Without an invitation and advance notice is considered a rather ill-mannered act. After all, the hosts may have things to do, work from home, cleaning, a high temperature, or a bad mood. Some people, obsessed with a thirst for communication and confident in their own irresistibility, sincerely believe that their appearance at a party is a reason to drop everything and start having fun. To convince such visitors that they do not always choose the right time is difficult, but real.
An unwanted guest can be persuaded to leave right out of the door. To do this, come up with some simple, but tedious business outside the apartment. Going to the store in this case is not suitable, as the visitor will decide that you are trying for his sake and will volunteer to help. But waiting in line at the clinic or visiting are good options. Your visitor will not want to turn his sparkling visit into a visit to a hospital or housing department. Naturally, for credibility, you will have to get dressed and go out in the right direction. On the other hand, it will give you the opportunity to complete some boring tasks that you have been putting off for a long time. For example, in fact, make an appointment with a doctor or submit documents.
Most people understand hints, but some need to hint more directly. If you are not just not happy with the guest, but really busy or feel bad, you can say so. And this should be done not in the form of opposition: “I have a headache, the temperature, but you pass, make yourself at home,” but as harshly and unequivocally as possible: “I feel bad, come another time.” Thus, you may darken the radiant mood of the visitor, but at the same time teach him to warn about his intention to enter in advance.
If the unwanted guest has already entered your apartment, settled down on the couch and demands a small talk, try to inform that in the near future someone whom your visitor cannot stand for one reason or another will join you. Try to demonstrate how happy you are about the future visit of the second guest, how long you have been waiting for him, and how, finally, everything has successfully coincided. With a high degree of probability, your obsessive visitor will simply run away.
Sometimes guests sneak into your home pretending not to get the hint. You can play the same game and put an unwanted visitor out the door with his own methods. Try not to act like the poor Winnie the Pooh Rabbit (“The rabbit was very smart and very well-mannered”), but use the methods of a rude teddy bear. If the guest hints that he is hungry because he did not have time to dine, do not rush to offer him the first, second and compote. Say that in vain he treats his stomach so much that you need to take care of yourself, that you, for example, just ate an hour ago, and now you don’t want anything until the evening, or even until the morning.
Sheri Lapena
unwanted guest
Shari Lapena
UNWANTED GUEST
© Shari Lapena, 2019
© Kartsivadze L., translation, 2019
© AST Publishing House LLC, 2019
* * *Dedicated to mom
Thanks
I'm still terribly grateful to be working with the best people in the business. Thanks again to my American publishers - Brian Tart, Pamela Dorman and the amazing Viking Penguin (U.S.) team - you are doing an amazing job. Thanks to Larry Finley and Frankie Gray of Transworld (U.K.) and their fabulous team - you are the best. Christine Cochrane, Amy Black, Bhavna Chauhan and the amazing team at Doubleday Publishing (Canada) - thanks again for everything. I am incredibly lucky to have so many truly talented, passionate and responsible people supporting me. I wouldn't have made it without you.
Thank you again Helen Heller - words cannot express how much I appreciate you. Thanks also to everyone at the Marsh Agency for the excellent representation around the world.
I am especially grateful to Jane Kavolina - she is a wonderful editor.
Thanks also to Lieutenant Paul Pratty of the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office for his generous assistance.
I would like to emphasize that all errors in the manuscript are on my conscience.
And finally, as always, I want to thank my husband Manuel and our children Christopher and Julia - your support and enthusiasm for me is more than anything in the world.
Friday, 16:45
The road twisted and twisted in unexpected turns, leading ever higher into the depths of the Catskills. It seemed that the further away from civilization the path became more and more dangerous. The shadows thickened, the weather deteriorated. The Hudson River came and went. The forest loomed on either side of the road like a mute menace, as if plotting to swallow them down. It was a dreamlike forest, but the softly falling snowflakes gave the scenery a postcard charm.
Gwen Delaney clenched her hands tightly on the steering wheel and squinted at the windshield. She preferred dark fairy tales to cloying postcard views. It was already getting dark, and it was about to get dark. Because of the snowfall, driving became more and more difficult, more and more tiring. The flakes fell on the glass so profusely that she felt like she was stuck in some kind of endless video game. And the road was getting more and more slippery. Gwen was grateful that her little Fiat had good tires. The world blurred into blind whiteness, and it was hard to tell where the road ended and the ditch began. She was impatient to get to the place as soon as possible, and she began to regret that they had chosen a hotel in such a wilderness - literally at the devil's horns.
