Chapter 15: The Stranger in the Stairwell

A surreal evening in an empty pilgrim's hostel.

My host escorts me through the pilgrim’s section of her home like a friendly realtor.

A set off wing of her Hansel and Gretel cottage holds eight pilgrims, sometimes more, she explains with crisp pride. The pilgrim’s area is composed of a stand-alone shower, a full kitchen, a long wooden table, and a reading area with armchairs to one side. An old upright piano stands near the stairs. I ask for permission to play it, explaining that I haven’t played piano in over a month. She encourages me warmly. It’s an unexpected dividend.

She leads me up a tight, winding stairwell. It is narrow enough that I have to step carefully on the pie-wedge stairs beneath my feet and make sure I don’t lumber my backpack into framed pictures on the walls. At the top of the landing, the stairwell opens onto an attic area converted into a dormitory. The space is pristine, immaculate and quiet. The cots are as taught and trim as military barrack’s.

I notice for the first time that everything within this home is …