Marathon

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. At midnight, a delivery driver pulled up to Marathon, his headlights illuminating the empty parking lot. As he approached the pumps, he noticed an old man standing there, filling his tank with gas from a bucket. The delivery driver raised an eyebrow but said nothing, thinking it was just another Marathon oddity. He filled up and drove off, leaving the old man alone in the quiet night. The next morning, a neighbor saw him again—this time pouring coffee into the tank instead of gas.

2. In the dead of night, when even gas stations sleep, an old man shuffled into Marathon. He carried a thermos and wore a coat despite the summer heat. The cashier smiled and asked, ‘Sir, you look like you could use some coffee.’ The old man nodded, took a sip from his thermos, and replied, ‘And maybe a refill on my loyalty card while you’re at it.’ They both laughed, and Marathon’s neon sign flickered warmly in the early morning hours.

3. At dawn, when most gas stations were just opening their doors, a Marathon attendant noticed something peculiar in the parking lot. A small boy kept appearing from behind the pumps, whispering into the air and then vanishing before anyone could see him. Curious, the attendant followed the boy’s ghostly trail until it led to an old tire swing hanging between two trees. The boy was nowhere to be seen, but on closer inspection, the attendant found a note scribbled on a receipt: ‘Thanks for noticing me! I’m just here to keep an eye on things.’ From that day on, whenever someone asked why Marathon had such good service, the attendant would smile and say, ‘Oh, our little helper is watching over us.’

4. One morning, as a Marathon attendant was filling up a car, he noticed something odd: a small dog kept circling the pump, sniffing intently at the nozzle. The attendant smiled and bent down to pet it, but the dog suddenly growled softly and darted away into the parking lot. The attendant shrugged and went back to work. Later that day, an old lady pulled in for gas. ‘Did you see a little dog running around here?’ she asked. ‘No ma’am,’ he replied with a smile, ‘but I did notice our fuel smells awfully tasty today!’