"MY SURVIVOR HOLLYWOOD"

Starring in my own action adventure should have been listed in the brochure when I booked my trip in Toronto. But in typical tourist fashion the very thought of spending two weeks in Tinsel town had me wanting to shout, “Hollywood here I come!” from the top of the CN Tower.I’d specifically chosen the Sheraton Universal for its luxurious appearance, convenient location and most importantly, star gazing. It was a stunning five-star hotel that was picturesque in nature and sat atop a hill high above the valley below. It was my first night in room 1117. I had dreamt of this moment for so long and now it had finally become a reality. Sleeping was the last thing on my mind and for a brief period I lay there staring at the ceiling in my hotel room. I turned on my side and noticed something strange. It was circular in shape and contained a glowing red light. I was wondering what purpose it had and did all the rooms have them. But my questions would be answered soon enough.

My restlessness got the better of me. It was apparent that sleeping was not on the agenda for tonight or at least it wasn’t now. I decided to sit on the couch near the window and gaze out towards the 405 (highway). The digital clock on my nightstand flashed an eerily 12:50 a.m. but you’d never would have known it with the heavy volume of traffic moving about outside. The headlights and taillights looked like tiny white and red dots flowing rapidly in opposite directions between the valleys. They flickered in unison moving in an S formation in the distance until they disappeared out of sight around the mountains. Once again my attention turned to the glowing red light on the wall. The room was dark and silent but that would soon come to an end in hurry. No more than ten minutes went by when I was startled to the sound of a horrific buzzing noise echoing throughout the hotel forcing people out of their peaceful slumber. Luckily, I wasn’t one of them. I leaped off the couch and opened the door to a startling realization. I needed to get out and quick.

Smoke had filled room 1119 before starting to seep into the hallway. It began to billow below the door adjacent to mine. Yet, I still managed to quickly gather my things, get my shoes on and bring my luggage with me. I exited my room dragging my bag along and joined one of the many hazy silhouettes that rapidly moved through the corridors. Panicked voices echoed down the stairwells awakened from their sleep at 1 a.m. to the sound of the fire alarm. I had finally found out what that glowing red light was. Oh how I wish I hadn’t. I found myself racing down the stairwell passing people at lightening speed. I could barely make out their faces and their voices sounded muffled. All I knew is that I had to get to the bottom as fast as I could.

The stairwell door flung open like the saloon doors in an old spaghetti western. Only then did I breathe a sigh of relief. I had finally made it to the lobby in one piece. Out of breath but in one piece. There was so much confusion all around. Firefighters in their gear dragging hoses, guests in their pajamas moving about in frenzy like ants in a colony, while the phones at the front desk could be heard ringing off the hook. I drop my luggage near my feet after having clutched it for dear life down 11 flights of stairs. I’d never been so happy to be on the ground in my entire life. The plush lobby chair felt good as I fell into it. I was completely exhausted and sat far enough from the elevators to absorb all the action but not be immersed in it.

An hour later we were given the green light to go back to our rooms. Completely wired from my ordeal, I sat up in the bed watching reruns of Green Acres. I must have dozed off at some point because the last thing I remember was that glowing red light staring back at me on the wall. I was relieved to know what its purpose was and that it did its job when the time came. However, I hadn’t bargained on auditioning for any show while I was down there on vacation. Hollywood or no Hollywood this was one reality show I did not want to star in.