STRANGER THAN FICTION (PART ONE...)

I had just started working at this place and a month or two had probably passed by. Late one night, after just having finished assisting in a surgical procedure at the operating theatre, I was on my way out...going back home, (lest I got called again). I was on-call this particular week and boy was I exhausted! I remember I was the last person to leave the establishment. I had just switched off all the lights except for one: whose switch and bulb were situated strategically at the exit door.

I stopped to finally look around and see if everything was in place (in the event I got called again). Well, everything seemed to be in perfect order. As I glanced around, I remember having this eerie feeling that I wasn’t alone. I felt like someone was in there too…watching me and as if on cue, I immediately shot a glance at the semi dark corridor because the light at the exit door slightly illuminated the entire corridor hall.

That is when I spotted something staring back at me.

It looked like it had been standing there for a while just staring at me, only that I hadn't noticed. It was a woman. A woman with a pale face adorned in what looked like a tattered albeit glowing, flowing white gown. We both stared at each other for what seemed like a micro second and then she darted away...well, kind of glide away into the next room. I remember her reaction; like she was afraid and mortified that I had seen her.

Believe it or not, I immediately put on the corridor switch and darted towards the said room and put on its light switch too. I found nothing. Everything was just as they usually were...I mean, it’s our establishment's store room, so I knew it very well.

I shook my head in amazement. “I’m imagining things…probably it is the exhaustion…", I reassured myself. I remember how on that particular day I had been working from morning to literally the next morning, ok...early morning coz it was only 1:15am..."

I put off the switch once again, took one last look around and headed for the door. I remember once again staring at the corridor...at the very spot where I saw her...rather where I 'thought' I saw her. I saw nothing. I shook my head and made for the exit door. I approached it, killed the light switch, opened it, took one last look around and then closed it, locked it and off I went, making sure that I left the establishment’s key at the guard’s station.

The rest of the night panned out well. I slept well and woke up later in the morning, took a shower and reported back to work.

All went on well...and I forgot about the incident.

Days, nights, weeks, months all passed by. All was well.

Now, one day, we were at work with 2 of my colleagues. It was a lazy day. We were having a hearty chat as we laughed out loud. In the middle of our anecdotes, I recalled this particular night…the night that I thought I saw something...or rather someone. So I decided to mention it to my colleagues as a ‘by the way’. I went, "by the way, there is this particular night when I was just about to leave work and I thought I saw something....” I then went ahead and described the story in detail, after which I brushed it off.

However, an awkward silence immediately followed and I remember how the look on my colleagues' faces changed. They kind of gave each other knowing glances and one of them looked down at his feet as if giving the other one (the elderly one) cue to say something. The elderly one (who had worked in that particular establishment for ages), looked straight into my eyes, leaned forward, and asked me in a hushed tone: Him: how did she look like?....which room did she go to? Suddenly, chills ran down my spine. “Might I have actually seen something?” I wondered to myself. Me: I already told you...the store room.

He then gave me a long hard stare and without batting an eyelid, went on to ask, "have you mentioned this story to anyone else?". “No... I haven't”, I immediately replied then quipped, “.... I…I didn't think it was that serious...I thought I was probably hallucinating.... you know? ...with all the fatigue?" Him: (Nodding) Well...good. He then reclined back and asked, "well...who wants tea?".

What might I have just seen? Do they know something that I don’t know? I was now mortified! Watch out for Part 2: The conclusion.