Hello! Thanks for taking my call. This was back in '84. I was working at an insurance office in Bloomfield, and I'd stop at the Piggly Wiggly on Oak Street every day after work. Around six, six-thirty. I'd been doing my shopping there for years, knew all the cashiers. My ex-husband used to do the shopping, but after the divorce I had to handle it myself. That's when I started noticing her. This woman, probably mid-thirties, blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail. She was always there when I came in. Always in aisle three. Always had the same items in her cart. A gallon of whole milk, a loaf of Wonder Bread, a package of Oscar Mayer bologna, and a bag of red delicious apples. Every single day. The exact same things. The thing is, she was always wearing the same outfit too. Blue cardigan, white blouse, khaki pants. Same position in the aisle, like she'd been placed there. I remember thinking it was odd, but you see the same people at the grocery store, right? People have routines. I had mine.
After about two weeks of this, I started paying more attention. I'd look for her as soon as I walked in. She was always there. Same spot, same cart, same items. Never at the checkout. Never leaving. Just standing there in aisle three with that cart. I asked Linda, one of the cashiers, if she knew who the woman was. Linda looked at me confused. Said she hadn't noticed anyone like that. But the thing is, how could you not notice? This woman was there every single day, wearing the exact same clothes. I started to feel like I was going crazy. So one evening, maybe three weeks in, I decided I was going to talk to her. I walked right up to her cart in aisle three. She was standing there, hand on the milk carton, staring at the shelves like she was reading something.
I said, 'Excuse me, I've seen you here before.' Something harmless like that. She turned to look at me. And when she did, her eyes, they flashed silver. Not like a reflection from the fluorescent lights. Like something behind her eyes lit up for just a second. Metallic silver, bright as a new dime. Then it was gone and her eyes were just normal brown eyes again. She didn't say anything. Just stared at me with this completely blank expression. No recognition, no surprise, nothing. Like I wasn't even there. Then she turned back to the shelf and kept staring at the milk. I backed away. Finished my shopping as fast as I could. My hands were shaking when I checked out. I told myself I'd imagined it. The fluorescent lights, the stress from work, something. I convinced myself it was nothing.
[ Story continues in the full game... ]