Bartender Spirit
I've been readingstories on your page for a few days now, and they are allinteresting. My family has had many instances of spirit sightings-mostof them have been family members who have passed on just sayinggoodbye. Sometimes, they've come back after their deaths just tolet us know that they still love us and are watching over us.Well, my particular story has nothing to do with my family. Andeverything to do with the restaurant my husband worked for beforehe was transferred to a different location of the same restaurant.
This particular chain of restaurants(I will NOT name them-Ireally don't feel like being sued if you post this) usually rentsor buys older buildings that have a history. Well, thisparticular location used to be a restaurant called The ValleyFort. And that restaurant had been around for a while before therestaurant my husband works for (if you post this, please don'tuse my e-mail address-the muckety mucks don't need to find outthat I posted, and ride my husband over it) bought the place.
Well, the very first time I visited, I got a strange feeling justwalking in the door. And after a while, I noticed odd things hereand there. Since it's a restaurant with a full bar, late nightsare not uncommon, and I had the experience several times ofsitting at the bar and hearing someone walk over my head. Youcannot get on top of the roof of the restaurant withoutspecifically knowing how to get up there. It's not easy, and eventhen, there's nothing really to the roof itself-nor would youattempt it at one in the morning.
Also, one night, while sitting at the bar, I saw movement out ofthe corner of my eye (once again it was a late night, and I wasthe only person actually sitting at the bar, and I was watchingTV), and turned my head to watch in sheer terror as a wineglassturned, all by itself, from upside down, the way the bartendersplace them, to right side up.
I had odd experiences like this from time to time, and finallyasked my husband if he knew that the place was haunted. Andshortly after that, one of the cooks told him that the place hada ghost-without him asking. Then, his district manager told himthat he'd had an experience where he'd gotten there in themorning, with one of the cooks, and as they were both in theoffice, they both heard someone calling the district manager'sname. They split up and searched the restaurant, and found no onethere but the two of them. Another cook talked about cold spots,and seeing the outline of a person.
Finally, the district manager told my husband that they knew whothe ghost was. I will not name him-if you name something, you canvery well summon it, and I really don't care to do so. Thedistrict manager told my husband that the ghost was a bartenderfor The Valley Fort, who died behind the bar one night of a heartattack. He was very well-liked, and by all accounts very friendly.
Well, the experiences kept happening, and stupidly, I startedsaying goodbye to him at night, calling him by name. I learned mylesson by doing that, because after that, the last night that myhusband worked there before he transferred out, was when the lastexperience I had happened.
That particular night, I was sitting in the office with myhusband, just chatting, and I decided to go up front. Well, as Iwas in the doorway to the office, in between the office and thekitchen, I heard a deep, booming voice say, "Well, hello (myname)!" My husband told me that the next thing he knew-sincehe didn't hear the voice-was me screaming, and racing back intothe office, in hysterics, babbling about hearing him speak to me.He went out into the restaurant with the cordless phone and akitchen knife, looking for whoever it was that I'd heard. When hegot done searching, and didn't find anyone, he calmed me down abit and asked me what had happened. I told him, and I was stillgasping for breath, shaking, and crying all at the same time. Wemanaged to get our belongings together and get the hell out ofthere as quickly as humanly possible.
To this day, I will not go back there. Daytime, nighttime, Idon't care-I'm not going back. I don't want to hear the ghostcall me by name again, nor do I want him to appear in a morephysical form, either. I am so glad my husband was transferred. Icouldn't face going there to pick him up again. I hope that thespirit eventually passes over to the Other Side, but I think he'sstill there. Even the postal lady commented, coming in thebuilding once, that there was a spirit there-and she was shakenby it, too.
Thanks for taking the time to read this.