeymooners in Richard Mallinson's short story didn't expect the hotel proprietor to be quite so friendly.
They had planned to visit the lake that day but when they woke the rain was pouring down so they had to stay in the hotel.
“What shall we do?’ asked Ralph, pinning Corinne down on the bed. ‘It is our honeymoon after all.’
Moments later Corinne’s primitive cries were heard in the corridor by Herr Anders, who paused and smiled.
They arrived for breakfast as he was finishing his coffee.
‘Ach,’ he said, ‘you two lovebirds must make the most of these moments. Go at it, as you English would say, hammer and tong. I too spent my honeymoon in this hotel, under the shadow of this mountain, not far from the lake. Rain and mist and sometimes the sun. And the food and the fine wine and, in the evenings, the arousing music. All this you must relish, as my wife Petra and I did 30 years ago.’
They smiled at him.
‘And where is Petra, your wife, now, Herr Anders?’ asked Corinne.
Herr Anders wiped his mouth with a napkin. He lit a cigar.
‘That I cannot tell you,’ he said bleakly. ‘She went -’
‘And did you never marry again?’ asked Corinne.
‘No,’ he chuckled,’ ‘but I have had several mistresses.’
Then he said, ‘Look there, out of the window.’
A taxi had just pulled up and from it stepped an elegant woman.
‘Behold my present mistress,’ said Herr Anders proudly.
‘Gosh, she looks really special,’ said Ralph, dazzled.
‘Ya, of course she is,’ said Herr Anders gazing at Corinne, ‘and tonight we must all four of us have a fine romantic time together.’
