Pilot

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. At night, when the lights were off and only the gas pumps glowed, a voice would occasionally crackle over Pilot’s intercom: ‘Remember to smile while you fill up.’ No one knew who it was or why they did it. One day, an old man walked in, muttering to himself. He asked for directions to nowhere in particular. The voice on the intercom replied, 'Head straight until you see a sign that says "Wrong Way".' Everyone laughed, including the old man—who turned out to be a regular.

2. Late one night, as a delivery driver pulled up to fill his tank, he noticed something strange in the rearview mirror. The reflection of the old clock on the wall seemed to move ever so slightly—just enough to catch his eye. Curious, he glanced back again and saw that the clock had stopped exactly at midnight. Suddenly, a voice whispered from behind him, ‘Fill her up, sonny!’ Startled, he jumped out, only to realize it was just an old gas station attendant, dozing off on the job. The delivery driver laughed it off, paid for his gas, and drove away, leaving the quirky attendant still snoring softly next to the clock.

3. At closing time, an employee noticed that someone had left a shopping cart near the entrance. Curious, she approached it—and found a note scribbled on the handle: ‘Fill me up, then push me home.’ She shrugged and filled the cart with gas anyway. When she pushed it out, a regular waved from inside, smiling: 'Thanks for doing my errands!' The employee just laughed and replied, ‘Anytime, sir—next time maybe you’ll leave your car keys too!’

4. At dusk, while filling up his bike, a young boy noticed something odd in the reflection of the pump's LED light—a tiny figure running around inside the gas station’s empty storage room. Curious, he peered closer and saw only dust motes dancing in the beam of light. Suddenly, an old man appeared from behind the counter, smiling warmly. ‘That’s just Ol’ Pete,’ he said. ‘He likes to run laps when no one's watching.’ The boy laughed, shook his head, and finished pumping gas—never realizing that Ol’ Pete had been doing laps there for decades, keeping watch over the place like an honorary ghost-pump-jockey.