04 March 2017 | Haunted locations, Your Stories, Your True Encounters
For much of my life I worked as a barber at a military base in California. When I first started at Victorville I noticed the frame on my mirror was broken. I thought nothing of it at first as there were several hairdressers, and sometimes we would grab the nearest mirror on our way to wax a client, or a client in general would use one. So, I assumed someone had accidentally broken it. No sweat.
I was issued another one but within a week the same thing happened. My boss questioned me in a joking manner as to how I kept breaking the frames. I joked back that at least it wasn’t the mirror and so no “bad luck” x 14, but in all seriousness, I had not caused it. This prompted me to bring in my own mirror because I had a suspicion that this wasn’t caused by any of the girls. I don’t know why, I just had the thought that there was something “other” happening.
While alone in the saloon late one night I spoke out loud telling any presence responsible for the breaking of mirror frames that I acknowledged them and to please leave my mirror alone. Thankfully, the frame stayed intact and I have it to this day.
A few months later one of us had to go outside of the salon to what we called the “cage” in customer service. It was located past the food court into the main shopping area at the back of the store. Employees were instructed to round the side of the counter where there was a makeshift window with no glass but a metal grate with an opening at the bottom for passing money, but the metal was all see-through. To the left of this were offices and all one had to do was lean back a bit to see into one of them and speak to whomever was seated at the desk.
On this particular day, I went to the cage for change. The lady behind the counter was busy and, as I didn’t have a client at the time, I relaxed and waited my turn, enjoying the “down time”.
For no particular reason, I found myself passing the time by looking across from me at the “framed” awards hanging on the wall. Out of nowhere I watched one of the awards come out from its place as if someone were standing there taking it down. It was suspended around a half second and then came out from the wall about a foot in slow motion and drop to the floor! I stood there in shock while my mind tried to process what I know for darn sure my eyes witnessed. At that moment, it was like I had panoramic vision and was hyper alert as I took in the entire scene around this happening. Customers at the counter didn’t seem to notice and the gal working behind the counter didn’t either although she bent down near it to retrieve a slip of paper she dropped. She even walked around and passed the award lying on the floor. Surely, they could hear the crash?! They seemed oblivious.
I don’t know what came over me, but I leaned back and looked into the office of a girl I barely knew but spoke to in passing. She looked at me, and the look on my face must have prompted something in her to give me her undivided attention. She said hello and I reciprocated and was so shaken that I blurted out, “Um, Trish, I just watched an award come off the wall in slow mode, and it didn’t look natural.” She smiled and told me that that was “Blank” and “Blank” who had died in a house fire long before the base was built. I stood in her doorway as she unfolded the history on “Blank” and “Blank” and many other spirits residing there.
Trish hosted a retirement party for one of the girls who worked there. She and several other office employees hired a psychic medium for said party. The psychic told them that “Blank” and “Blank” were mother and daughter who were trapped in a prairie-type fire in the 50’s. They waited on the husband/father to come save them but he was at work. I told her about the mirrors and she just smiled and said they are letting you know they are around. She also told me that the salon had been the old barracks back in the early 60’s and a soldier hung himself there. Also, in the loading dock area was such a menacing presence the cart boy refused to put carts away or retrieve them.
Trish told me another story about an office manager’s encounter. When closing at night, the main lights had to be shut off at the back of the store. The manager shut down everything and made her way to the front of the store via emergency lighting that stayed on to lock up and exit. As she got to the exit, all the lights came back on. This spooked her, I was told, but she found the courage to go back through that store and shut them down again.
From that day forward I acknowledged all the spirits asking them to please leave mirrors, lights and even doors alone because my boss, who was VERY religious, would not understand or believe and I needed to keep my job. They respected me, for which I am thankful.
I have many other experiences that I hope I will be able to share with you in the future.
Carl Landon, California
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