Grocery Shopping

"This place is haunted."

I looked at Ophelia, then at the gleaming lights, the shelves stocked with cans of food, then looked back at her.

"Ophelia," I said. "This place is a grocery store."

"I know, Rick, but it's also haunted," she said, with the faraway look in her eye she got at times like this. I just shook my head. Ophelia was the love of my life, but she was a little "out there". In the same way that Pluto was "out there".

"Seriously, a haunted grocery store? Haunted by what, a giant marshmallow man?"

"Very funny. You know I'm sensitive to the other realm. I just feel something off." She started walking slowly down the aisle and stopped at the end.

"Do you feel it? It's colder here."

"That's because we're standing in front of frozen foods."

"No, right here, where I'm standing."

I passed my hand over her head. Okay, maybe it did feel a bit cooler, but that could have been the power of suggestion.

"Rick, I think something terrible happened here."

"Like what? Somebody grabbed the regular carrots when they wanted organic?" She turned and gave me her "don't push it" look. I held up my hands.

"Okay, fine, I get you believe something happened, but it's just a grocery store. Here we can ask one of the locals." I flagged down a passing stock boy.

"Could you tell us if anything, well, odd or violent happened on this spot?" He went instantly from bored indifference to indignation.

"Is this some kind of sick joke?"

"No," I said, surprised. "We're new in town, we don't know any local history."

"A woman was murdered right where you're standing." I looked at Ophelia in shock.

"I'm not sure she left," she said.