coffee+ghost stories

My hands are shaking, most probably from lack of sleep or the 2 mugs of coffee I drank during the night or probably both.

So I’ve said it. I have no real sleep yet and I’m still at the office, bloodshot eyes and all, since yesterday. For the record, I don’t smell 'that' yet but I admit I’m kinda feeling itchy.

This was unplanned, obviously. Our editor, sensing that there’d be an overturn of events in the next hours after some prominent people and groups have joined the call that the president should resign, asked if some of us could stay, but only for a couple hours longer. I had a special report due the next day, today, so I decided to be a “good girl” for once (I am not obedient to this particular editor).

But the supposedly couple-of-hours-longer wait turned into an overnight stay here in the newsroom.

My fellow reporter suggested we stayed overnight as she, too, wanted to confirm if the president was really here in Cebu (later on the night it was found out it was just a ruse to divert the public’s attention. But she’s due here today, daw.) This reporter was actually assigned at Church beat. Around this time she was still waiting for statements from her dear sources, the clergymen who, as of last night, were tight-lipped on this issue.

So there, we stayed up until four in the morning typing our reports, watched MTV in full volume when we heard some eerie noises in the background, or talked about ghost which were said to have haunted this newsroom. We actually heard a typing keyboard (a keyboard typing on its own, however you say it) from one of the deserted cubicles (others have heard of it, daw.) The newsroom had had a number of occupants, editors, reporters and a photographer, who passed away. Last night was my first overnight here, I heard a lot of ghost stories too like a crying lady in the CR, a man in white T-shirt (not white lady this time), etc. Actually one of the reasons I stayed was to personally experience 'it'.

The president decided not to come to Cebu “to seek sanctuary” so we got no story there. But i was able to make a draft of my special report plus my news story for today as i'm bound to go home and never to return until Monday.

But one I learnt from being awake most of the night, hey who could sleep with keyboard typing by itself and doors banging with no one near them (well according to one of my friends) and all the unexplainable occurrences the other night, was it did not feel good to stay up all night when you have to travel, on a public jeep, on your way back home. I don’t know if I'll still be alive the moment i'll need to say "para." God bless me.