Otherworld – Episode 141: The Pharmacist (October 22, 2025)
Host: Jack Wagner | Guest: Melissa

Episode Overview

In this chilling installment of Otherworld, Jack Wagner interviews Melissa, a pharmacist from Loma Linda, California—America’s only “Blue Zone,” an area known for its population’s longevity and ties to the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) church. Melissa recounts her years working at a home health pharmacy in Loma Linda, initially as a skeptic of the supernatural due to her strict religious upbringing, but eventually becoming a firsthand witness to a series of disturbingly unexplained, and at times terrifying, paranormal events. The episode tracks her transformation from a rationalist to someone forced to reconsider the boundaries between science, faith, and the unknown.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Loma Linda and the Seventh Day Adventist Influence

• Melissa’s Background:

  • Grew up SDA in Loma Linda—described as a “bubble” for the denomination.
  • Outlines SDA beliefs: plant-based diets, prohibition on alcohol/tobacco, and unique doctrines on death and the afterlife (08:00–08:48).
  • “The dead know nothing”—emphasis that there are no ghosts or spirits; souls ‘sleep’ until Christ’s return.

• Religious Indoctrination vs. Family Experiences:

  • Despite SDA teachings, Melissa’s family had a history of clairvoyant women (her mother, grandmother).
  • Struggled to reconcile anecdotal experiences within her family (“mediumship is of the devil,” 10:20).

2. The Pharmacy—An Unconventional Workplace

• Home Health Setup:

  • Explains the unique, mostly windowless pharmacy—specializes in IV medication, rarely sees patients (15:35).
  • Describes the unsettling atmosphere: constant surveillance via cameras, no direct sunlight, feeling watched.

• First Rumblings of the Paranormal:

  • Reports from staff: random activation of automatic sinks / towel dispensers even when alone—initially attributed to faulty equipment (21:00).
  • Technicians describe the IV room as “creepy,” seeing shadows and experiencing the radio mysteriously changing stations.

3. Direct Encounters with the Unexplainable

• Skepticism Meets Paranormal Phenomena:

  • At first, Melissa rationalizes oddities as mechanical glitches or employee imagination.
  • Accounts from staff about seeing “shadows” in the women’s restroom forces her to question her skepticism (28:30).
  • Notable advice remains with her:

    “You cannot show them fear…It wants you to be afraid of it…Just ignore it.” – IV Tech (28:56)

• The Footsteps Incident (32:00):

  • While alone on a weekend, Melissa hears pronounced footsteps approaching her in the empty building—assumes it’s a colleague who shouldn’t yet be present.
  • Lights don’t activate until she waves her arms—believes someone is right at the desk ahead, but sees no one.

    “The footsteps stopped right by this technician’s desk, like, right at the wall where the women’s restroom is.” – Melissa (34:00–34:32)

  • She’s shaken but recalls the tech’s advice, staying calm and going through her work duties despite terror.

• The Restroom Confrontation (50:30):

  • After joking with a coworker about the “haunted” restroom, Melissa experiences a violently loud banging while inside.
  • Witnesses the metal electrical box above the toilet warp outward, forming the impression of a hand—a sight she struggles to logically process:

    “It looks like a hand…like one of those toys with the pins that make an impression, but smooth.” – Melissa (54:12)

  • The hand impression vanishes, returns with another slam, and visibly moves.

    “What you are seeing is breaking the laws of physics.” – Melissa (55:40)

  • Overcome with terror, she screams and then—unable to move—resorts to apologizing aloud to the presence for making jokes earlier (57:00). The phenomena cease.

4. Aftermath and Changing Perspectives

• Reflection and Resignation:
  • Melissa’s apology appears to quell further supernatural incidents—she experiences no more after this event.
  • She shares the story only with coworkers, avoids discussing it with friends or family due to its incredibility (58:40).
  • The experience profoundly changes her views:

    “If you asked me about ghosts the first day I stepped into that pharmacy, I would have told you they don’t exist…after this, I was a completely different mindset.” (59:50)

  • As a chemistry teacher, she now frames unexplained phenomena as possibly parts of reality we lack the tools to measure, drawing parallels with past scientific discoveries (61:20):

    “Just because we can’t measure something or physically see it…does not mean that it doesn’t exist.” (61:35)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Fear and the Paranormal:
  • “You cannot show them fear…It wants that fear reaction from you. So you just have to completely ignore it.” – IV Tech, (28:56)
• On the Footsteps:
  • “There was no hesitation in my mind…that someone was in that pharmacy and walking towards me. And that’s why I reacted why I did.” – Melissa (34:22)
• On Witnessing the Impossible:
  • “What you are seeing is breaking the laws of physics.” – Melissa (55:40)
• Her Skepticism Shattered:
  • “This was clearly something paranormal and wanting my attention and looking like it was trying to get at me.” (58:12)
• Science and the Unknown:
  • “Just because we don’t have a methodology to measure these things and explain them…doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist.” (61:35)

Important Timestamps

• Melissa’s SDA upbringing explained: 03:56–13:30
• Pharmacy work environment, early oddities: 14:10–25:30
• Technicians’ paranormal experiences begin: 25:40–28:55
• Advice on ‘not showing fear’: 28:56
• Weekend footsteps incident: 32:00–38:50
• The restroom/hand manifestation: 50:30–57:30
• Melissa’s changed perspective on science and the paranormal: 59:50–62:40

Episode Tone & Takeaways

Melissa’s narrative is thoughtful, often self-deprecating but sincere, with an undercurrent of rational skepticism gradually replaced by open bewilderment and fear. Jack Wagner’s tone is curious and respectful, allowing Melissa’s account to unfold with minimal interruption.

For listeners: This episode vividly documents the journey from doubt to belief in the inexplicable, providing both profound insights about the interplay of science and the supernatural, and genuinely unsettling, memorable moments of fear and vulnerability.

Listen to Otherworld for more stories at the edge of science and the unknown.