I am a night clerk at a beach hotel on a lonely part of an island

My duties include the reception of new guests as well ensuring that all guests are cared for

The main door of the hotel is locked at 12:30 and the night bell is activated and although the main desk is vacated I sit in an adjoining office

My hours of work are from nine in the evening to six in the morning and I share my shift with Leslie who lives locally

If I work Monday to Thursday then Leslie works Friday to Sunday we do this on a round robin basis

However two weeks ago Leslie fell from a tree whilst cutting it and broke his collar bone so I am currently covering the desk from Monday to Friday

Marion the managers wife is covering the weekends and is in charge of daily desk duties

These are filled by agency staff and I have never met my daytime colleagues as the desk is unmanned between six and seven in the morning

Although the job is lonely during the small hours I find that I am attracted by the peace of the lobby and sometimes retire outside for fresh air

The sea is only about ninety yards from the main entrance and during stormy nights I can hear pebbles being thrown at the hotel by the force of the storm

I find that it is unusual for guests to either book in or return to the hotel after midnight but if they do I welcome them back no matter the inconvenience

To pass the time I often read and at present I am reading a number of Science Fiction novels that were given to me by an American visitor

Although this is quite fantastic I often see spacecraft landing on the downs which climb steeply behind the hotel

My girlfriend Betty lives at the foot of the downs but she assures me that she has not witnessed any landings

Betty’s bedroom window faces the hotel although it is a considerable distance away and she often teases me by sending me provocative texts and waving at me from her window

I hate her doing this to me as I find her games quite cruel but the more that I complain the more she continues

In the summer of 1962 a woman drowned in the bay and the far end of the beach is said to be haunted .

I do not believe in ghosts but I have noticed a figure deep in the shadows on moonlit nights who suddenly makes a dash for the sea and then vanishes

But this does not confirm that the area is haunted as there is a path above the beach which leads directly to the road

People often swim from the beach after dark ignoring the obvious dangers