Vapouround magazine Issue 14 | Page 225

thor juice: a christmas haunting W W W . T H O R J U I C E . C O . U K Many are the tales of supernatural activity along the south coast of England and these do not go without merit (with the exception of the one about me written in the public toilets). Battle after battle with our now European allies were waged on these shores and it is said that the white chalk cliffs would weep blood tears from the fallen men and women of these treacherous times. It is not just on land that lives have been lost as many a ship has met its peril against this coast line. I am sure we would shudder if we knew what volume of sea men has been cast into sea. Who knows how many lost souls wander the Sussex downs and the cold dark places of Eastbourne in the depths of night when the fog rolls in from the sea and the wind howls through the masts on the docked sail boats. And even more so when the clubs kick out a 2am. A casual glance from the outside at the headquarters of Thor Juice Ltd would give the average person no cause for concern. The blood sprayed up the side of the wall and the broken bottles strewn about the place are neither here or there, and are in keeping with the general aesthetic of the area. It would appear to be just like any one of the numerous business units in this industrial estate. Little would the unsuspecting observer know that inside this particular unit something foul lurks. No, not the out of date macaroni cheese in the fridge but something that is tormenting the poor staff who work there; strange things have been occurring within these four walls for which no rational explanation can be given. I beg you, if you are faint of heart then read no further as the following accounts will trouble your thoughts and haunt your dreams. 1 2 3 It is an experience most of the staff at Thor Juice have had. Wandering through the lower floor of the warehouse people have sensed a foul smell in the atmosphere emanating from the front door next to the toilet. Could this be the the the apparition of a drowned victim, plunged into the cold icy waters and dragged to the bottom of the sea? People who have used the toilet have reported not being able to get back out. An evil and menacing cackle has been heard just outside the toilet door on such occasions. It’s almost as if some cruel soul has propped the door closed with a broom handle. Ashley the brave lab manager is always first at the scene to help the poor victim out. Maybe it is this bravery that has deterred the evil spirit from ever trapping him in there. We house a liberal working environment at Thor Juice and the use of mobile phones is tolerated by company directors Thoren & Katy Webster. They are not however tolerated by whatever spectral entity has taken home in these premises. Phones go missing, and then they reappear full of strange photos. Sometimes of a broom handle propped up against the toilet door. Sometimes of Ashley's face. Any rational mind must surely deduce that this same spectre that is taking these pictures is also responsible for the horrors of the toilet. It does not end there though as its victims often find cruel remarks and vulgar posts left on their social media. This troubles Ashley so much so that he never leaves his phone unattended . Most of us drive to work. We come from far afield and we all take pride in our cars. Maybe this has been sensed by our ghostly presence; perhaps it yearns to torment us in every conceivable way. Many is the day that we have wandered out into the car park after a hard days work and driven off, sometimes with a stop at the supermarket to pick up some goods or to collect our children from school before finally arriving home only to then realise that we have had (crudely written with black marker pen on plain paper) “I suck cocks for free” stuck to the front and back of our cars. This would probably happen more frequently if it was not for Ashley creeping out into the car park every once in a while, presumably to try and scare the spectre away. We need not ask why he prefers to cycle to work in light of such harrowing occurrences. What is that terrifying sound that can be heard from upstairs directly above the lab? Is this why Ashley has the radio up so loud playing his favourite tunes, to drown out the menacing howls? What unearthly being is hiding peoples mods at lunchtime? Where does the odious matter not unlike ectoplasm that cakes the inside of the microwave after Ashley has eaten lunch come from? Will these mysteries ever be revealed to us? Will we ever get respite from these hauntings? Can Ashley maintain such bravery for his troubled workmates? The smile on his face would suggest he can. VM14 | 223