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Now that most of the help had arrived, Wilma felt sure everything would be all right for the rest of the evening. She and Texicana had agreed not to mention what had happened, except to Buck or Carlos. But the evening was young. And so begins Mabel Schrader's story.228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxRjoMyKPUS
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The five-foot-two Mabel hailed from a small town in the Midwest, where she grew up with her parents and younger sister. She graduated from Lincoln High School in Lincoln, Nebraska, and has been a waitress for several different establishments across seven states, Texas included, since then. She was accustomed to being around many people and the furthest thing from her mind was some disembodied spirits harassing her. Mabel didn't believe in ghosts.228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmwoKlV71TJ
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The ballroom was about to open for business. Texicana followed Wilma into the ladies' restroom to secretly discuss what had happened before the other employees began arriving. Mabel Schrader, a blonde-haired, green-eyed bombshell, went into the bull room to check her station, ensuring all tables were arranged properly.
The bull room used to be a classroom, Room 214, where home economics was taught. This particular room had witnessed a violent altercation between Mr. Harrington, the home economics teacher, and a troubled student named Malcolm. During a heated argument over Malcolm's disruptive behavior in class, the confrontation escalated quickly, resulting in a physical altercation. Fueled by anger and frustration, Malcolm lashed out at Mr. Harrington, pushing him against the chalkboard and causing chaos in the classroom. The altercation left both parties injured and served as a dark chapter in the history of the school.
The former classroom, now transformed into the bull room, retained traces of its academic past while embracing its new purpose with rustic charm. The walls, once adorned with educational posters, now featured Western-themed murals depicting cowboys and rodeos. In the center of the room stood the mechanical bull, its sleek metal frame contrasting with the surrounding wooden floorboards. The bull's body was adorned with faux fur and leather accents, giving it a lifelike appearance. Surrounding the bull were tables and chairs, arranged to provide ample viewing space for spectators eager to witness the daring riders take on the mechanical beast. The tables were adorned with checkered tablecloths and cowboy-themed centerpieces, adding to the ambiance of the bull room.
Mabel had been assigned the task of waiting tables in the bull room tonight. The tips were not as good in here, but she enjoyed the rowdy cowboys lining up and waiting their turn to climb on "El Toro," the mechanical bucking bull. The guys were always trying to strike up a conversation with her because of her sexy build. This particular night she was wearing tight, white shorts and a matching halter top. She would drive the cowboys wild. Since everything seemed to be in order, she headed back to the main ballroom to chitchat with Wilma and Texicana, but upon reaching the stage area, Mabel's eyes widened in astonishment as she witnessed a bizarre dog-cat hybrid creature racing across the dance floor with uncanny speed. Her jaw dropped and she instinctively halted in her tracks, momentarily frozen by the surreal sight unfolding before her.
"What the hell is that thing?" Mabel exclaimed, her voice tinged with anger and frustration. Her eyes narrowed with determination as she watched the creature disappear behind the stage curtains. "If I catch it, I'm tossing it out myself," she declared, her tone laced with irritation. She furrowed her brow, perplexed by how the strange creature had managed to infiltrate the resort, her mind racing with unanswered questions.
She swayed past the jukebox climbed the three brown carpeted steps and walked backstage, but when she looked for the weirdo thing---it was gone, vanished into thin air.
"I wonder where that blasted thing went," Mabel muttered, scanning the area around the stage with a mix of curiosity and annoyance.
"Well, I'll be damned," Mabel exclaimed, scratching her head in disbelief. "That critter couldn't have just vanished into thin air. But if it didn't go through that hatch, where in tarnation did it disappear to? Ain't no way I'm going down them tunnels to find out!"
"Maaaaaaaaaabbbbbbbbbbbeeeeellllllll!" Someone whispered her name like a cloud floating through the air.
The woman turned around and stopped cold when she realized nobody was in the room with her. She called out apprehensively.
"Who's there?!"
No response.
"Okay. Real funny!" she said with a bite. "I don't have time for your stupid-ass games." She turned back around and headed for the stage, but as she stepped through the doorway she heard it again.
