Toll booth worker hears her own voice repeat from beneath the counter
Ruthie was working the night shift when her own voice began echoing from under the toll counter, repeating everything she said with a delay.
At 1:12, the toll booth repeated Ruthie's voice after the driver had crossed.
Working the night shift
Ruthie was covering the night shift while the bridge crew repaired the electronic lanes. She collected cash by hand and wrote down every vehicle's plate. A driver in a white van pulled up.
Ruthie said $4. He paid and crossed. Then her own voice came from beneath the counter. $4.
It sounded muffled, like someone speaking through a closed window. The radio was off. Ruthie said her name aloud.
The voice repeats with a delay
Twelve seconds later, the counter said Ruthie. She unscrewed the panel below the cash drawer. Behind it, the space was shallow and empty.
A car pulled up while she was still looking. Ruthie gave the driver the toll. Eight seconds later, her voice repeated the price from under the counter.
The driver stared past her and sped onto the bridge without paying. Ruthie reached for the phone. The voice said don't pick it up.
Something that learns
She hadn't said that. When the phone rang, the voice added I haven't learned what you say next.
