22th of July 1847

My father has left us all in sorrow and today we all mourn his death at the churchyard not so far away. Still, I couldn't find it within me to accept his will of handing me the Van Louis. He must know I'm an admirer of traveling and lost history, I cannot stand in one place. But as it falls upon me, it is my father's dying wish, and I shall stay here in the Van Louis. But why must I be caged here alone? All the family members have fled, afraid of getting sick from the disease that is now stretching its arms around Amsterdam. No matter! If I shall stay, I'll stay. Perhaps after I wed Eva, we could travel somewhere quiet and live there.

23th of July 1847

I've met Marie that helped my father all these years in managing the hotel business. She's kind and a good cook too, though I can't help but sense something ominous in the way she glances and speaks. Perhaps it's my imagination, but today when two of our guest engaged in a drunken fight over money, resulting in injuring the other, Marie's eyes went flaming red for a short pause. She was awfully anxious around the blood that stained the drunk's man head. I guess it's a normal reaction, thank heavens, because since I started this only single day with Marie, all I could describe her as a superhuman. She manages to cook ever so deliciously and keep the Van Louis in a presentable manner at all times! When I offered her water as she appeared uneasy about today's brawl, she denied the offer.

11th of January, 1851

I cannot tell you my utter despair when I found this. The Van Louis lost secret. Why must I be so curious? Knowledge such as this is better left unknown. Marie has caught me red-handed entering the secret room where she keeps her life-stock. In the kitchen there lies an unnoticeable door that leads to a small storage. The storage's back wall is nothing but an illusion set by Marie. Your mind will tell you everything but not to pass through the wall, but I did what must be done. After passing the wall that is nothing but a delusion, all the life energy of who nights here in the Van Louis passed through the walls and collides upon one point. They seem like threads of glass that can't be seen elsewhere but this room. Marie explained those to me and why she does such a thing. "I prey on humans' life fragments." Those were her words.

17th of January, 1852

I stopped Marie from explaining further that night; I was simply frightened to know more. But I grew impatient and I had to know. And this is what she told me, the gramophone during day releases waves of deceiving music that allures only who has plenty of life energy to offer to the Van Louis. Those people then book a room in the hotel whether they want to or not, and when they are all sound to sleep, the gramophone at night slowly pulls away threads of energy from every guest. However, it could only take from sixteen different humans at a time. Therefore when sixteen people have already booked in the hotel, the gramophone sings a song that drives away people from ever stepping a foot in the Van Louis. It's unforgivable, and it saddens me to say, that all who left Van Louis are bound to...

I couldn't read further, it seems the yellowing pages of my father's diary have been tainted by coffee and some were torn out. Was it an accident? I didn't know why I'm very collected? Should I be this coldly calm? I don't know what I should do, shouldn't that worry me?

I closed my father's diary and glued back the layers of paper that were hiding the diary. Though I'm quite curious to know what will happen to the guests that left Van Louis, even if it terrifies me. In some sense, fear such as this is satisfactory. At least that's how I know I'm like any other normal human with ordinary fears.