When I came back from Maryland on Saturday, my manager Dan told me I was being semi-transferred--this time involuntarily & possibly temporarily--to yet another store on by the frats (it's all 1970s inside with a backwards fucked-up register) because they needed help, that someone broke their leg. They might not be able to give me a full 40 hours, but that other stores--including the one I hated--had hours as well.
I went to this store for the first time on Tuesday night, working 3 to 11....& it was the worst night of my life. I was so incredibly belligerent...like...a millionfold times more than I'd EVER been...& there was something so..so inherently WRONG about the store. I was playing all sorts of esoteric stuff just to stay focused, like the soundtrack to "Akira" & a lot of X Japan.
The thing of it WAS, though...when I walked outside...
I was fine. Smiling, happy, & very much relieved.
Walk back in...& it started again. Right over the threshold of the door.
Well, I got very scared, so yesterday afternoon, I went back with my roommates. I didn't tell them what to expect, didn't tell them anything except where we were going. And had them go in.
And they walked in for a few steps...& kind of stopped.
And I said, "You feel it?" They did. One said that it made her very, very paranoid; that it amplified extreme emotions--in her case, paranoia, in mine anger. Afterwards we went back to the car & Jthey did a quickie reading, like a sounding. Their deck said that it's a spirit that's gotten bored...that it involves a love triangle, that there was probably a death, that it might be related to employment...but now it's tired of its original reason for haunting, & now it's just being bitchy.
We agreed to try preventative measures for the time being...until we can kill it. Which means that I'm going to have to learn active work, for I never learned active magic--only passive. That is to say, I work on effect. It's much like passive versus active sonar. I listen...& thus stay concealed. With active, you're pining out & getting better info, but give yourself away. In this case, I can do things for me with passive...but can't effect major changes like this needs.
Well, I had to do the 11-7 overnight shift last night. Before I left, Renee tied some braided woolen bracelet with segments of color around my left wrist; it's kind of like an "inoculation band," a method to keep me unaffected for the time. And it worked...for a while. The spirit got incredibly angry about this & made the entire credit card system go down--something I'm told happens occasionally there. Eventually, the damn thing mutated...& it started affecting me again. I almost punched someone, almost grabbed his drunken head & smashed it into the counter. I spent a good portion of the night standing outside in the rain rather than staying inside with that thing.
And then...at 3 AM...it stopped. Why? Because the manager--this fat old hag named Kathy with a boyfriend in jail (gee, thanks for the info & the horrible images)--came in. And it stopped for her, or because of her. I'm not sure yet. In any event, I told her point blank, "Do you know your store is haunted?" She gave me a look & said, "It's not haunted." Then she proceeded to tell me to turn off my music since "I have to do paperwork here & I'm not listening to anything but oldies." Mind, you I was playing this very album at the time.
When I left, I went straight to my old store to talk to Dan; apparently he was the only person the group supervisor Tim told most of the pertinent information to. He also mentioned that Kathy had called him & told him about my "theory" ("It's no theory. I know what it is, Dan.")--fast timing on that, as it's only a 3-minute drive or so.
I went back tonight. The other overnight guy was there. They told me to call Tim. I tired for 30 minutes, but I knew already. Sure enough, "Due to last night's outburst, the company has elected.." blahblahblah. I didn't even try to argue with him. It wasn't worth it, since he'd never comprehend it.
I won't deny that I'm scared. Because I am. I'm very, very scared by all of this. I was actually crying last night at work. I couldn't help it, couldn't stop myself.
I'm not "me" anymore; in order to keep what I have, I work all the time. I've become "the UniMart guy." I've turned into what Dave was, & I don't want that. But...finances are SO INCREDIBLY TIGHT....& I work so much...I have a car, but can't go anywhere because I can't afford it. I buy food once every 2 weeks, & it's not a whole hell of a lot. I come home, I sign on, I sleep. That's it. There's nothing else. Occasionally I get to watch something I taped on TV.
I hate cusps. Actually, I hate the fact that I no longer have the ability to discern them properly, or rather than the ability is obscured due to external interference. And yet none of it would matter, none of it would be so bad if I had one single release, one way of relaxing...but the only thing that relaxes me is 160 miles & 2� hours away...& she won't be here for another 17 months.
