100 Ghost Stories Counting Down To Halloween 2025. #16. Priscilla.

 This story was told to me by the person who used to work in this office.

These words are hers. You would never have thought that a Hawaiian woman would be named something like Priscilla, yet there she was, the head of her division in a state office in downtown Honolulu. It's a rarity in a state office, considering that it's the Caucasians and the Asians who get the upper management positions. The Filipinos, Hawaiians, and Samoans are at the bottom of the tier. Sure, there've been exceptions, but they are few and far between. Others put their heads down and don't stir the waters, collecting a paycheck, health insurance, and a pension after retiring. No one expected her to be strong, intelligent, and compassionate. Priscilla was all of those things, but the one thing she wasn't was disloyal. She loved all of us in this division, and she always fought for us without exception. Of course, if you cross her or screw her, then you end up being screwed, because you get straight fired, not moved to another division.

 One morning, we were surprised to find Priscilla sitting in her office with the door closed. We knocked and waved, but she never looked up from her phone. By her body language, it appeared to be something important. Typically, Priscilla is there at the front to greet us with an aloha and a good morning. By lunchtime, she was still sitting there scrolling through her phone. It was the same when everyone was heading home by the end of the day. Her office was the only light in the now-dark state office building. The next day, she wasn't there, but on her desk, the shelves, the tops of her filing cabinets, and the floor were bouquets of flowers everywhere. Even with the office doors closed, you could smell the scent of those beautiful Hawaiian flowers and ferns.

 

Priscilla's main boss, Durilla Martin, came from the state capitol to tell us that Priscilla was found dead at her desk by a security guard the night before. According to the EMT, she died while sitting at her desk and scrolling through her phone. What a way to go, right? It was heartbreaking because she was going to treat us to a picnic that weekend where she was going to prepare all the food and drinks at her home in Wai'anae. All we had to do was show up. Can you believe it? Priscilla drove from Wai'anae to town and back every day.

 

Shaun Kawamura replaced Priscilla and became our new boss, but he didn't last long. One morning, while going through paperwork regarding a new expansion in Iwilei, Shaun saw something moving in the office from the corner of his eye. It's Priscilla's spirit rifling through her files.

 

"Where's my manifests? Who moved my manifests?" She bellowed before her spectre finally turned its attention to Shaun. He could see right through her, as clear as day. "Was it you??!! Did you move my manifests? Who the hell gave you permission to do that?"

 

Shaun ran screaming out of his office and never came back. The next few supervisors after Shaun didn't last as long as he did. It got to the point where the state closed the entire floor down and used it as a storage space. Our division was moved out to Kapolei. It would have been an easier trek if Priscilla were still here, considering she lived on the west side. I miss Priscilla because she embodied a 'WE' mentality, which we affectionately referred to as the Priscilla mentality. More people like her are needed, especially in this day and age.