Standing at the doorknob of Hotel Stragheria, I watched the reflection of yellow lights on the canals of Venice. After drinking my coffee, I went to the hotel's second floor to book a room. Three charming women in black stood behind the Hotel`s reception, and a tall, long-haired man stood at the end of the hallway. A candle was burning in front of each of them, giving the atmosphere a sense of gloom. I looked at the table to see what I should be calling them. It was written “Doñas de Fuera”.
“Hello miss… Doñas de Fuera!”

“Salve, signore,” they answered with a bright smile. 

“I wanted to book a room, please!”
“Are you traveling with someone? Do you want a single bed? sir?” She said.
“No, I'm by myself, miss. And yes, single bed please”
“Very well, sir. Can you please blow this candle?”
“What?” I said, laughing.
“It's a kind of celebration for the arrival of the guests.”
I blew the candle three times, but it didn't go out. The three women glanced at each other, and I could see the tall man getting closer.

“Let it go, sir. Nice to meet you…I’m Borda. Welcome to Venice.” He said.
“Thank you, sir. I'm so tired; can we go through the process, please? I need to sleep on a soft bed made out of clouds.”
“Of course. Give your ID to Lady Doñas, and I will show you your room.”
“Give him room number 17, please.” He emphasized.
  She gave me the key, and Mr. Borda walked with me to show me the room. It was oval-shaped with a bed in the middle. Nothing was hung on the walls except one painting: a black canvas with a red circle in the middle. I threw myself and the baggage on the bed. While trying to rest my eyes for some minutes, I heard a squeaky sound around the room. First, I thought it was a rat or that I was hallucinating; then I stood up and started looking around the room and inside the only closet existing, but I found nothing.  I stopped breathing for a second to figure out where it came from and realized it was from under the bed.
  Bending and looking for the sound, I saw a black, red-eyed rabbit in a cage. I reached for it and got it out. It was weirdly chewing something and was staring into my soul.
I left the room and started talking to Lady Doñas.

 “Excuse me, but what is a rabbit doing in my room?”

 “Oh! Sorry, sir. It must have belonged to the previous guest. If there’s no problem, I would appreciate it if you keep the animal until they come to fetch it”.

“Well, I don’t think there would be a problem if they don’t take that long.”

Having returned to the room, I put the rabbit on the floor beside the bed, changed my clothes, and turned off the lights to go to sleep. That night I had a weird dream. I was in a tunnel, riding my car. when I reached the end, it was closed by a big red rock. I tried to turn back, but no matter how far I went, there was no end to it.
  I woke up with a scream, not a human one; it was more like the scream of an animal. I looked around the bed and saw the rabbit sitting in silence. The painting on the wall seemed to have been duplicated because another one appeared on the front wall. I exited the room furiously; the ladies were still behind the reception at three or four in the morning.
I asked Lady Fuera if they had heard anything.
“Yes, it was a scream.” She said.
“Oh, I know it was, but where did it come from?”
“The candle wasn't blown.”
“What do u mean?”
“You have to kill the rabbit.”
“I don’t know what you are talking about, and it has nothing to do with my question.”
“It does. You are a part of it now, and if you don't, you die.”
“A part of what?”
“You'll see”

 Mr. Borda got out of the room next to mine. He walked gently, with confidence. He had this charming expression, this mild tone that made you want to listen to what he says somehow.
“What's going on, sir?”
I was confused and scared. Having heard what the woman told me, I decided to get the hell out and get away from all these creepy psychos.
“Nothing, sir. Have a good night.”
“You seem confused; is everything alright, sir?
“Yea, it's fine.”
“Have a good night, then.”

 Returning to my room to pack and get out, I realized that there is a damn gun lying on my bed and the rabbit is out of the cage sitting beside it. There was a knock on the door. I opened it and saw the tall man standing with a smile.
“Can I come in, sir?”
“I was just going out.”
“Going out? It's 4 in the morning and it's cold out there.”
“ I know the time, and I don't have to ask you. I came here to rest, and well, you see, there's a rabbit accompanied by a gun on my bed with no explanation. Therefore, I'm getting the hell out.”
“You want an explanation?”
“No, I want to clear out of here.”
“Calm down, please, sir, take a deep breath. Everything will be fine tomorrow. There has just been a coincidence. You have to forgive me.”
“I don't care, sir; I just want to book a room in another hotel. Now would you please get out of my way?”
“ I will get out of your way if you sit down for a minute. Then you can decide.”
“Decide what?”
“Sit down, please.”

 We both sat down. He looked at me for a few seconds, and after taking a deep breath, he spoke.
“You were chosen, sir! You blew the candle; it didn't go out. you are sacred. kill the rabbit to prove yourself and be a part of us. We had been waiting for you, and you appeared among thousands of people who visit this hotel every day. This gun here, you see, is for killing the rabbits; red-eyed black rabbits.”
“Oh cut it off for fucks sake. And what should I do if I don’t want to be part of your stupid show? I'm not insane, you see, and I don't want to kill a damn rabbit now get away.”

“Let me be clear. you cannot get out of here unless you kill, or better say, sacrifice the rabbit.”

“And if I don’t? How are you going to stop me?”
“Well, I will not stop you, because you will return.”
“Well, I will certainly not.”
  I got my bag from under the bed and got out. The three ladies were now sitting around a table in the middle of the hotel, and they were feeding a severed finger to a rabbit that looked the same as the one in my room. The women turned their heads towards me and smiled at me. Lady Doñas stood up and got close to me.
“Is there a problem, sir? Why are you leaving?”
I just stared at her and then at the table. Hurriedly going towards the door, I realized that it was locked. I tried to find my phone to call the police but it wasn't there, I must've left it in that damn room. The tall guy got out of the room, my phone was in his hands.
“Are you looking for this, sir?” He said earnestly.
“Well, you should not, because no such thing should be used in this sacred hotel.
“What do you want from me? I shouted.
“I told you the ways clearly, sir. You either kill the rabbit and become a part of our veneration, or else... I am deeply sorry to confront you with this… or else you will be the sacrifice of what you had to sacrifice.”
The three women stood up.
“Do not worry, sir. You will realize what we are trying to tell you, and soon you will understand how it feels when you are at the right place. When you accept to be a part of what you have been chosen for.”
Mr. Borda got close, caught my hand, and drifted me towards my room. He closed the door and went away. The gun was still on the bed beside the rabbit. I grabbed the gun. He opened the room with a gun in his hand.
Seconds later, a bullet was fired.