So now...now I get to figure out how to bullshit a resume--literally bullshit, since I have very little actuality & a lot of nebulosity to throw in there. I think I'm going to take a risk...& apply for a manager trainee job at a local video store. Stupid...but what the hell.
Posted by U//Magnus (Member # 239) on :
Y'know, I don't suppose I can even pretend to understand what you've just posted, so I won't.
But, given that the paragraph or two that didn't completely bypass my Reading Synapsis probably dealt with finding employment, or the lack of current good employment, or, finding a duplicate of a priceless irreplaceable family heirloom of two mating ducks molded out of Venezualean Porcelin, I can only say those words that are the staple of every future-related post ever posted; good luck with the video store thing.
Posted by Dat (Member # 302) on :
All I can say is hang on there, Shik. Some here may not believe your story, but I do. I don't have the capability to percieve ghosts, but I do have an open mind. If this is truly a ghost and not an extrememely evil entity (devil-like or his minions), there's nothing to fear. It can't hurt you. Try to tell it that it's not welcome there. Invoke the name of the holy spirit and what he stands for. Finally, if you can't do anything else to be get it away, do look for other employment.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Watch out for Vigo.
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
I am like zeh buzzing of flies to heem?
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Perhaps it's just me, but I've never been able to see that actor in any other role. It was too perfect.
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
Second-best line: "Eh.....vhy ehm I drippingk vith GOOO?"
Posted by Nim Pim (Member # 205) on :
What, Peter MacNicol? He did something similar in "Dracula: Dead and loving it", although that movie mostly stunk, like anything from Brooks after "High Anxiety", the last of my favorite trilogy. Space Balls came in the right time, sure, but the drumroll-jokes (coupled with John Candy) really ruined it for me.
About the videostore kink: good luck! Hop you're looking forward to all those scratched DVD's that are starting to show up about now, making us renters Kray-Z! The manufacturers forgot the little detail of sturdiness, that old VCR-tapes never had the same problem with.
About that...other stough: Man, it's a pain the tricorder hasn't been invented yet, innit? Of course...maybe they don't show up on infrared at ALL!
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
*walks in*
*reads thread*
*walks out, shaking head and muttering "why...?"*
Posted by Tora Ziyal (Member # 53) on :
Yay pagany thread!
Shik: so why not do a little spell to help you get a different job?
Posted by David Templar (Member # 580) on :
I think that if he can't pull of a spell to affect the dead, he's gonna have even more trouble with the living.
I believe you Shik, I've been to places where I know things just aren't right. At first I thought you meant you were haunted yourself, thank god you're not, those get ugly. At least with spot hauntings like that, you can eventually leave.
If you're curious enough, you could always try to search records to learn about the history of that particular piece of land. Might give you a good idea of just what you're up against.
Posted by The_Tom (Member # 38) on :
[ May 11, 2002, 00:12: Message edited by: The_Tom ]
Posted by U//Magnus (Member # 239) on :
YUO AER TEH HTMAL WIZURD< TOHMAS!11
TAHT IS ONE SPOOKEY SOUNDS!1
Posted by The_Tom (Member # 38) on :
I'm especially proud of the tinny faux-phone call.
If only everyone had well-spent their free time in 1997 learning the obscure HTML tricks of the era. Oh, the possibilities.
Posted by Charles Capps (Member # 9) on :
It doesn't work that way, Ziyal.
Posted by Tora Ziyal (Member # 53) on :
What doesn't work what way? I meant that he could try, not that it always works.
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
Well...I AM cheating a little...there's a green candle with a hefty-ish amount being burned lately. If I did it right--which I think I did--it'll be good for quick cash. But finding an orange candle is DAMN hard these days.
All I know is that I'm never going in that store again. There are other ones that are more like "home" that I'd prefer. This whole area has wonky shit about it,thouhg. Maybe it's a combination of the farming, the college, the weird people, the Amish, & the history of the area.