Riley Shooter, tense as a string, sat silently in the passenger seat next to her. It was impossible not to feel her tension, and Gwen turned on already from being in a cramped car with her. She hoped she hadn't made a mistake in bringing her here.
The whole point of this little escape was to give Riley a little rest and unwind, Gwen thought, biting her lip as she stared at the road. She was a city girl - born and raised in the city - and not used to driving through such a backwater. The nights are too dark here. Gwen was beginning to worry: the trip was taking longer than planned. Shouldn't have stopped for a cup of coffee at that nice little old diner along the way.
It's not clear what she was expecting when she offered to go away for the weekend, except for a change of scenery and a couple of quiet days together in a place where nothing would remind Riley that her life was in ruins. Perhaps it was naive.
Gwen had her own problems that followed her everywhere. But she decided that she would put them out of her mind at least for the weekend. A luxurious little hotel in the outback, delicious food, pristine nature and no Internet - this is exactly what they both need.
Riley peered nervously into the dark woods outside the window, trying not to think that at any second someone might jump onto the road to stop the car with a wave of their hand. She clenched her hands hidden in the pockets of her down jacket and reminded herself that she was no longer in Afghanistan. She's home, safe, in New York State. Nothing bad will happen to her here.
The work changed her. After everything she'd seen, Riley had changed so much that she didn't recognize herself. She glanced furtively at Gwen. Once upon a time they were inseparable. She herself could not understand why she had agreed to go with her to this distant hotel. Riley watched Gwen focus her attention on the winding road that climbed the slippery slope into the mountains.
- Are you okay? Riley suddenly asked.
- I? Gwen asked. - Yes, everything is fine. We'll be there soon.
At the New York University journalism department, where they both studied, Gwen was considered a balanced and practical girl. But Riley was distinguished by ambition - she always wanted to be in the center of events. Gwen did not like adventure, preferring books and peace. After graduating, Gwen didn't get a decent job at the newspaper, but she quickly put her skills to good use in a good position in corporate communications and, apparently, never regretted it. And Riley constantly worked in hot spots. And managed to stay afloat for quite some time.
Why is she doing this? Why think about the past again? Riley felt herself starting to lose her composure. She tried to breathe evenly, as taught. You can't let the past come back and take over her.
David Paley stopped in the cleared parking lot to the right of the hotel, got out of the car and stretched. The weather made the drive from New York take longer than he expected, and his muscles stiffened, a reminder that he wasn't so young anymore. Before he took his bag from the back seat of the Mercedes, he paused for a moment in the thickly falling snow, looking up at the Mitchells Hotel.
A fine three-story building of red brick with gingerbread trim was surrounded on all sides by a forest. The façade of the small hotel was open to the eye: in front of it was a snow-covered area, which must have turned into a wide lawn in summer. The building was surrounded by tall coniferous trees and bare trunks wrapped in snow wool. A huge tree growing in the middle of the lawn stretched powerful branches in all directions. Everything was covered with the purest white snow. It was so quiet and serene around him that David felt his shoulders begin to relax.
On all three floors, large rectangular windows were located at the same distance from each other. Wide steps led up to a wooden porch and double front doors adorned with spruce branches. Although twilight was just beginning to deepen, lamps were lit on either side of the entrance, and a soft yellow light fell from the windows on the first floor, giving the house a warm and cozy feel. David stood motionless, ordering to recede all the experiences of the day, and along with the week, and the past years. Snow fell on her hair and tickled her lips. He seemed to be in the old, more innocent and merciful times.
David decided that for the next forty-eight hours he would try to forget about work. Reboot from time to time is necessary for everyone, even the busiest people. Even—or perhaps especially—successful criminal lawyers. He rarely managed to squeeze a day off into his schedule, much less a whole weekend, and he was going to enjoy his holiday to the fullest.
