"Okay, I have a question," she begins, still sitting in the passenger seat of the car. "Why is, on the license plate, you may or may not want to see it—" Sunshine turns the camera to a gray van in front of them, "it beautiful British Columbia and ours is just Oregon, why is it not, like, y'know, Organic Oregon or.. something.. with an O. Outrageous Oregon. Like why is that."

Kat looks over. "That's a very deep thought."

"I know." Sunshine nods. "I just — I've been pondering it, I don't know why." She smiles.

"If anyone knows," Kat says.

"Tell us." She turns the camera back around. "We're at the oceaaann~! See it past that — large ass truck."

"We did it. We arrived," her mother says from beside.

"Kind of a little bouncy 'cause she's a terrible driver."

"Yeah, that's why." Kat rolls her eyes. "We're still not to the hotel, but we are at least to the ocean."

"Which is always important." Sunshine tries to look over the houses at the rippling waves of the sea. "Oh look, there it is again — it's kinda hard to see and ohhh there it goes." A large tan brick house covers the sloping hills. "Behind that house. A very large castle-like house. What is that, that's weird."

"That is weird."

"I don't like that house at all, they have weird balconies — bye big truck I didn't like you, you smell bad." She sticks her tongue out as the large truck turns away.

"Ugh. It really did," Kat snorts.

"Stank. Really. Awful." Sunshine turns the camera to her then furrows her brow. "The one thing I don't like about the beach is what people wear here. It's terrible. It's like — 'Ah! It's freezing cold outside! But let's look like a skank anyway.'" She gets distracted and smiles when the sand drifts up to the road. The blue water stretches over the horizon. "There it is again guys! I'm so excited. Aaa."

Kat tilts her head. "Wow, there's a lot of people here. Everybody decided — they said, 'Hey, we hear Sunshine's gonna be at the beach!'"

"I'm... sure that's why they came."

"That's it."

"Exactly it."

Kat takes the camera and and smiles. "It's definitely the beach. Cause look it — TRAFFIC!"

"Yay," Sunshine says unenthusiastically, gazing at the cars piled behind one another.

Her mother sighs heavily. "I think... we're almost there."

Sunshine grunts. "She's not telling me where we're staying, so I just keep guessing — I'm deciding.. Lincoln City Inn." She nods at the large pale brown hotel across the street.

"Yeah, because that certainty looks haunted," Kat scoffs. "But it does have a nice ocean view if you can see past the Kyllo's sign."

"Kylloooo's — no, you really can't, but it's actually a really good restaurant, I've heard."

They both sigh as the traffic continues slowly. "Well," Sunshine announces. "I will continue guessing. How about D'Sands Motel? D... Sands? I don't get it."

"I think it's supposed to be clever," Kat explains when she sees Sunshine's confused expression.

"Oh, D'Sands, aaaaaha, like — oh, no, I still don't get it."

Kat laughs. "Good thing you're preeetttyyy."

"TUUUUURN," Sunshine yells at the car in front of them.

"Turn already!" Her mother wheezes. "Ohhhh... my gosh... we're never gonna get there."

"It doesn't really look haunted," she notes as they draw closer to D'Sands. "Oh, sweet Jesus —"

"Watch your mouth, girl."

"Oh, sorry."

"We're still a little ways there," Kat sighs. "If you wanna — pause it so they don't have to see all this."

"Okay — the Hideaway Motel! That's it! We're done! Right there!"

They pass it.

"Never mind."
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"She's gonna tell me? We're almost there."

"I think... it's..."

Sunshine rolls her eyes. "She thinks it's up here." A sigh. "We're not even close. She's gonna be like, 'Oh, right around this corner!' NOO."

"Now I gotta pee," her mother complains.

"Edge Cliff Motel! That's where it is, isn't it? Hhhh, kinda ugly, I hope that's not where we're gonna stay. Please say no."

Kat doesn't respond and instead looks over the road. "It's gotta be right here.. We're close.."

"Don't worry, it's not the Edge Cliff Motel, guys," Sunshine goes on. "We passed it."

"Not the Ester Lea Motel," Kat says, looking at the red billboard. "It is the 70th birthday for Linda there.."

"Aaa, Linda! Happy birthday!"

Kat huffs. "Okay, now that we've passed five hundred —"

"There's the ocean!" The day is painted with gray clouds, but the foam along the waves contrasts with the darkness of the sea. "It's beautiful~"

"Or is it the RV Park??!"

"Ooooh, we're staying at the RV Park!" Sunshine laughs.

"It's haunted!"

"Wooo!" She pauses. "Ocean Terrance.. condominiums, nightly rentals —" A gasp, "Oh! We're gettin' over in the other lane, that means we're close!"

"Wait, okay, okay, if this is it — okay, so, I did some research on the internet," Kat begins, looking excited, "and supposedly.. this place... is haunted."

Sunshine gasps as they slow down near a dark tan hotel, a large front opening with trees scattered around the middle, fish painting the side walks. "Historic Anchor Inn."

