By Tim Binnall
A Boston suburb is buzzing after a woman reported seeing what she believes was a ghost lingering in the aisle of a grocery store. The odd incident occurred last Wednesday evening at a Market Basket in the town of Wilmington. According to the witness, she was in the bakery department when she looked up and suddenly spotted an elderly woman wearing Victorian-era clothing directly across from her in the frozen food aisle.
After looking away for a brief moment, the woman was astonished to discover that the mysterious visitor had vanished. An attempt to find the oddly-attired shopper proved futile and left the witness wondering if perhaps she had seen a ghost. In a testament to our modern world, she later reported the experience on a Facebook page for residents of the town and, as these things are wont to do, the story subsequently took on a life of its own with dozens of people responding to the spooky account.
Alongside a fair share of ribbing about the tale, a handful of residents reportedly chimed in with claims of seeing a similar ghost either at a different location in the town or 'sensing' that the grocery store was haunted. The story soon spread to nearby towns and was picked up by local media, which is how it ultimately landed on my desk. And, much to my delight, I discovered that the grocery store in question is, in fact, a short drive from my home and one that I've frequented in the past.
So, since I rarely have the opportunity to personally investigate such a tale, I ventured to this Market Basket in Wilmington last night in search of the alleged ghost. When asked at the service desk about the reported apparition, the young lady working there immediately knew what I was talking about and reacted as if I was far from the first person to mention the topic that day. Although she insisted that she'd never seen a spirit in the store, she did provide me with directions to the very spot in the freezer aisle where the sighting took place.
Alas, when I arrived at the display for frozen vegetables that may have once also played host to a Victorian-era spirit making a brief visit to the realm of the living, the only cold chill came from the massive refrigeration unit. Hoping that the ghost might materialize eventually, I hung around in the area for a few minutes, but eventually boredom won out when it was clear that the apparition was not going to make an appearance. And so, as often happens on paranormal investigations, my foray into the freezer aisle in search of spirits ended with little to show for it aside from a strange story and, in this instance, some Hot Pockets for snacking on later that night.