Friday, 17:00
Lauren Day looked at the man sitting next to him: Ian Beaton drove the car masterfully in rather extreme conditions. Looking at him, it seemed easy. He smiled his disarming smile at her, and she smiled back. Ian was good-looking, tall and lean, but it was his smile that attracted her most, the calm charm that made him so attractive. Lauren rummaged in her purse for lipstick and began, looking in the mirror on the protective visor, carefully painting her lips. A pleasant shade of red refreshed the face. The car shifted slightly, and she froze, but Ian skillfully straightened the steering wheel. The road began to wind more strongly, and the car kept skidding.
“It's getting slippery,” Lauren said.
"Don't worry, I can handle it," Ian grinned, and she smiled back again.
She was bribed by his self-confidence.
“Wait, what is this?” she suddenly asked.
A dark spot appeared to the right of the road. Due to the snowfall and cloudy weather it was difficult to see anything, but it looks like some kind of car got into the ditch.
As they drove past, Lauren stared at the car intently, and Ian began to look for a suitable place to stop.
“I think there is someone there,” she said.
Why didn't they turn on the emergency lights? Ian grumbled and turned slowly to the side of the road, fearing that they themselves would fly off the road.
Lauren climbed out of the warm car and her feet sank into several inches of virgin snow. The snow immediately packed into his boots, prickling his ankles. She heard Ian, too, slam the door and get out of the car.
Several people stay for the weekend at the secluded, old-fashioned Mitchells Inn. Of the staff, only the father and son are the owners. Others could not get there because of the beginning snowfall.
Soon the weather turned bad, the roads were covered with snow and ice crust. The Mitchells were isolated. The guests at first perceived this as a highlight, but when one of them was found dead, they were frightened. It is impossible to leave, the phone and the Internet do not work. The police won't be here soon. In addition, the electricity went out. It remains for them to suspect each other or hope that the murder is the work of an intruder who secretly made his way to the hotel.It is obvious that the idea is borrowed from Agatha Christie and it is also clear that Lapegna will not plagiarize. The identity of the killer, his motives and methods will differ from the original source. From the first pages one could feel the atmosphere of the classic detective stories of the "Golden Age". Readers alternately follow the actions and thoughts of all the characters. It is interesting to learn their opinion about those present, their intentions, pieces of their life and inner world. Before the first murder, I really liked everything. If it seemed that the characters were not sufficiently disclosed or shown too stereotyped, then I explained this by the fact that the book was only gaining momentum. The tension was building up too. Atmospherically described the hotel and the area. Full immersion in the location.
After the first murder, I suspected that the writer was realizing her dream: "Create unloved characters and make them either victims or killers." The second murder confirmed my suspicions. But at first I was glad that Lapena introduced different characters and did not limit herself to one type often used in psychological thrillers. It turns out that this was necessary to separate the "grains from the chaff." Someone is assigned to the role of a victim or a killer, and someone will definitely not suffer in any way, because the writer wants to see him the way he is. And how then to feel the atmosphere and experience? It's clear beforehand though.
Yes, there are problems with suspense. It is not enough to cut off the electricity and make the heroes freeze. There must be some other psychological stuff. They are the most efficient. Sometimes something broke through, but this is not enough to create tension. Besides, I predicted all the moves. With the template "You are one of the victims or murderers, but you will not suffer" is understandable, but other moves are also familiar. Two points were unexpected: there is no clear indication of the guilt of one of the guests, there remains the possibility of outside interference; final plot twist. I would not like a deviation from the canon, because the whole point is tightness, but the ambiguity attracted. Are they alone in the hotel? Although the answer to this question is known even before reading the book. As for the last twist, it doesn't fit in with the character's psychology, so it's helpless. In general, Lapena did not cope very well with the disclosure of heroes and psychologism.
The denouement was disappointing. I was expecting something more complicated, something more inventive. Both in conception and in disclosure. And not like the police arrived, looked around and hop - and here is the evidence and it definitely points to the culprit, we are arresting, the case is closed. No logical conclusions, no analysis of the testimony of suspects, no psychological traps, nothing. One of the guests also understood everything (without the evidence found by the police), but was silent because he was not sure. How, why, when did you understand? Why write about it. It's better to just state the events on behalf of the killer and that's it. The motive is complete bullshit. It seems that everything was chosen by Lapenia for the victims planned in advance. And where it didn’t fit, she scored for that.
