In a conversation emerging from your apartment living room, it’s becoming increasingly clear your roommate, Madison, thinks your apartment is haunted by a ghost who has a singular obsession: taking out the recycling.
“Have you noticed some strange things happening around the house lately?” Madison whispered as you passed her in the living room. “Like…haunted things?”
You hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary and said as much, but Madison urged you to sit down and discuss the matter with her in a terrified whisper.
“I just keep hearing this sound in the morning…and sometimes in the early evening,” she continued. “And when I come into the living room, it’s like…some stuff has been moved.”
You leaned in closer upon hearing this, as you’ve always believed in ghosts and have a deep deference for the paranormal.
“What stuff has been moved? Like, mirrors and things?” you asked, glancing around the room.
“Well, mostly it’s the cardboard and paper products from the kitchen,” she replied.
This confused you, as it seemed like a strange thing for a ghost to take a special interest in. You asked if this meant the cardboard was moved to a different place in the kitchen, but Madison denied it.
“No, it’s even stranger,” she continued. “It’s always, like, gone. Fully gone! And I have no clue where it goes. Sometimes, certain hard plastics and empty cans of soda are also gone.”
At this point, you realized Madison was describing the recycling, which she has never once taken out.
“Just curious, girl,” you continued, prodding now. “Am I ever around when this happens?”
“No! That’s just it!” she responded, clearly getting more excited. “The last time it happened, I ran to your room to see if you’d heard it, too, and you weren’t even there. Isn’t that crazy? It’s just when I’m alone!”
By now, you were pretty sure Madison was describing the most recent time you took out the recycling.
“Was it two days ago? Which is trash day, coincidentally?” you asked, seeing if she could come to the correct conclusion on her own. “Just curious because that’s the last day I took out the recycling.”
Madison sat with this for a few moments, deep in thought.
“Ummm, no it was some other time,” she continued, shrugging.
As of press time, Madison explained her related fear that there is a second ghost in the apartment who appears every week or two to clean the bathroom.
