I remember the time a local grocery store put in a gas station. People who bought groceries there received bar-coded tickets entitling them to gasoline discounts. Getting the newly installed ticket-reading machines to work, however, was another matter, so whenever I came for gas, I got an attendant to help me.
One day when it was crowded, I couldn’t find any help. I had to fend for myself, like it or not. For several minutes I attempted to get that darn gas pump to read my grocery discount ticket. Finally, I exclaimed, “Aw, d--- ! The h--- with this!” I crumpled the ticket up in my fist and put my fist on my chest near my left shoulder.
Suddenly the pump started making a bunch of space alien noises and several narrow ribbons of red light shot out of it. These ribbons of light stayed still a while, then started moving slowly to my right and stopped again. Then they started moving slowly the other way until they reached me. They continued moving, higher and higher, until they shone on my fist with the crumpled-up ticket in it on my chest. Then the machine went “Ding!” A “card read” sign lit up and all the red lines abruptly disappeared.
Throughout the whole experience, I hadn’t moved a muscle. I didn’t feel any fear at all—I felt absolutely nothing. I was just completely absorbed in watching all the movements of the strange red lights (and listening to all the spaceship sounds). At no time did they hurt me or ever make me feel any different. I experienced no harm physically, mentally, spiritually, financially, or any other way from the incident. It really did happen, but for a long time I was afraid to tell anyone because they would think I was crazy.
After it happened I had no more problems scanning bar codes. Once a woman came in that station with a ticket when I was there, and she was looking around for an attendant to help her get it scanned. “Here, gimme,” I said. Standing maybe a couple meters from her pump, I held her ticket behind my back and watched her pump light up! But that was the last incident I had that involved scanning oversensitivity.