"This is where we're staying." Kat smirks.

"Oooo. Big cars and trucks. Awww. It's so preetttyyy."

"So this is where we are staying.. check it out!"

"AAAA! Look at it guys. Ooo."
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Sunshine raises a brow, squeezing in to the frame as her mother holds the camera. "We arrived!" she sings. "Historic Anchor Inn!"

"Let's check it out!"

They near the front of the hotel, shoes clanking against the gravel pavement below them. Large, thick orange wooden pillars jut out from a wide front patio, round flower pots scattered around the edges, grass filling in the cracks. A silver bike is resting along the wall and there are mannequins posed in the black benches. A sign reads 'Bikes FREE. Check out at front desk.'

Sunshine is pretty sure she's on her own with that one, considering how rusty the bike is.

The duo continues walking through the patio, a large 'WELCOME' sign pressed against the russet bench, a fall-leaf wreath around the door. Sunshine sits next to the mannequin and then jumps up. "Ahhhh.. she's really creepy, I don't like her."

Kat laughs as they slip inside, checking out the place. It's spacious but homey; it seems like there are hundreds of pictures hanging on the walls, lamps dotting the furniture and spilling light in to the hotel. Sunshine wants to keep looking around the front entrance, but is happy to go inside to escape the loud buzz of locusts.

They eventually check in and are given the key to the room. The two make their way down the halls, and Sunshine leads the way up a wide set of stairs. She notes how creepy some of these pictures are — weird, wide-eyed families staring back, or dark landscapes speckled over with clouds.

Another small white sign reads: 'Shhh. Please remove shoes.' Sunshine is pretty sure she doesn't want to do that, but figures it's because the wooden floors are so loud and creaky.

"I don't know if this place is haunted," Kat begins. "But it definitely has character."

There's an open door around the corner and Sunshine gasps. "Is this our room?? No. But, aww."

When first walking in, there's a wooden island that sticks out from the wall, chairs seated along the edges. A small kitchen is tucked in the left corner with plates and cups. It looks to be a little communal room. They visit a greenhouse and explore the flowers cluttered around the room. Sunshine likes the feel. Kind of — it's eclectic?

Honestly, she loves it. Ugh. If only they could live here!
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"Which room are we staying in?"

"Lillian."

Sunshine turns and shuffles over to the door, clicking the lock — well, trying to click the lock for about two minutes — before Kat does it for her. They enter the room, which has a large black leather chair in the corner, a bedside table and a blue striped bed. There's a piano in the left corner with many antiques topped above, and a mirror hanging on the wall.

"This is so cool," Sunshine breathes as she avoides another one of those creepy paintings.

(The piano doesn't work, how sad.)

"I don't know if I'm gonna be able to sleep here, this is creepy," she laughs, looking at a compass enclosed in a circular glass. Kat seems like she's digging it, though.

To the right of the bed is the bathroom, with a small yet creepy hallway that holds the shower, toilet, and sinks. There's a window perched aside where she can see the swampland behind the wooden fence.

"Okay, so supposedly," Kat begins as Sunshine rolls around the bed, coming out from the bathroom, "I asked the owner for his most haunted room."

Sunshine leans her head back and makes an annoyed face. "Seriously. Okay. Well, we're not gonna be able to sleep here."

"So what do you feel? Anything?"

She pauses, leaning back and raising a brow. "No. Not really."

"Hm. Maybe later."

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So. They continue to explore the haunted hotel and find another communal hang-out area with plump couches and wooden desks; more long, creepy hallways; empty, open rooms; broken clocks spread along the chests; a DVD room with a TV; random mannequin heads; and, last but not least, more pictures.

Creepy. Sunshine isn't sure how to feel about it.
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"So. Mom's gonna tell me a the story all about the Haunting of this hotel. And, go."

They're back in the room, Kat seated in a chair, and she looks up and nods. "Oh. Okay! So —"

"You're seriously eating ice cream?" Sunshine snorts.

"It's yummy."

"Continue." Kat holds up the strawberry ice cream and takes a bite from the spoon.

"No, no —" She laughs, "not the ice cream."

"Oh." Kat wheezes and brushes auburn hair out of her face. "Okay, so, we decided to do a road trip to the Oregon coast — I did a whole bunch of research — and I found this haunted hotel." Her mother motions her hand around the room. "The Historic Anchor Inn."

"Yes," Sunshine adds, waving the camera around.

"Back to me, focus." Kat clears her throat. "So, apparently, this hotel is built where a house had been.. where a lady mysteriously died."

Sunshine raises a brow as Kat nods. "Aaaaaand?"

Her mother laughs then goes blank.

"That's the whole story?" Sunshine begins giggling. "That's the crappiest story I've ever heard of a haunting. Seriously, like..? I got all excited for that... and then I found five dollars, let's up the ante a little bit, okay, geez."

She shakes her head and looks at the camera.

i couldn't stop laughing at that fucking story oh my god

anyway.. voices caught soon?

stay tuned y'all