Lunch Break

[00:00:00] Foreign. [00:00:06] 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. [00:00:15] Whether you're a new or returning camper, I'm happy to have you. [00:00:20] Death is something we all experience, but it's something we all process in different ways. [00:00:26] So it's curious that whenever you ask someone about death that there's a good to fair chance they will describe to you a dark and gloomy rendition of it. [00:00:36] But tonight we will hear a story sent in by a camper named Jeannette Wilbury about her experience being haunted by a man who she saw die in the middle of a bright spring day in the middle of a public park on her lunch break. [00:00:51] Now, without further ado, do you want to hear a ghost story? [00:00:58] A few years back, before the pandemic held us all captive, I used to stop at a park not far from work to eat lunch. [00:01:06] By day it was a picture of peacefulness, a large shimmering lake in the sun while ducks and geese glided across its mirrored surface. [00:01:17] Not far from the lake was a blooming rose garden that framed a white gazebo like something out of a postcard. [00:01:24] But I had been warned more times than I could count not to go near the park after dark. [00:01:30] The city was known for its rougher edges and a large struggling homeless population. [00:01:38] As a young woman on her own, I was told I'd be an easy target. [00:01:43] Still, during the daylight hours, the park was my little oasis, an ideal place to enjoy a salad or a caramel macchiato in peace. [00:01:54] I still remember the date all this happened. It was a Tuesday, March 24th. [00:02:00] I had just dropped off some packages at the downtown post office and was headed back to work when I realized I'd forgotten to pack a lunch. [00:02:08] It was one of those rare, perfect spring days. [00:02:11] Blue skies with those soft, fluffy clouds that you could only dream of. [00:02:15] I decided to treat myself. I stopped at my favorite little hole in the wall Chinese place, picked up some kung pao chicken and chow mein. [00:02:24] From there, I headed to the park. [00:02:26] I didn't want to rush back to work, so I parked in my usual spot and rolled down the window to let a breeze in. [00:02:33] I sat there picking up my takeout when something caught my eye. [00:02:38] There was a man lying under trees near the bathrooms. [00:02:43] He looked out of place, not that his outfit was strange, khaki pants and a pink polo shirt. [00:02:50] I suppose it was more so that people who dressed like that weren't usually sleeping under trees in the park. [00:02:58] Even from several car Lengths away, I noticed his leather shoes polished to a faint shine. [00:03:04] For several long minutes I watched him as a knot of unease settled into my stomach. [00:03:11] He didn't even move an inch. [00:03:13] I debated with myself. [00:03:15] Should I get out and check on him? Should I just mind my own business? [00:03:20] Before I could decide, another car pulled up, parking a little bit closer to where he was than I. [00:03:26] A woman stepped out. Dressed in a maroon jogging suit, she took a few steps. When she abruptly stopped, staring down at the man, I could see the tension in her shoulders, even from where I sat. [00:03:39] Then, without hesitation, she knelt down beside him and began performing cpr. [00:03:45] She must have been a nurse, a doctor, someone with medical training, because she had no hesitation, no panic, just instincts. [00:03:55] After a minute or two, she paused and stepped back, quickly pulling out her phone. I can only assume she was the one who called for help. [00:04:03] I pulled out of the parking lot just as two police cruisers pulled in. [00:04:07] They passed me with their lights flashing but their sirens silent, seemingly confirming what I already knew in my gut. [00:04:14] That the man was dead. [00:04:17] But how? [00:04:19] Had it been natural causes? Or had it been something else? [00:04:23] Should I have done more? [00:04:25] Or should I have at least felt more alarmed to see this? [00:04:29] I felt a strange sort of detachment. I guess during that same lunch hour, I had watched parents push their toddlers on swings just past the bathrooms. [00:04:39] If they hadn't seemed concerned, why should I have been? [00:04:44] Still, something gnawed at me, a whisper of unease that I couldn't quite shake. [00:04:49] That evening, curiosity got the better of me. [00:04:52] I drove past the park again, slowing near the turn in. [00:04:57] But a corner's van was parked deliberately, blocking the view of the area, and yellow crime seam tape fluttered in the breeze, wrapped around several trees where the man was laying, warning all passersbyers to stay clear. [00:05:10] In the days that followed, I scoured the news, social media, and newspapers, anything that might explain what had happened. [00:05:19] But I found nothing. [00:05:22] Not a single mention. [00:05:24] You'd think if someone had been killed or died in a public park during lunchtime, it would have made some headline, but there was nothing anywhere about it. [00:05:37] I avoided the park for a few months after that. [00:05:40] Every time I passed, I got this weird chill in my spine. [00:05:45] But one afternoon in July, a few months later, I was caught in a pretty massive traffic jam after work. I figured I'd burn less gas if I just pulled in somewhere and parked. [00:05:55] So I pulled into this park. [00:05:57] Figured I couldn't go anywhere anyways, but I could still enjoy my old view. [00:06:02] The park was too quiet. [00:06:06] I cracked my window leaned back and watched the breeze ripple across the lake's surface. [00:06:11] Eventually, a flock of geese flew overhead, honking and squabbling at each other as they glided onto the lake. [00:06:18] And then out of the corner of my eye, I caught a flash of pink. [00:06:22] When I turned, I saw him. [00:06:26] The man in the pink polo shirt. He was standing perfectly still, the far end of the lot, right near the edge of the trees. [00:06:35] His posture was unnaturally calm, like he'd just been waiting there this whole time. [00:06:42] For one bone chilling moment, I thought he was going to walk over to me. [00:06:45] My hands froze on the steering wheel. Then I blinked and he was gone. [00:06:51] Just like that. [00:06:52] I don't remember pulling back onto the road. [00:06:55] I only remember the feeling in my chest, tight, cold and crawling. [00:07:00] I tried to tell myself it was nothing. [00:07:03] Maybe it was guilt, some delayed reaction for not checking on him that day. Or maybe it was just a trick of the hot weather or the sunlight bouncing off my car. [00:07:13] But a week later, on my way to work, I passed the park again and there he was, standing just beyond the entrance, just behind the park sign. [00:07:24] He stood there motionless, watching cars speed by. [00:07:30] Shocked, I swerved and nearly rear ended the car in front of me, my hands again shaking my eyes kept turning to the rearview mirror, half expecting to see him chase after me. [00:07:41] But again, he was just gone. [00:07:44] I drive past this park still every day for work, but I've never seen him again. Again, thank you Jeanette for allowing me to share your story. [00:07:54] Your story was brooding in the most horrific of ways. [00:08:01] I don't know what I would do if I was in your shoes, but something tells me that because you've only seen him the twice that he's not really haunting you. [00:08:11] Perhaps he doesn't blame you at all, not checking on him. [00:08:15] In fact, I take your story as a sort of acknowledgement. Maybe he could sense your guilt around what had happened and he was just letting you know it was okay. [00:08:27] I have no show announcements this week, but if you'd like a shout out at the end of an episode or access to our camp's monthly bonus episodes, head over to patreon.com do you want to hear a ghost story? [00:08:37] But as always, I'm just glad to have you all as campers on this journey. [00:08:42] Please keep sharing the show with anyone you think might like these stories or someone you're just trying to scare. If you are enjoying it, please leave a review. I would love to hear from you and it really helps the show grow. [00:08:56] Until next time.