Shortly before the Fourth of July, disturbances were heard and
seen at the top of Main Street near Bobo’s Ice Cream Stand.
Reports of moaning and what was described as tapping on
glass. Some said they noticed reflections of smoke-like figures. Tempting
descriptions of the deliciously frozen concoctions remained in perfect
condition on the windows.
After renovating what had been a car wash, Bobo’s Homemade Ice
Cream moved a few miles from its original building. Throngs of fans
began lining up the very first day.
After a successful day, the sign was turned off and the parking lot emptied. Behind the
building was deserted and dark. It could be said that no living humans were
there. A short distance behind the building was a fence separating it from
some apartment buildings.
About a week after the opening, reports of moaning and groaning outside
Bobo’s were made from some of the apartment residents. Staff reported
slimy substances on the outside of the order window. The tables out front
of the building had similar substances. Every day the same slimy
substance was encountered.
Jimmy, an employee, complained about the mess having to be cleaned up
each morning. He turned to Dolly, the manager, and commented on the
situation, “I sure wish we could catch the scoundrels making this mess
every single night!”
She replied, “I’ve looked at it and I can’t determine what in the world it is.
It’s not just slimy, it leaves a smokey film, too.”
“Someone should set up surveillance outside the store at night,” Jimmy
suggested.
Momma Bobo, the owner operator, replied,“Anyone here know how to
set up cameras?”
She added: “Well, this discussion has to wait for now, it’s opening time.”
The day started out just like every other day until…
Suddenly, all the car horns started going off! Then, only one at a time down
the entire parking lot and back again as though they were computer
programmed to do it. All the staff ran outside to see what was happening.
Jimmy yelled, “Should we call the law?”
Then, just as swiftly as it began, it stopped!
Momma Bobo was the first to re-enter the building, but what she saw
stopped her dead in her tracks. Staff stepped in behind her and couldn’t
believe what they were seeing. The freezers were open and ice cream was
dripping from the empty shelves. Cones which had been neatly stacked
were strewn throughout the room, sprinkles, dots, and a variety of
toppings were even on the ceiling!
“What a mess!” Dolly exclaimed, nearly pulling out her hair. “Where do we start to get this place back in order to open for business today? I’ll have to tell customers we’ll be 2 hours late opening. We’ll give them all a 50 percent discount if they come back later.”
She grabbed Bobo’s business cards and quickly marked each one with a red X and distributed them to the customers in cars.
“The slime on the windows and tables outside has to be washed,” Dolly
said after regaining her composure. She began directing the staff. “Let’s get moving! You all
know which jobs are your responsibility.”
Exhausted and frustrated, the staff finished all the clean up just barely in
time to open for business. Nothing unusual happened for the rest of the
day.
Everyone was sworn to silence regarding the other worldly events of the
morning to not upset the neighborhood or the potential customers.
And, despite the difficulties of the day, clean-up after close of business
was especially meticulous.
The lights were turned off as usual and the sign shut off. The parking lot
was dark and empty.
An elderly resident of the apartments stayed up that night and
watched for any suspicious activity. He set up his phone to video the parking
lot, and sat in a chair drinking coffee to make a night of it. After watching
diligently for a few hours, he fell asleep in the chair.
Suddenly, a commotion woke him. He jumped to his feet, nearly knocking
the camera over. He looked out the window. What he saw was
frightening.
Smokey figures were dancing on the roof of Bobo’s place. A strange music permeated the air.
Then, as if on cue, the dance ended, and the music drifted off.
He slapped himself on the cheek as if he needed to wake up. “What in the
name of Beelzebub did I just see?” He picked up the phone to check the video. “What?! There’s nothing but smoke and something dripping on the video.”
The smokey figures were not visible, nor were they on the roof any longer.
The next morning, he went over to Bobo’s after they opened. He went to
the order window and asked to speak to the person in charge.
Dolly came over. “How can I help you, sir?”
“I wanted you to know I attempted to video any occurrence here last
night. I saw something that I can’t explain. I’ll show it to you, if you
like.”
She said, “Of course I would.”
The man pulled out his phone and went to the photos to find the video.
IT WAS GONE!
He shouted, “What kind of craziness is this? There’s nothing
here now.”
Dolly just shook her head and walked away, saying, “Thanks for trying, sir.”
As far as anyone knows, none of this has occurred again, but everyone
keeps waiting and telling the story of the spirits of the cream.