In any event, yesterday I went out looking for "quick jobs" at Papa John's (to become a Benson!) & the mall (no hits) & an odd lots place...today we hit the video store since I couldn't find a place to park yesterday & then build me a cheap-ass resume with word's help to give to an acquaintance to ship off to AccuWeather so I can steal her job. Whee!
Funny how the heavy rain started when I got to that store & stopped when I left.
Posted by LOA (Member # 49) on :
Being one who is an assistant manager person at a video store, let me just say that if it's Hollywood Video you're applying at (pray it isn't....) you're probably soon going to be exposed to a whole NEW evil..... ie. VERY bad upper management, no incentive for lower management, poor benifits (if you're lucky enough to get ANY), low pay, and raises? They don't exist. Pleh.
Not the best company to work for... though I hear Blockbuster's not much better. Hopefully you're getting a job at a smaller chain, or a mom and pop video shop. You'll probably REALLY like the job then! It IS fun stuff to work with, and the guests are usually pretty cool! Good luck Posted by LOA (Member # 49) on :
Being one who is an assistant manager person at a video store, let me just say that if it's Hollywood Video you're applying at (pray it isn't....) you're probably soon going to be exposed to a whole NEW evil..... ie. VERY bad upper management, no incentive for lower management, poor benifits (if you're lucky enough to get ANY), low pay, and raises? They don't exist. Pleh.
Not the best company to work for... though I hear Blockbuster's not much better. Hopefully you're getting a job at a smaller chain, or a mom and pop video shop. You'll probably REALLY like the job then! It IS fun stuff to work with, and the guests are usually pretty cool! Good luck Posted by YrdMehc (Member # 417) on :
Was that a test of the pos button???
You may want to try working at a place like I started at.... Chem-Dry carpet cleaning....
It isn't bad, the work is a joke, the chemicals are friendly enough....
They are all independently owned, so pay will vary by place, I started with a pathetic $8.00 an hour and a 12% commission, so it is good, get a $1.00 an hour raise about every month and a half, to $12.00, plus the comission creeps up to 25%, and drive timed is paid, so it has potential. The good thing is that with my experience in management, advertising, and the rest, I will be getting my own store front in about 12 to 18 months....
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
I rent films at Hollywood Video. It's the only video store in town. When anyone on campus wants to see a movie, we always say "I'm going to Hollywood!" Every day I pray for the apocalypse.
Posted by The_Tom (Member # 38) on :
Whoah there, Simon. Easy on the Augustine.
Posted by U//Magnus (Member # 239) on :
"we always say"
Saddened.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Oh, I'm miles past Augustine, man. I'm, like, totally into Avicenna, you know? And then, there's this, like, presentation I have to give on the dude Monday and stuff. In class, you know? And I'm like, "Woohoo! Ibn Sina rocks the party what rocks the metaphysical body, holmes!" And so, like, he was totally influential to guys like William of Ockham and stuff, you know? So I'm going to be all, "Dudes, it's, like, the flashpoint of East v. West, Europe v. Orient, Moors v. Franks!" And then I'll bust out his totally relavent work on the nature of the soul and stuff, and we'll all be like, "Dude, Aquinas was so influenced, man!" Like it's one big circle, you know? Deep.
And that's how I plan to get an A in Medieval Philosophy.
Posted by The_Tom (Member # 38) on :
Anyone who's wishing the apocalyse hurry the fuck up and get done with it is decidedly back in an Augustine groove, though, yo...
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Technically, that would be the eschaton.
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
I stay away for 4 days, and then the first two threads I read leave me with an overwhelming urge to use lots and lots of swear words.
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
quote:though I hear Blockbuster's not much better.
It's not.
Posted by StarFire (Member # 748) on :
Got both of you beat. I'm a Wal-Mart cashier of three years. My store manager earns $100,000/year and I make waaaayyyy below poverty level. I see something wrong with this picture...and those "wonderful Wal-Mart benefits" are a joke. pleh.
Anyway, about the creepy feeling stuff. Been there and done that. Still won't go into a certain college building at the U of Kentucky in Lexington. Something is just...wrong there.
Posted by UM. (Member # 239) on :
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