## Prologue: Immortal Hotels
Stephen King, the master of macabre, once claimed, “People think that I must be a very strange person. This is not correct. I have the heart of a small boy. It is in a glass jar on my desk.” No one knows for sure if King was referring to the Ghost Boy of Hotel Monteleone, New Orleans, but the tale couldn’t fit any better.
## Chapter 1: Tales from the Lobby
The Hotel Monteleone, much like the Overlook Hotel, is a creature of habit and a patron of the arts of horror. Home to the literary legends like William Faulkner and Tennessee Williams in their earthly form; now stands in service of another, more spectral, young guest named Maurice Begere. At the heart of this ageless establishment is a timeless tale resting in the realm between life and death.
In the late 19th Century, it was a regular day at Hotel Monteleone when the father-son duo of Mr. Begere and young Maurice checked in. The bustling lobby, the grand stairs that disappeared into the upper reaches of the building, and the murmuring resonation of background chatter were all but a hint for what was about to happen.
The father had some business to attend to in the town, a circus to be precise. Maurice, however, fragile and sick, was tucked into one of the luxurious rooms of Monteleone. A promise was made that upon the father’s return, Maurice could venture out and enjoy the circus. Unbeknownst to both of them, this would be the last physical interaction between them.
During the father’s absence, Maurice’s frail body succumbed to illness. His last words were a whisper, an innocent question about daddy and the circus. Maurice Begere tragically passed away in his hotel room, his dreams of the circus forever lingering in the solitary corners of the room.
## Chapter 2: Maurice, the Phantom Boy
Life marched on, and though the Begeres were long gone, young Maurice seemed to have chosen permanent residency instead. Guests and staff of Monteleone reported a peculiar sight. A young boy, the very replica of Maurice, was often seen playing in the deserted hallways, his laughter echoing in the eerie silence. But on being approached, he would disappear into a thin veil of nothingness, leaving a chill in the air.
Rooms were refurbished, staff changed, guests came and went, but Maurice, the phantom boy, continued his ethereal existence. His antics weren’t harmful, just playful like any young boy’s would be, earning him the tag of a “permanent, harmless guest.” Room 1448, where he breathed his last, was distinguished by cold spots, items moving around mysteriously, and inexplicable sounds in the dead of the night.
## Chapter 3: The Unseen Carnivals
The ghostly manifestations didn’t stop at that. On certain nights, guests reported hearing sounds that bore an uncanny resemblance to a circus. The heavy rumble of elephant footsteps, the faint notes of the merry-go-round, and the distant trumpet fanfares that could transport anyone to the magical world beneath the circus tents.
Was it a figment of their imagination? Or was it Maurice’s longing for the circus so powerful that it resonated beyond his mortal life? It was as though Maurice was creating his unseen carnivals, a ghostly spectacle of what could have been.
## Chapter 4: The Ghost Boy of Monteleone
Today, Hotel Monteleone stands proud and tall, running parallel with time, cherishing its past, and embracing the peculiarities of its permanent guest. Maurice, the Ghost Boy of Monteleone, continues to live in the tales of the guest and hallmark events in the hotel. His spirit looms high in every corner and through every hallway, offering an eerie companionship to whomever dares to venture.
In the vast expanse of the universe, where life and death are nothing but mere phases of existence, one might argue that Maurice found in death what he longed for in life – an eternal circus. And so the tale goes, crafting a legacy of haunting beauty and heartrending pathos in Hotel Monteleone’s grandeur.