True Story I work on a haunted Air Force Base in Japan and see many ghosts. I work at the commissary which includes the freezers the size of small airport hangers. Dark, cold, and haunted.
Since my last short story I have switched to stocking chill items (refrigerated items) as I have a new employee to help with the frozen foods so I work in the big refrigerator that is brightly lit which I feel more comfortable than before although.....this place is kind of creepy too.
There is one exception to my new responsibility of stocking the dairy products which is a chill item that is actally located in the freezer. The yellow frozen quartered one pound bricks of you guessed it, butter.
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Last night around 2:00 a.m., I entered the freezer, loaded my cart with two cases of Challenge Butter, one salted the other not and and tried to back my cart out of the aisle and the cart was stuck and would not move. I thought a wheel had frozen or something so I bent down and checked them and they seemed fine. I tried to move the cart again and it felt like I was in a tug-o-war with a person. I stopped pulling and realized it must be my ghost HERO. I told him (speaking to the cold air) I had a new job and I'm sorry I didn't let him know. I said that I will be there every night just to get the butter and will say hello but not to stay too long, not to worry and that I won't forget him.
I tried to pull my cart out of the aisle again. This time it moved, so he definately let go and understood what I was telling him. Just as I was almost to the main aisle a box of butter was pushed from the back of the open shelving on to the floor. I just belted out as I left, "nice job HERO", I'm not picking that up, see you tomorrow!"
By the way, this ghost is strong. He can make things shake, stop me from falling, push boxes off shelves, flicker the lights and lock you in. I don't think HERO is angry, I think he just wants attention, to be acknowledged, wants to help and be appreciated. He still is scary and the freezer is way creepy day and night and I'm always on edge but I try to stay focused on my job and make light of these ghost encounters.
For a few nights after this incident I would enter the freezer and yell, "hey HERO, you around?" and talk some random things in to the air as if someone was there. Things like what I had done that day or I got my hair cut do you like it?, stuff like that and things were calm. By the time I reached the exit doors I would feel that little tap on my shoulder knowing HERO was there and turn around and say "see you tomorrow HERO". Our little agreement, it was kinda weirdly sweet.
BUT THEN.....one night, two nights, three nights, I didn't go in to the freezer because I was super busy making some massive displays so I sent someone else in to the freezer to get the frozen butter and stock it. When they came out they came to find me to tell me these were the last two boxes of butter and to ask when the next shipment was coming and to show me the boxes of butter were all damaged and we could only salvage half of each one. It looked like someone just punched the boxes with their fists like indents all over crushing the cardboard. I grabbed the cart and pushed it as fast as I could to the freezer, flung the door opened and screamed "HERO, did you do this? like repremanding a puppy for peeing on the floor or something not realizing the stocker had followed me. I turned around and he looked at me like I had lost my mind. "Who's HERO?", he said. I gruffly replied, take the butter to salvage and write down the count of all the butter that is ruined, stock the rest, I'll find you in a few minutes. He left. I stayed.
Apparently we have to have another little chat, I mean HERO and me. I preceded to tell him how busy I was and that I had not abandoned him and how much trouble he would get me in if he kept damaging my merchandise. I told him if I lost this job I would have to leave Japan. I also told him that he could come over to the refridgerator any time to find me, he did not have to stay in the freezer or he could come in the commissary with me. In a stern voice I told him I have to leave now I'm freezing and not dressed for the freezer, He could come with me or stay either way I have to go. When I left, he did not tap me on the shoulder. I wondered if things would get more strange now that I raised my voice at him? Was he mad?
WELL.....for a couple of nights feeling guilty for yelling at a ghost I poked my head in the freezer and said hello to HERO and told him what I was doing and where I would be all night if he wanted to come see me. A new shipment of butter had come in with reports the boxes were fine. Everything was quite. Too quite.
A week later I'm in the refridgerator reaching my arm out to grab 6 squeeze butters and 3 fell over before I got close enough to touch them. I said, "hey HERO, you done bein mad?". I guess he was done sulking. But now I'm talking to ghosts like they are real people thinking this was all that would happen. I could deal with it.
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I'm starting to wonder about myself. I'm not only seeing things, feeling things and hearing things; at this point I'm kinda joining the reindeer games so to speak.
I had no idea there was more in store! (pun intended).
