On Our Side of the Forest (Short Story Compilation)

Work Song

Work Song

It was another day for me at the job. I was roaming around the old factory on my regular rounds. Everything seemed quiet. Nothing ever seemed to go on in our small town. We had a nonexistent population compared to the large city next to us. I figured it would be just a normal night on the job for me.

"I wish one night would give me something entertaining!" I had gotten back to my office. A bunch of monitors sat in front of me. They surveyed the area as I kicked back. I ate some sweets that I had packed for tonight. The cameras were boring as always! I scrolled through my phone and commented on various posts I saw on social media. Eventually, a yawn crept up on me. I felt the night wear away at my body!

"Please let there be something to wake me up!" I looked up to my monitors again, the clock had three in the morning sprawled on it. I had just a couple more hours of my shift when the monitors showed a tower of boxes tip over. It grabbed my attention, so I watched. I felt like an idiot staring that hard at the screen! It paid off though, the storage area fell into complete destruction. Boxes and supplies began to fly everywhere! By the end, it looked like a tornado flew through there! I grabbed my flashlight and went on my way to check it out! No way all of that happened by itself?

"You asked for this," I found myself shaking as I held my flashlight, "Just check it out and go back to your office!" I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared! I moved closer and closer to the storage room door. The area felt colder than normal, or it could have just been me? I took in a deep breath as my paw clenched at the doorknob. I slowly turned it. The old light on the ceiling flickered as always. Everything was just as destroyed as they were on camera! How could all of this have happened? Nothing was broken into, nothing was missing! It all seemed tipped over like something just wanted to make a mess!

"You got this Max, get a grip!" As my mind flooded with possibilities of what could have happened, I found myself feeling panicked. I had to calm myself down! I worked to pick up some of the boxes and supplies before a chilling screech flooded the room! I was done! I ran out as fast as I could and waited for the next guy to change over the shift! It felt like forever as the forty minutes rolled off the clock. Finally, my coworker pulled into the spot next to me. He laughed at me as I told him the story outside! I walked in there with him and showed him the room! It was just as destroyed as I left it, but this time something was much different. In the middle of the room, a box moved across the floor. When we turned it over, a bat shot to the ceiling!

To say I felt ashamed was an understatement. The ghost in the factory was nothing more than a bat that got trapped! We laughed for a while before I clocked out and went home. I did ask for something to happen, and the cosmos made me eat my words!