Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Foreign I'm Ben and welcome to the show where you and I gather around this campfire to hear some of our fellow campers scariest experiences. Whether you're a new or returning one, I'm glad you're here. Tonight we'll hear a story submitted by a camper named Dylan, who wrote me a story about his time working as a barista in a haunted coffee shop.
[00:00:26] Now, without further ado, do you want to hear a ghost story?
[00:00:33] Have you ever opened a cafe by yourself at 4am There's a stillness that early, like the world isn't awake enough to notice you.
[00:00:42] Or maybe it just doesn't care you're there.
[00:00:47] My name's Dylan. When I was 23, fresh out of college and back in my hometown after burning out hard from school, I moved in with my brother, picking up a job at this indie coffee shop on Main Street.
[00:01:01] Kindred Grounds was a weird little place, but it had this cozy vibe, though it felt fake, like someone bought all this furniture at once from a Pinterest board called Haunted Chic.
[00:01:18] Anyways, I wasn't trying to be ambitious there. I just needed money and something to do until I found a real job.
[00:01:25] My manager, Kelsey, was always flustered and a little bit behind, so she offered me more shifts if I was willing to open.
[00:01:35] She said she hated mornings.
[00:01:37] I said, yeah, sure, because back then I didn't know how to say no to things.
[00:01:42] The first time I opened solo was a Thursday.
[00:01:45] I remember because I had plans that afternoon and thought it would be easy go in, go out, be done with my shift.
[00:01:55] It was really dark when I got there, like real dark.
[00:01:59] I always forget that sometimes the morning before sunrise is just the night.
[00:02:05] It was the kind of dark where the street lights barely made any dents.
[00:02:09] I walked to work half asleep and didn't see a single other person at all. Not one car, not even in the homeless people and a few of them used to sleep next to the antique store right next door to the coffee shop.
[00:02:24] When I finally got to the cafe, something felt off.
[00:02:28] The windows were fogged over completely, even though it was cool and dry inside.
[00:02:34] I wiped a little circle and peered in total darkness.
[00:02:39] I unlocked the door and the little bell overhead gave its usual ding, but inside the cafe didn't smell right.
[00:02:48] It usually smelled like cinnamon and espresso, but that morning it smelled like mildew, like wet books, like something metallic underneath it all.
[00:03:00] I hit the light switch. The fluorescent buzz came on overhead and bathed the place in this green, sticky light.
[00:03:08] The espresso machine didn't hum like usual. It kind of groaned when it booted up, like it was being woken up against its will.
[00:03:17] Still, I told myself it was just a weird morning, that I was awake earlier than usual.
[00:03:24] I went through my normal opening routine.
[00:03:28] Grinders, ovens, prep.
[00:03:31] But when I turned to the cold brew tap, I stopped.
[00:03:35] It was dripping. Not like one or two drops, but a steady trickle, which was weird because I hadn't remembered hooking up the keg yet.
[00:03:45] I knelt down to double check, but nothing was connected.
[00:03:49] Still drip, drip drip ding. I heard the bell above the door chime.
[00:03:57] The front door was still locked.
[00:03:59] I locked it behind me when I came in.
[00:04:02] I peeked around the counter but there was no one. No cars outside, no footsteps.
[00:04:07] I told myself I was imagining things and moved on.
[00:04:11] But then I saw these small wet footprints leading to the middle of the cafe and then to the back hallway.
[00:04:20] I didn't want to follow them.
[00:04:22] I didn't want to go look.
[00:04:24] But I did.
[00:04:26] It was almost as if every urge in me told me not to do it, but there was some sort of primal instinct drawing me closer.
[00:04:34] I guess maybe horror movies aren't so far fetched.
[00:04:38] The footprints stopped halfway down the hallway, just ended. They didn't turn, they didn't smudge. Almost as if the person making them disappeared.
[00:04:47] In hindsight, it was at this point that I should have left.
[00:04:51] But I didn't. I guess because part of me wanted to know, wanted to make sense of what was going on.
[00:04:59] I walked to the end of the footprint line slowly, then checked the bathroom, storage closet.
[00:05:06] Both empty.
[00:05:08] I heard a knock from the walk in fridge.
[00:05:11] I didn't immediately move, but her Another knock came shortly after, this time louder.
[00:05:18] Then came the voice right behind the walk in door.
[00:05:22] You forgot to lock up coffee shop last night.
[00:05:26] It felt small, childlike.
[00:05:30] It didn't ask me a question. It made a statement.
[00:05:33] I reached for the walk in handle and stopped because right at my feet I noticed another footprint. Fresh wet.
[00:05:42] I hadn't heard anyone walk back here.
[00:05:46] I looked down the hallway, looked back at the cafe and where the footsteps had stopped earlier. I now saw them heading all the way to the walk in.
[00:05:57] And I finally made this realization.
[00:05:59] This curiosity about the paranormal, about what was happening in this coffee shop was not worth it.
[00:06:06] There was nothing back here. There was nothing in this coffee shop for me. But whatever it was that wanted me to open that walk in door, but I wasn't going to give it that. I turned around, walked to the counter, shut everything down and left.
[00:06:23] I didn't clock out. I didn't even lock the front door behind me, just got in my car and drove around until the sky turned to pink.
[00:06:31] Kelsey, my manager texted me a few hours later.
[00:06:34] Hey, thanks for opening but where are you and did you spill some of the cold brew? It smells weird in here lol.
[00:06:43] I never responded.
[00:06:45] I just came in and quit the next day.
[00:06:47] I do work nights still, but the hours are cleaner, more stable, and the place where I work now has no weirdness going on.
[00:06:59] I work as a janitor in an office building, which admittedly you'd think would be just as weird as that barista night, but it's not.
[00:07:09] I still drive past the cafe sometimes on my way to work.
[00:07:13] Honestly, around the same time at 4:00am the windows, just like that night are always fogged over, but sometimes I swear I see a small face inside thank you Dylan for allowing me to share your story.
[00:07:26] This is one that has been buried in my inbox for months now and just getting to it.
[00:07:31] But I loved the setup.
[00:07:34] Maybe I just have a dream of working in a coffee shop. And Dylan, if I'm being honest, I think you could have stuck it out a ghost for three cups of coffee. I mean, that's what I would have done. I think I would have become friends with Casper.
[00:07:50] But with that, I have no show announcements this week. If you'd like a shout out at the end of an episode, head over to patreon.com T100Here Ghost Story as always, I'm just glad to have you all as campers on this journey. Please keep sharing the show with anyone you think might like these stories or someone you're just trying to scare. If you're enjoying the show, please leave a review. I would love to hear from you. Until next time.
