It's best just to pretend you didn't see it
Working the overnight shift, popularly referred to as the graveyard shift, could be a great option for someone who likes to be home during the day, but it does have its drawbacks. One of the biggest cons of working these lonely hours is all the weird things that go on that you’ve got to deal with. You know what they say: freaks come out at night!
Credit: debradacija/Shutterstock
Weird Requests
Credit: Carlos Caetano/Shutterstock
I worked graveyards as a cashier at a pharmacy in college.
There was a man who would come in every single night, select a bottle of nail polish, and approach the female employee (there was only one of us at a time usually) and offer to buy it for us if we would come to his hotel room and let him watch us put it on. Management wouldn’t do anything about it. For all I know, he’s still doing it. (armadillorevolution)
Ghost Ship
Credit: Linda Bucklin/Shutterstock
I was a Maritime Officer aboard a containership many years ago, sailing in the Indian Ocean. During a night shift an object showed on the radar on collision course. We tried to get a visual confirmation but there was nothing to be seen (it was a clear night with an almost full moon and a calm sea). After waiting for almost an hour, where the radar indicated the object stayed on collision course with the same speed, and no visual confirmation, the captain was called. The five men on the bridge at that moment — of which 2 well seasoned officers and a captain — couldn’t figure out what was going on.
The captain decided to perform an evasive maneuver, the other ship ‘changed course’ together with us staying on collision course. Both radars gave an equal reading and ECDIS showed a ship with a name and call sign. We tried to reach the ship via VHF but couldn’t get a response. When the ships got closer it became very clear there was nothing above the water. Though it was most likely a malfunction the captain decided to muster in the lifeboats (while he waited on the bridge with the CEO) and be ready to deploy on impact. When the dot on the radar ‘collided’ with us it disappeared and nothing happened.
In the next harbour the radars were thoroughly checked by experts flown in but there was found to be nothing wrong. It was pretty scary. (InquisitiveAboutYou)
Turtle Trouble
Source: Imgur @MissTurtles
I worked third shift as a security guard at an aquarium. After a couple nights I started noticing the sound of desperate gasps for breath from one of the tanks. I kept investigating and kept finding nothing. Months this went on. I’d be doing my rounds and wheezing gasp would echo through the massive concrete building as though someone were drowning. Creeped me out the more I heard it and to make matters worse: none of the animals reacted to it. It was like I was the only one who heard it.
It was a turtle. (mike_d85)