From the very beginning, I carefully read the reflections of the characters, knowing that one of them is a killer. I looked for clues to him, memorizing what they think and how they state it. But Lapena cunningly threw out all the moments important for subsequent events from the thoughts of the heroes, and when it was impossible, she did not finish or deliberately lied. Went the easy way. If it were not for the author's desire to beat the unwanted and reward the right, then I would not have any ideas who could have committed the crimes. Information and keys are missing. Some lines break off to nowhere. They are needed to confuse readers. If you work well on the topic, you could get a tense story. And so it's distracting garbage.
The thriller contains a minimum of trash, is not based on everyday life and violence against women, but Lapegna exploits a few annoying clichés. I liked the style, but the riddle was weak, and its solution ill-conceived and uninteresting. There is little suspense, the characters are genre cardboard and do what the writer wants, and not what is consistent with their character. Nevertheless, I do not regret reading and I will get acquainted with other books by Lapegna.
Everyone knows how obnoxious people can be when they come into a house uninvited. In such cases, a conspiracy from uninvited guests will always help. There are many such rituals, and they all work perfectly. It is easy to drive a person away from home if you take advice from experts. Otherwise, with unnecessary delicacy, you will have to suffer for a long time from burdensome visitors.
Conspiracies will help to drive away unwanted guests from the house
Unwanted guests tend to come at the most inopportune moment. They annoy with their arrogance and impudence, put the owners in an awkward position and force them to abandon their own plans. It can be extremely difficult to get them out, so it's much easier to make sure that they no longer have the desire to show up uninvited.
Our grandmothers knew perfectly well how to drive away an unwanted person from the house quickly to salt or water. Wise women knew how to do this well, without offending anyone with cunning manipulations and without saying anything to an unpleasant guest. Many rituals and incantations have survived to this day and can be successfully used for independent rituals at home.
Conspiracy for water
You need to be patient and wait until the annoying guest deigns to leave. Then you need to take a bowl of water and say the words three times in a row:
“Just as this water does not return to my house, so the hand (say the name of the intruder) will never touch my hand again! Amen".
For reliability, you can add a spoonful of salt to the basin - it will fix the information. The charmed water must be poured onto the path or road along which the uninvited guest left, thus washing away his traces. If the first time it is not possible to drive away an unnecessary person, then the ceremony should be repeated again.
On the threshold of the house
A conspiracy from unwanted guests can be done before they arrive.
Coarse salt is required for the ritual
It is suitable if you want to get rid of the unexpected arrival of relatives, the appearance of an obsessive neighbor and other uninvited visitors. For the ceremony, you must purchase:
- holy water;
- a simple or white church candle;
- sheet of white paper;
- coarse table salt.
Holy water is sprinkled on the threshold and sprinkled with a loose substance. Conspiracy words:
“I’m not pouring salt, but I’m putting up a wall to block the path to our house (the name of the unwanted guest). You can't go through the wall, you can't go around the wall, you can't break the wall, you can't climb over. Let it be so".
Then you need to light a candle and wait for it to completely burn out. It does not hurt to gently sweep the salt from the porch or threshold onto paper, put a cinder on it, take it to the nearest intersection and leave without looking back. This conspiracy from uninvited guests is done secretly so as not to offend anyone.
Conspiracy to refuse visitors
A proven ritual using ordinary table salt will help protect yourself from the arrival of enemies, dissatisfied neighbors and simply unpleasant people. It is simple to implement and accessible to everyone. It is necessary to open the door and, having scattered salt on the threshold from the entrance side, read:
“All the negativity that is sent to me will be returned to the performer. Heavenly angels guard my house and my body. No damage and no evil eye can harm me, the servant of God (name). I read prayers and believe in God. My faith puts on me an amazing strength of protection that even the most experienced magician will not break through. No one can negatively affect me or my relatives. No individual can ruin my life. The Lord helps the servant of God (your name). And so it will always be. Amen".
After the ritual, unwanted guests will not be able to cross the threshold without an invitation and will leave the same way as they came.
Magic against uninvited relatives
White magic will help get rid of unwanted relatives who arrived for a couple of days and stayed for a month. The proposed rituals must be performed exactly according to the instructions, otherwise they simply will not work.
threshold conspiracy
To perform the ritual, it is necessary to perform a series of magical actions.
During prayer, you need to be with loose hair and without shoes.
They are simple in terms of applying their own efforts, but mandatory in the order of their implementation. As a result, you need:
- Let your hair down, taking out all the hairpins. They are a kind of antenna for direct communication with the magical world.
