Short Stories

4. Old Employee

It was a chilly evening. I was alone in the office, working overtime. I usually worked late into the evening, even after my colleagues had gone home. It was very rare for anyone else to be there, so I was pretty surprised to hear the noise of the vending machine.

My first thought was that someone had broken in. Don't be silly, a thief wouldn't use a vending machine. My next thought was that some poor soul was working overtime. Of course, we can't rule out the possibilities of it being a ghost. I burst out laughing.

Ghosts using a vending machine- what next?

I chastised myself for getting distracted and continued with the work.

It was nearly 3 o'clock when I was done. Who even works this long?

I liked my work though. The boss was too good to me, he let me stay the night sometimes.

I considered staying in the office. What's the use of going home at 3 to return at 7?

I got up and went to the coffee machine. Best to get more work done.

It was situated right next to the vending machine.

As I was getting my cup of mocha, a sound startled me. It was the sound of someone coughing.

I turned around immediately. A young girl was standing there. She was around my age.

She smiled at me and said in a soft voice, "Hey, are you working overtime too?"

I liked her instantly. "Yup! What's your name?"

"My name is Carla."

She hesitated for about a couple of seconds before asking, " Can I bring my work over to your desk? It's a bit boring, working alone."

I nodded at once. I loved making new friends and it looked like I would hit it off with Carla.

She brought over her work and we started chatting.

"I thought you were a ghost you know." I said.

She jumped up and said, "What???"

"Yeah, I heard the sound of the vending machine and thought that a ghost was getting a soda." I laughed.

She didn't smile however. She simply turned back to her work.

Okay, bad joke.

We worked through the night. Soon, she gathered all of her belongings and said, " I'd better go back to my desk. It was nice talking to you."

She went away. That was the last time I saw her.

I searched the entire office for the next few weeks, asking everyone about her. But no one knew her. I forgot about her soon though.

***************

Nearly a month after that, I went into the old storeroom to take some files. Being clumsy, I managed to knock over an entire pile of files as soon as I entered the room. As I bent down to pick them up, I saw something that chilled me to my bones.

It was a list of old employees. And on the top of it was a photo.

Carla's photo.

Reason of resignation : Death.

*******

A/N

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