Chilling Letter
With a smile, he instructed her to open it at home before leaving. However, something about this seemed off. She returned home feeling very uneasy about the package.
Since the whispers began and his conduct became more bizarre, she hadn't been really close to him. She inhaled deeply and opened the card, which sent a shiver down her spine. What was the text?
Christine Browne
It had only been a couple of months since Christine Browne joined a new marketing agency as an account manager. So far, she loved it and everyone seemed to love her, or so she thought.
Christine had a warm and welcoming personality. She was sweet and helpful but also loved to joke around and knew how to assert herself when needed.
Alone
Christine was new to the city of Dallas Texas, moving just for this job opportunity. She lived alone in an apartment and didn’t know anyone yet.
That’s why she made an extra effort to be friendly and approachable with everyone at her new job. It’s lonely in a new city without friends. But Christine could have never guessed what kind of friends she’d make.
Work Friends
Christine was delighted when she seemed to get on well with most people in the office. She often got invited out for work drinks and after-work activities.
But it was when she got moved to a different department that she really found a friend she could hang out with regardless of work obligations. But everything wasn’t as it seemed.
Best Friend
Christine first met her coworker, James, when she moved to a different department with her building. Although she had seen him around before, she had never spent much time with him.
From what she knew of him though, he seemed really nice and was always so friendly to her. It wasn't long before they ended up as great friends. Little did she know, he had a plan of his own.
Christine and James hung out when they could at work but also after work for drinks sometimes. It was always as friends as Christine wasn’t interested in anything more with James and as far as she knew, he felt the same.
That’s why they had a great friendship. They could laugh and joke together but it was just one big facade for him.
James
James was an ambitious and jealous man. He was also an account manager and saw everyone in his company as competition. He wanted to be the best. He was cunning and devious. It was one of his best-kept secrets.
But it wasn’t long before Christine began to see through his mask and notice his strange behavior.
Stage 5 Clinger
James always wanted to hang out with her. Even at work while she was busy working, he’d try to get her attention and distract her. It was becoming unprofessional and rumors started to spread that they were dating.
As a new member of the team, Christine didn’t like this and also had no interest in James so she set things straight.
Rejected
She quickly shot down any idea of them dating by confirming to everyone in the office and to James himself that they were just friends.
But James had a big ego. What started off as a joke, now became a source of humiliation for him, and as far as he was aware, how could she not like him? So, he decided to send her a package.
A Gift
To him, this was a gift to win her affection and to restore his bruised ego. He was the best in the office after all. So, he walked up to her with confidence, catching her alone at work, and gave her the card and package.
He told her to open it at home and then walked off with a wink. Something about this felt strange to Christine.
The Package
That night she went home with an inexplicable feeling of uneasiness around James' package. She hadn’t been as close to him since the rumors started and his escalating strange behavior.
What was he up to? With a deep breath, she opened the card and a chill ran down her spine. What did it say?
Creepy Love
James had given Christine a diary confession of his love for her. And in the accompanying package was a whole lot more of them.
The diary entries were all dated and detailed everything that happened that day. What she was wearing, how she acted, and what he thought about her. Christine’s skin crawled as her mind raced about what to do.
Calling In Sick
She called work the next day and called in sick. She needed time to think about how to deal with this situation.
How could she have gotten so close to someone so creepy?! After some debate, she decided to look for another job. She couldn’t work with someone that made her feel so uncomfortable and unsafe. She posted online for guidance.
Online Advice
She posted this crazy story online on an anonymous reddit forum and asked what others thought of how she was handling this.
Most agreed with getting away from him and looking for another job, but others told her he should be the one leaving and to press criminal charges against him.
New Job, New Friends!
However, Christine decided to leave regardless and she found another job relatively quickly. She was happy in another job and now much more careful about choosing friends in a new city!
Although she’s kept in contact with some of her previous work friends, she hasn’t seen James since. Last she heard he moved town. What would you have done?
The Right Decision
Although Christine was in a new town and had started her life over, she couldn’t help but think about what James had done. She had conflicted feelings. It was a very embarrassing situation.
She was a very private person that’s why she rather left her job than have to confront any of her colleagues about the incident.
The New Job
Christine was lucky to find a similar job in the same position. The people were friendly and they made her feel welcome. These are the perks of living in a small town she thought.
She didn’t tell anybody about what had happened to her at her old job. She didn’t want anyone to know. She didn’t think that anybody here knew about her past issue. But she would find out otherwise soon.
