By Tim Binnall
A British town has become gripped by a bizarre mystery wherein a plate of peeled bananas has appeared on the side of a road on the same day every month for at least a year. The flummoxing fruit phenomenon is reportedly the talk of the town in the community of Beeston after the most recent occurrence last week. Baffled residents say that the bananas ritually reappear on the second day of every month and the person behind the mysterious 'offerings' has yet to be seen. While some say that the fruit started appearing around this time last year, others indicated that the beginning of the mystery could stretch back to sometime in 2023.
"It’s quite strange," mused resident James Oviedo, "there's always a big bunch of them peeled on the plate and they always appear to be drizzled with what seems to be honey." The bewildering batches of bananas, usually between 15 and 20, have understandably spawned several theories among community members wondering who and what is behind the mystery. Noting that the fruit is always placed in the same spot across the street from a church, some have suggested that case could be religious in nature. Another possibility considered by the community is that the bananas are simply being left for local wildlife. However, that scenario does not explain why the fruit shows up on the same day every month.
Although one might find some whimsy in the mystery, many in Beeston disagree, with one woman calling the situation "strange and disgusting" because the untouched bananas often wind up a mold-covered mess. To that end, resident Clare Short recently placed a sign at the spot wherein she asked the phantom fruit fan to kindly stop their curious crusade. Alas, when the bananas appeared again on January 2nd, she reportedly removed the message because "I don't want it to become a big thing." Considering that the case has made worldwide headlines this week, it is likely a little too late for that. Meanwhile, the community will have to wait until February 2nd to see if the widespread attention will result in Beeston finally being free of the banana mystery.