- Put on your nightgown back to front and inside out. By this you make it clear that you are moving from the ordinary world to the unreal in the form of witchcraft.
- Close all windows with curtains. The rite should not be affected by the forces of nature in the presence of one's own will.
- Take off your shoes. The ceremony is performed barefoot without your favorite slippers.
When performing a midnight ritual, you need:
- Wash your hands and treat them liberally with soap and salt so that there is a lot of foam.
- Gently collect the foam from the hands and apply to the sole of the bare right foot.
- With a knife bought in advance, carefully remove the foam from the leg and throw it on the threshold of the house.
Rub the foam before entering the dwelling with the fist of the left hand with the words of the conspiracy:
“The bell is on the temple, the icon is in a frame, the cross is on me, the key is in the lock, the snake is in the grass, the beast is in the den, and I am on my doorstep. Just as this snake of mine does not crawl over, the beast does not cross, so the uninvited guest will not come. I close my words, I bow to you, holy images. Cover the eyes of those who come with this foam. He will not see the threshold, he will not cross. My angel, stand with me. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Amen. Amen".
Despite the mention of the angel and the appeal to him, this is still a conspiracy, not a prayer. Church postulates negatively evaluate rituals with the use of black magic. This prohibition on a good desire to secure one's peace with the help of an appeal to the saints does not apply.
So that uninvited guests do not come, and relatives do not come without an invitation, the ritual is performed on Thursday.
Rite of water or salt
When uninvited relatives are tired of the order, and they are not going to leave or leave, you can use ordinary running water. A whisper on the liquid helps to get rid of such "comrades", pushes them to leave or leave faster.
For a conspiracy, you need to take a glass of running water and whisper the words unnoticed by the guest, holding the container at the very lips:
“I spill this water on the floor, wash the road to the servant of God (name), as water flows on the floor, so he will leave the house.”
The charmed water, as it were, is accidentally spilled on the floor at the feet of an annoyed relative. After some time, he will feel uncomfortable and zasobiraetsya home. If for some reason it is impossible to use water (expensive carpet or parquet), then salt will help.
A pinch of salt is spoken with the words:
“As salt flies under your feet, so you will run away from my house.”
She imperceptibly wakes up on the floor near the guest. After his departure, it is imperative to clean the house, wipe the floors and read a prayer of thanks to the patron.
Protecting the house on a nail or pin
So that in the future annoying guests do not bother and do not come uninvited, you can close your house for them with a pin or nail.
To prevent unexpected guests from coming into the house, you need to stick a pin in the door jamb
On any of these sharp objects they slander:
“I plant a pin (nail) in the door, I protect the house from enemies. Let her be sharp, let only kindness into the house.
The pin is stuck into the door jamb (in the upper corner) with the tip down. The nail is driven in with a hat in a lateral position so that the sharp end sticks out of the jamb and is also tilted down.
Guests will be able to go to you, but they will not linger for a long time, and they will leave evil intentions outside the threshold.
Close the road to the house
This conspiracy (fabulous) is suitable for blocking the way to the house for a specific person. It is pronounced confidently, in an imperative tone, but in a whisper. Opening the door, they say on the threshold:
“For the first time, for the first hour, I speak, I pronounce, I speak my threshold. How people don’t walk on shit, How they bypass it, So would (name) go around my threshold, Never come forever and ever. Key to my words, Lock to my deeds. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen".
The specified person can approach the door, but change his mind about entering. If we are talking about a man, the words change a little (bypassed, did not come). The conspiracy is based on the use of one's own willpower and succeeds only in self-confident people.
Keep unwanted guests away
With a knife, 12 crosses are drawn on the front door (from the inside). Visually, they should look like a crucifix. They read the plot 12 times:
“They crucified Jesus Christ on the Cross, They nailed Him to the Cross, They didn’t let anyone near Him. Do not let, Lord, And You are the servants of God (names) to my doorstep. Amen. Amen. Amen".
When reading, you need to focus on your desire not to let specific people into the house.
Any conspiracy is a secret action, not intended for prying eyes and ears. Its goal is to imperceptibly influence a person without offending him directly. Nobody needs extra enemies, so it’s worth it delicately and with the help of higher powers to get rid of an annoying person.
