I remember I was working in an office near the central district, or rather to be more specific, Orchard area. I was then just a temp staff. I was always the typical skeptical person, always disbelieving in spirits/ghouls/gods and any other stuff which I’ve considered as supersition. But after the encounter, I know otherwise. Having to rush my report one day, I worked till 7pm or so. I remember it was a Friday then, and all my colleagues have left earlier, at 5.30pm. It was only me and another Indian colleague left in the whole office. Having slaved throughout the whole day, I was naturally tired and went to the office pantry for a hot drink of coffee.

As I was walking towards the pantry(we would always have to walk through a narrow pathway which leads to the pantry that is located at the very near of the whole office), I felt uneasy(which I don’t know why, I just felt uncomfortable and out of place there and then). Then it happened. I felt a tap on my shoulder. Naturally, I turned back and saw no one. Initially, I thought my colleague was playing a trick on me but realize that it’s impossible because the pathway was narrow and he would have no place to hide except to run away but that would require extremely fast speed and light footing. I dismissed it as shoulder cramps as I was typing out the report the whole day.

Thus, I continued my quest for hot coffee and when I was going out of the pantry, I distinctly felt another tap on my shoulder. It was harder and almost like a harder slap then. I turned back angrily(thinking it was a prank) but saw no one. And there was no one in the pantry room too! With shivers running down my spine, I dropped the cup of coffee I was holding on and ran out. Having reached my desk, I saw my Indian colleague faxing out some documents and he was halfway thru the thick stack. I knew it couldn’t be him and turned really pale upon that realization. He noticed it and asked me why.

I told him the whole story and he smiled knowingly. I asked him why and he told me that I must have met up with the “pantry babe”. It appears that the whole office already knew of this being that exists there. My colleague even told me that the building’s security guard can see her during night duty. One of the security guard, being a pious Hindu, could actually see her and even had conversations with her regularly. The being was a female ghost whom simply refuses to leave that place and it appears that the office pantry was her favourite spot. Another thing was that they actually claimed that the “lady” was “chio”, which had earned her the title of the “pantry babe”.

But I still can’t understand why she tapped/slapped me on my shoulders that fateful evening. I didn’t provoke her. However, this incident had thought me to respect the unknown, for even though we can’t prove that they exist, neither can we prove that they don’t. I’m now a Buddhist believer.