Great D Hotel

It was Ian's first job. He had always wanted to join the hospitality
business. He had attended a catering college and secured a diploma. His
grades were just average. He sent applications to many places but was
not called for interviews. He had in fact lost all hope and was
thinking of going into retail when the phone call came. The call was
made by the manager of Great D Hotel. Yes, that is what the name of the
hotel was, he said. Ian was asked to come for an interview. There was a
vacancy for position of steward and the hotel wanted to talk to Ian
about it. Well, the conversation lasted about fifteen minutes. After a
few technical questions and a little small talk Ian was informed that
he had been selected. This made him very happy. As he left the
ten-storey building that housed the hotel he felt like a million bucks.
From the next day he would be trainee steward at Great D Hotel.
Ian's father used to work in a bank. So he did not know much about
hotels. However a neighbour told Ian that Great D Hotel was built
uniquely. Every now and then the building would disappear and then be
visible again. Ian thought that his friend was joking. He began to get
ready for work. That night, he prepared a feast of the best dishes he
had learnt. His parents and sister consumed the food with great relish
and excitement.
As Ian walked in through the gates of the hotel next morning he could
feel his heart in the mouth. It seemed to him that the footman treated
him like a guest. But as he stepped onto the lobby a well-dressed
person approached him and asked, 'Ian Brown, I presume.' Like a dazed
person he said yes. The rest of the day, in fact the better part of the
week was spent in getting familiar with the various departments of the
hotel. The hotel was divided into ten floors and guests stayed on all
floors except the ground level. Ian was assigned duty in 'The All
Night', the coffee-shop. He loved his work. He was an extrovert and
interacting with a lot of people is something that he always wanted to
do. His boss was a lady named Sheena. She was a married person, still
quite young. In fact very soon some ten of the hotel's employees,
including Ian and Sheena were seen moving in a group all over
Calcutta.
A fortnight after he joined the hotel Ian decided to take a good look
at it from the outside. The building was ten storeys high and each
floor looked like a separate ring. The shape of the entire structure
was cylindrical. The most remarkable part was this. The topmost floor
ended in a dome and attached to the head of the dome was an arched
metal lever. The free end of the lever nearly touched the ground. Ian
asked a lot of people why the bar of metal had been placed thus. Some
people ignored his question. The others merely smiled knowingly.
A month later a phone call was made to the hotel at noon. Suddenly all
people were asked to vacate their rooms. Guests and employees were soon
in the lawn facing the cylindrical building. Someone told Ian that an
income tax raid was due any time. The guests were informed about a
possible fire drill. And then it started. Ten of the strongest men in
the hotel began pushing the lever. It moved painfully at first and then
unbelievably fast . And along with the lever moved the building. Little
by little the whole building began to move into the ground. Ian could
not believe his eyes when five floors went in. Then seven,
nine?suddenly the entire building was below eye level. As the lever was
thrust in, a huge cover was placed over the building. Before Ian could
react, the lawn, or should we say, the grass garden was wheeled onto
the exact place where the building stood before. All this just to avoid
the tax authorities. And then, Ian suddenly knew it-the hotel was
called Great DISAPPEARING Hotel for that is what it was.