urban legends?

[blink_babe13]

anyone ever been part of an urban legend? or something that could be classed as an urban legend?

[joko]

many years ago, at school i told a group of kids who were talking about throwing stones at gravestones from the railings. i told them that you had to hold your breath when passing a graveyard to stop the evil spirits getting into you.

God knows where that came from!

they were a bit unnerved and the rumour spread in the school

I guess made it up because i can't think were i could have got the idea from - i have not heard anything similar before - or since - 25-or so years later - but over the years a number have people have related this 'truth' to me as a fact - they don't know how they 'know' it, they just do. "its a well known fact" apparently

they are all old enough now to know its nonsense but i expect a few of the more superstitious one might think of it when passing a graveyard

not exactly an urban myth but as near as i have ever come i suppose - i just hope none of them use it to scare their kids!

[AliFlump]

Ive heard a few: ( got these on an email)

The one about the babysitter who gets a phone call saying 'im in the house you better get out' she dismisses it then he calls a few more times. Eventually she hears a noise upstairs, she calls the police who go in the house to find the children murdered and the man in house.

The one about the bride and groom playing hide and seek at their wedding. The wife goes to hide then the husband goes to look for her, he cant find her so the guests begin looking, they cant find her. So the groom thinks that she has had 2nd thoughts and resigns himself to the fact that she left him.
Years later a cleaner goes into the attic and finds a large chest, she opens it and inside finds the bride in her wedding dress, she was unable to get out.

Chilling!!!!!

[gloop]

That babysitter story is from a film, 'When The Stranger Calls'. Really scary film. They are creepy stories.

[natalie_1982]

Joko, there is an arch way in the town where I grew up that has gargoyles all over it we were always told to hold your breath when you walk under it or the gargoyles will come and get you. My friends and I who had younger brothers and sisters added to this with it resulting in dozens of children holding their breath, with their eyes shut, whilst hopping in circles under the arch.

Secretly, whenever I visit there now I still hod my breath when walking under it although I try to d it 'cool' so nobody notices! ;-)

[Pippa68]

In the place I lived as a child/teenager we were told not to speak as we passed under a certain tree as it had been cursed by a gypsy..if you spoke then you would die within 2 years! I haven't been in that town for years, but I am sure if I walked under that tree I would deliberately say something ;o)

There was also a curse on the local fairground. Apparently a gypsy's daughter died on one of the rides & she told the owners that it would 'always rain on your fairground' true, it did always rain..but we do live in the UK which is well known for unpredictable weather & the fairground was always there in October!

I reckon this was evidence of total predjudice towards the gypsy camp a mile down the road ;o)

[jenstar]

jenstar died in a fire on this very spot five years ago... oooh spooky...

[robbo82]

When I was at school, my friends and I started a rumour that the Chuckle Brothers had died, which came back to me several weeks later from my sister, who went to an entirely different school!

[joko]

natalie and pippa - isn't is weird how these things stick?

I wonder who started the gargoyle rumour - was it a centuries thing?

I just hope there aren't kids today in my area holding their breath past graveyards!!

lol robbo!

[Pippa68]

Very strange ineed, joko!

maybe it was these stories I heard that turned me into an Urban Legend addict ~ I totally love these things..however, I get sick of hearing the same ones over & over again so it is great to hear new ones from ABers specifically from their childhood.

Just the other day a pal of mine told me that it had been reported in the local rag about McDonalds in town ~ yet again someone was ill after noshing a burger, only to have her stomach pumped (why DO they do that??) & find she had caught an STD from consuming *ahem* 'a certain substance'

I rolled my eyes, asked her to point me to the page in the newspaper..to which she made her excuses & left, still insisting it was true. Not to mention the hundreds of emails I get about perfume bandits & ankle slashers *yawn*

Give me a good bit of local folklore anyday!