Wolf In Sheep's Clothing
One of the ladies who had been extra nice to Christine seemed to have something a bit off about her. She was just too nice, it was not normal.
Her name was Carol. She was always interrupting conversations and trying to help where she wasn’t needed. A real busybody, she was always asking personal questions about Christine too.
Fitting In
It was only a month that she was working there and things were going okay. Besides trying to focus on her new tasks and avoid Carol, she was getting back on her feet.
Her new boss was already impressed with her slick city skills. She was soon going to be top of her game here too.
The Walk Home
After a productive day at work, Christine headed home. She only stayed 3 blocks away from her office. It was one of the reasons she chose her apartment block. It was close to work and she had a ground unit with a small garden. It was just right for her.
It was a cool evening and there was an aromatic breeze in the air.
Something In The Air
As she walked across the street toward the second block, she looked around before crossing the street. All clear. There were some people walking on the other side.
The corner shop was busy with people buying groceries. What a quaint neighborhood she thought as she reached the third block.
New Apartment
As Christine reached the gate of her new place she couldn’t help feeling like she was being watched. She shrugged it off, “I’m just getting used to this place,” she said to herself. She looked around and locked the gate behind her.
She went inside her new place and breathed a sigh of relief as she flopped on the couch. Safe and sound.
Paranoia
Christine made her favorite Penne Arrabiata for dinner. She was in the mood for cooking. She suddenly had a taste for life. It was about 8:30 PM and she sat down to continue watching her favorite TV series.
As she was slurping her cheesy pasta, all of a sudden, a pair of bright white lights shone into her living room.
A Fright
Christine almost dropped her bowl. She quickly looked around but they were gone. She looked out the window and saw a large truck speeding past.
“Oh Gosh! Silly me!” she thought “it was just a car.” She sighed in relief. It would take her a few more months to fully adjust and call this place home.
Unsettled Feelings
That night, as Christine got ready for bed. She had a tiny knot in the middle of her stomach. She recognized that knot. It was fear. She had felt like that before. It was a terrible feeling. She hated feeling like she didn’t have control.
As she fell asleep, she repeated positive affirmations to herself. “I am beautiful, I am Loved I am safe” over and over, the innocent women drifted off into slumberland.
A Changed Mindset
Christine woke up feeling refreshed the next morning. She happily got ready for work and collected her bag for her walk. She locked her front door and double-checked that her windows were closed. They were.
As she walked to walk she drank her coffee to go. She was just about to cross the street when a big truck went speeding past her. He was driving so close that he almost cut the curb. ”Hey!” she screamed but the truck was long gone, leaving her to wipe the coffee off her shirt.
A Weird Conversation
As soon as Christine got to work she ran straight for the bathroom. She hated being delayed and she was already a few minutes late. She tried to get the coffee stains out but her shirt was white and it was impossible.
Just then Carol walked in and entered one of the stalls. ”Morning mishap dear,” she said through the door “Uhm yeah, just spilled some coffee” Christine mumbled, ” Well you can say goodbye to that shirt dear you will never use it again Carol smartly said again. “Coffee stains right” Cristine muttered again. And then Carol said something that made her shudder.
Choice Of Words
Christine was putting some water on her shirt but the coffee stain was right in there. “Oh you poor dear ” Carol continued speaking from through the door, “I can hear you scrubbing away poor thing” she let out a haughty laugh.
Christine was already getting annoyed with her. I mean who has a conversation with a new colleague while they’re using the toilet? She thought angrily. “Just remember dear, you are beautiful; You are loved, but I don’t know if you are safe”… There was silence.
What A Thing
Was it a mere coincidence that Crazy Carol had just repeated the same positive affirmations she repeated to herself last night? Maybe she also read a lot of self-help books, Christine quickly thought.
She was just about to leave when Carol opened her bathroom stall. She walked over to the basin and gave Christine a sickly sweet smile. “Oh, there is no luck for you,” she said as she looked at Christine’s stained shirt.
A Familiar Feeling
Christine started dead straight at her. She felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her eyes. There was something about her eyes. She had seen those eyes before.
She needed some fresh air. She ran outside and sat on the bench near the road. “Why was this feeling so close to home?” she thought. She was trying to catch her breath when a big truck started driving slowly near the office road. It stopped directly in front of her. Her heart was pounding. Something was not right.
To protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblances to actual events, places, or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.