I was the boy in room 3108.

This story came to light in the 1970s in what was then Czechoslovakia. I have recently discovered that there is another, much more famous tale, with the same title - but that's okay, since we have the same meaning.<br><br>My name is Petr Stermet, and I grew up in the Elephant Hotel in the town of Mosnov, Czechoslovakia. I was the youngest of six children, the son of the esteemed and rare Czech hotelier, Đorđe Stermet. Elephant Hotel was a very large building, not far from the Mosnov airport, and the building was new, modern, huge, built for the Czech elite. The hotel was luxurious, with two wings, one of which had a large congress center, and the other a cinema. My father was the owner, and thanks to him, our family lived in the hotel. In one large suite on the third floor. It had eight bedrooms, a dining room, and even a kitchen.<br><br>All my life we lived there. My father, mother, me and my siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins. Even my mates sometimes slept in our apartment, because they were always welcome. My father was strict, but fair, and he loved us all very much. My mother took care of us, she fed us, bathed us, dressed us, played with us, and played sports with us. I loved her very much, she was the most beautiful woman in the world. I loved her more than anything. My father was a great man, a true father, a Czech patriot, a noble man. He had a great heart, and a strong will. He built that hotel with his own hands, he always worked hard and honestly. He taught me the importance of work, and a strong will. He was a strong man, a Spartan, a true bohemian. My father was a great man.<br><br>But the strange things that happened in that hotel, I couldn't explain to anyone. I was only a child. I didn't understand. I didn't like it. But I couldn't do anything. My father said that the house had its own soul, which sometimes expressed itself. Whenever it rained, the light in the hallway flickered. Sometimes the light bulbs exploded with a bang, and we had to be careful not to get hurt. Sometimes water came out of the taps in the bathtub, toilet and sink on its own, even when no one was using it. And sometimes, at night, strange noises echoed through the corridors. I didn't like it. My father said that it was nothing, that it was normal, that the hotel was still young. But I didn't like it.<br><br>But despite all this, I was happy. I had my family, I had a big hotel, and my father was a great man. I didn't lack anything. My mother took care of me. And I had my siblings. The hotel was ours, my father said. And he was right. My father was right. The hotel was our castle. We were the kings of the hotel. We could do whatever we wanted. We could be whatever we wanted. We were the Stermet Hoteliers, the owners of the Elephant Hotel. We were the kings of the hotel.<br><br>I didn't know why they took my father away. They came one day, in two police cars. My mother was crying. My father was calm. He smiled at us. And he left. I never saw him again. And the hotel was gone. I never saw it again. I don't even know what happened to it. Was it destroyed? Is it still standing? I don't know. I don't even dare to find out.<br><br>Now I live in a small apartment, with my wife and child. And I will never tell them anything about my life in the Elephant Hotel. I will never tell them anything about my life as Petr Stermet, the boy from room 3108. I will never tell them anything about my life as the owner of the Elephant Hotel. My father was a criminal. A Czech patriot. A freedom fighter. He was the greatest man in my eyes. My mother died years ago. And I didn't cry. I didn't feel anything. I didn't feel. She was the most beautiful woman in the world. But I didn't feel anything. I didn't feel anything. My father was a criminal. A Czech patriot. A freedom fighter. He was the greatest man in my eyes. But I didn't feel anything. I didn't feel. My father was a criminal. But I didn't feel anything. I didn't feel. I didn't feel anything.<br><br>I am Petr Stermet, the boy from room 3108. This is my story. I am sorry. I am sorry. I am sorry.