Last night was just like any other night at work, at least I thought it was going to be. I work nights, don't get me wrong I love working at night I've never been much of a daytime person. I arrived at my post around 1900 hours and proceeded with an inspection and count of Inmates present. I returned to my desk to get my paperwork in order and to log into the computer. In front of my desk there is a recreation yard door with shatter proof windows making up about 70% of the doors its this way so when can observe the inmates while they're on the recreation yards doing whatever. The recreation yard has a basketball pole and in the corner a water fountain.
I was in the middle of logging into the computer when I heard a loud thud against the doors and watched a basketball falling away from them and simply stop in its place shortly after hitting the ground. The only question in my mind was, "Who the hell threw the basketball?" At night no inmates are allowed on the recreation yard. I went out to the yard and just looked around, it's a large area but completely surrounded with concrete and shatterproof glass windows with a razor wire and chain link for a ceiling. I looked around but so not even the slightest hint of someone else being out there. So I just stood around for a while just enjoying the slight feeling of being outside.
While just hanging out I looked back at the basketball and I observed the basketball start moving in odd directions (I say this because the floor slopes into a drain at the centre). I watched for about a minute or two as the basketball went up the slop, zig zag around and between several other balls that were on the yards floor. All in all it was an interesting sight to be seen. Trying to rationalize the situation didn't really help, there's not much room for wind to reach the floor level of the yard and besides that, it wasn't a windy even in the slightest. I've seen odd things happen here before so it really didn't surprise me as much as it should have I'm sure, so I returned to work.
The rest of the night was running smoothly, it was quiet I was reading a hunting book and just kind of relaxing. It started raining around 0330, I could hear the thunder and see lightning (though kind of ominous when shown through chain and razor wire) it was just a normal storm here in sunny Florida. I watched the storm for a little bit and then decided to walk through my dorm and perform an inmate check/count. It was around 0350 in the morning so everyone was "soundly" asleep in their cells. I began to walk upstairs when I heard the shower in the downstairs corner come on. The shower buttons are a simple but affective pressure switch that takes some force to get started they generally run for 15 minutes when activated (I know that because they're on a timer).
I continued my count and was not surprised in the least when everybody was still in their bunks asleep. I then went down to the showers and looked inside, as was to be expected no one was in the shower area minus myself. I waited for the timer to turn off the shower but fifteen minutes went by and it did shut off but then the one beside it would start and visa versa this continued for a while. Sometimes you just can't help but to chuckle about things that are out of your control so I just ignored it the best I could. Although other Officers kept walking by asking why I was letting inmates shower that early in the morning (wake up is a 0600). I got a little kick out of making them to go tell the "inmate" to get out of the shower. The look on their faces was well worth it.
It was about 0545 when the showers finally decided to stop for the night (morning: I work nights remember your morning is my night). During breakfast several inmates said I was being an a-hole for playing with the showers so early and taping on the cell doors throughout the night. It wasn't until some of the older inmates explained to the younger ones that I don't play games. The funny part is I've worked in this facility for going on 7 years now, so it's not all that new to me. But that "Deer in the headlight" frightened child look on a grown mans (Inmates) face when he puts 2 and 2 together still makes me laugh. It really shouldn't surprise them that an older building that has had nothing but negative experiences would be haunted.
Until next time I hope ya'll enjoy this one. I'll begin working on the one that was relayed to me when I get a chance!