"Maaaaaaaaaaaabbbbbbbeeeeelllllll!"
"Knock it off," she sighed deeply. "You can come out now!"
Silence.
"Who the hell's back there?" She was getting angry. She marched back into the room and walked the distance of the floor to the other arched doorway. She looked everywhere she could think of to try and find someone hiding backstage, but it became apparent to her that no human was calling her name. The thought sent a shiver up her spine, and for the first time since she started working here, she didn't like this building anymore.
What had just happened wasn't normal. Mabel was sure that she had been had just been singled out by some unseen entity, and she didn't like it at all! She wondered if the creature she had seen only moments prior had anything to do with this. She became more frightened as her thoughts ran away with her. She quickly left the room to find some of the other employees. Just as she stepped out onto the stage, the jukebox turned on and began playing a Dolly Parton song in slow motion. She spun around to see who had dropped their money in the slot, but, once again, there was nobody there. Mabel turned around and looked for any sign of the other employees, but nobody else was in the room.
Wilma and Texicana were still in the ladies' room whispering about the ghosts when they heard the eerie melody filling the inside of the nightclub.
"Texicana, I swear, I'm getting damn sick and tired of these Dolly Parton songs being played slow all the time," Wilma grumbled, her frustration evident in her tone. "Let's go see who, or what's causing it. I just hope it's not because of the ghosts."
Texicana and Wilma walked out of the restroom and saw Mabel walking at a fast pace toward them.
"Everything okay?" Wilma asked hesitantly. Mabel was wearing a look of sheer terror on her face.
"I'm scared out of my wits, Wilma," Mabel admitted, her voice trembling with fear. "What the hell possessed Buck to buy a haunted building? I can't take much more of this!"
Mabel's outburst sent terror gushing through Wilma and Texicana. Wilma didn't want Mabel to quit so she quickly went into action.
"Don't worry, Mabel," Wilma reassured her, though her own heart was racing with fear. "This building isn't haunted. It's just one of Carlos's sick jokes. You've undoubtedly fallen for one of them."
Mabel's reaction was immediate, her voice rising over the warped Dolly Parton song as she pressed on, demanding answers. "Hold on a minute, Wilma!" Mabel continued, her voice rising with frustration. "I saw this... this weird animal, like a dog-cat hybrid, darting behind the stage. And when I went to look for it, the damn thing was gone! Then, someone called my name, and I turned around, and there wasn't a soul in sight. And that stupid jukebox? It started playing by itself! You can't tell me this place isn't haunted!"
"I told you, it's only Carlos," Wilma insisted; trying hard not to show the fear that was overtaking her. "He's acting weird. He's getting some kind of kick out of scaring us. He did it to me and Texicana earlier."
Wilma turned toward Texicana. "Tell her, Texicana. Tell her I'm right."
Texicana looked at Wilma, then at Mabel. No sense in letting the cat out of the bag, she thought. After all, Wilma had promised she would talk to Carlos and figure out how to get rid of the ghosts.
"Yeah, that's right," Texicana said slowly. "Carlos tried to scare me, too. I saw him sneaking off right after he monkeyed with that jukebox.
Just as Texicana finished speaking, the jukebox clicked off and everything went calm inside the building. As the women stood there looking at each other, the rest of the employees came out of the Arcade where they had congregated to take a smoke break before the doors opened for business. It was 7:55 in the evening.
"Let's get busy!" Wilma said, loudly. "It's time to get to work."
The employees moved to their assigned positions as Wilma and Texicana headed for the front doors to open them. There was a long line of guests waiting to get inside.
"Thanks," Wilma said to Texicana as she unlocked the front doors. " Mabel would've quit for sure if you hadn't helped me. I promise I'll get something done about this as soon as I can."
"The sooner the better!" Texicana replied.
Wilma pushed open the doors and the crowd started pouring in. Texicana headed for her station, scared stiff. Wilma headed for the bar to start serving drinks. It was going to be another spectacular night at the Lone Star Honky-Tonk.228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS6S5EvkT8Z
