My last job was at a building that was built in the late 90’s for that company, all steel and glass. So, when a co-worker told me he was working early one morning before anyone came in and watched a woman in a long white gown cross in front of his cubicle row and down towards the atrium before vanishing, the juxtaposition between this old-timey phantom and this space that still had its first coat of paint was jarring. I never saw anything in my 18 years at that place, despite some early-early mornings and late nights occasionally, but encountering the cleaning crew that would come in long after we were all supposed to be gone made me wonder what kind of stories they might have…

“Mirabel, can I have a word?” my boss, Delores, asked as I was helping my crew put our equipment away. It had been a long shift and I was ready to go home and check on my little boy.

“Yeah, absolutely,” I said, detouring into her office.

“I know you probably want to get out of here, so I’ll keep this short. A spot has opened on the crew that handles the Baylight Building on Montgomery…”

I’d only been at Golden West Facilities for a little over six months, so I’m still pretty low in the pecking order which means I get the jobs no one who’s been here longer wants. We’re talking after hours gym cleaning, warehouse restrooms with broken ventilation systems… you get the idea. By contrast, the fancy office buildings like the Baylight Building are considered peach assignments – not one I expected to be offered for some time.

My face must have shown my excitement because Delores put up a hand. “Don’t get too excited,” she warned. “It’s six stories and I need you on deep-clean for floors one to three.”

“Okay…” I asked hesitantly because I didn’t see what was so bad so far…

“This role has turned over quite a few times because…” she paused and rolled her eyes. “Because supposedly the third floor is haunted – if you believe in that stuff.”

I absolutely believed in that “stuff” but not enough to not take the position.

“Normally, I’d brush it off as overactive imaginations, but like I said, I’ve had a few people demand reassignments anywhere or outright quit because of this job and they all claim it’s haunted. So, I figured I should at least pass the word along and let you know before you take the role—”

“I’m in.” I said quickly.

Delores nodded slowly, “Okay, great. I’ll let Edgar know – he’s supervisor on that job. You’ll meet him tomorrow. No change in your schedule – that works for you, right? You’ve got a little boy, right?”

“Diego, yes,” I smiled thinking of him at home sleeping. “That works fine.”

“Perfect. Thanks, Mirabel.”

“Thank you!” I said and practically bounced out of the office.

The next evening I met Edgar – a laughing man in his fifties. “Did Delores explain your role?” he asked.

I shook my head, “Not beyond saying it’s haunted.”

Edgar’s jovial demeanor faded. “Yeah, well, that’s what they say. I haven’t personally seen anything, but there’s something on the third floor. You’re on deep clean for floors one through three. Joyce and Tina will start ahead of you on trashes, but you’ll be alone down there.” He made an effort to look me in the eyes. “Is that okay?”

I made sure to give a reassuring smile, “Totally fine, thank you.”

“Alright, then. You’ve got your radio. Check in when you move floors and let me know if you have any issues.”

I nodded and headed off for the first floor.

By the time I made it to the second floor, I realized why these buildings were prize assignments. The office workers were… easy. I mean, the men can’t seem to hit the urinals with any regularity, but that’s universal. But even the break rooms were minimal maintenance. The second floor was much like the first and before I knew it I keyed the radio to let Edgar know floor two was done and I was moving to floor three.

“Good luck, Mirabel,” he said unusually solemnly.

What had I gotten myself into?

The infamous third floor didn’t appear any different than the second floor. Only the minimal lights were on after hours – that might sound creepy, but it’s just part of working late. The building’s HVAC sounds more pronounced when there’s no one but you around and no office machines to distract. Honestly, I found it really peaceful, not scary.

I was vacuuming the main cubicle space when my vacuum abruptly stopped. I figured I’d pulled the power cord out, but when I traced it back to the outlet, I saw the plug still securely in the socket. Then, across the floor, the vacuum roared to life again. I rolled my eyes and kept going.

Halfway through mopping the men’s room, the water in the sinks turned on one at a time, ran for a few seconds, and then turned off. Then the toilets started flushing on their own. I’d just scrubbed them and was letting the cleanser sit while I mopped before flushing them myself, so I said out loud, “Thanks for doing that for me.” In response, the door I had propped open abruptly slammed shut. “Geez, you try to thank a ghost…” I mumbled under my breath.

While I wiped the long wooden table in the main conference room, the big television screen turned on. The company logo flashed up for a few moments before switching to a view of the sun setting over the bay as seen from the top floor of the building, except the view wasn’t right…

“That’s not,” I said aloud. “The shoreline is further back than that.” The view was clearly from a lower perspective and only a single road separated the viewer ostensibly on the top of this building and the lapping bay.

“That’s how it was,” a quiet voice answered.

I raised an eyebrow and responded, “Is this how it was for you?”

The apparition of a woman in high-necked cotton blouse and long dark skirt materialized next to the television, her eyes fixed on me in a menacing way. “Yes,” she said solemnly before grinning and saying – I swear to god – “Boo!”

I furrowed my brow, having never actually heard a ghost say something so… cliché. “Boo?” I asked.

“Boo!” the ghost repeated, though her smile had faded.

I tilted my head. “Does… does that usually work?”

“Always!” she said, a little disappointed. “You’re supposed to run screaming! Well, usually the bathroom gets them first. Only one woman made it to ‘Boo.’ But, my goodness, you should have seen her jump!”

I nodded thoughtfully, “I can imagine…”

“But… you? Nothing?”

I shook my head and sighed. “Sorry, no. You’re not my first ghost.”

“No?”

“Not remotely. That honor goes to my abuela.”

“Your…?”

“Grandmother.”

“Ah… well… this is awkward,” she said, steepling her fingers. “I… uh… don’t know what to do now. You’re supposed to be terrified.”

“So I’m told,” I responded. We stared at each other for a long moment. “I’m Mirabel,” I said, introducing myself.

“Clara,” she nodded back graciously.

“Pleased to meet you, Clara,” I said truthfully.

“It’s good to meet you, Mirabel…” she said hesitantly.

“May I ask how long you’ve been here?”

“Well, since all the people left. I couldn’t wait to see who they sent in this time. The last woman lasted almost a week – the tv got her,” she said pleased with herself.

“No, I meant how long have you been a ghost?”

“Oh…” she said, then thought about it. “Oh,” she said more seriously. She sat heavily in one of the conference chairs, staring into space, thinking. “Well… since the fire…” She looked up at me. “The buildings shook terribly. And then the fire came… I came back into the building because I thought my sister was still inside – we were both seamstresses here.” Her face took on that faraway look again. “She wasn’t up here, but by that point…” Her shoulders slumped.

I nodded. “You couldn’t make it back out?”

“Yes,” she said quietly. “And I’ve been here – well, whatever has been here – ever since. Goodness, this is the most I’ve talked since before the fire!” A bright smile creased her translucent face.

“Well, Clara, I still have the rest of the floor to clean. Would you like to keep me company? I’d love to hear more about what you’ve seen and experienced.”

“Really?” she asked brightly.

“Absolutely,” I smiled back. “It gets lonely after hours.”