You must have heard the story that
terrified us all as kids?
A couple go away for the night, leaving
their daughter (or son - in some variations) at home alone. The child has
a pet dog that lies underneath her bed and licks her hand whenever she is
scared or needs company. Earlier on that day, on the news, there was a
tale of a killer loose in her neighbourhood.
While she begins to feel the absence of her
parents, she notices a dripping noise - like a tap but faster. At first
it's something she can ignore - although later, it starts to freak her out. She
puts her hand under the bed, and is reassured by her dog's licking of the hand.
After some time she can no longer handle the
noise. She begins to investigate. She walks around the house from
room to room, listening for the intensifying noise of the dripping. Eventually
she is too scared to continue. She runs back to her room and seeks out
reassurance from her furry friend some more, falling asleep, feeling safer.
Next morning, she wakes up and goes to
the bathroom. There in the shower hangs the bloodied hanging corpse of
her dead dog - drip, drip, drip. And written in blood, across the wall is
a message reading 'Humans can lick too'.
The interesting thing about urban legends is that everyone seems to know someone who the story has happened to, and all over the world these stories have been told - always apparently having happened in the neighbourhood whereby the storyteller and his horrified listeners reside.
Psychologists suggest we can't help sharing these stories because we have a sick fascination with the morbid and sinister. Think about it: you're scrolling social media. You come across a disturbing picture that turns your stomach. What's the first thing you do? Lean over to your significant other and say, 'Holy crap! Look at this! It's horrific!'.
Whether it's just a case of misery loves company, or perhaps the tales hold some truth, urban legends have been around forever, and are most likely here to stay.
In South Africa, there is the tale of 'Pinky Pinky'. A creature that hides in the bathroom and molests little girls and boys in the toilet. If you wear pink, the monster will get you and when it does, it will do all manner of unspeakable things to you! To learn more about Pinky Pinky, follow the link above for a stunning conceptual imagery series.
In a similar vein there is the 'tokoloshe' - an old South African legend hailing from the townships, that is so firmly believed by older members of the population, that people often put their beds on bricks to prevent the short statured creature from attacking them in their sleep. The creature, it's said, can't climb very well and is therefore forced to move on to its next victim, while the sleeper gets to live another day.
So powerful is the belief in the tokoloshe, that people would even visit their local witchdoctor (colloquial: sangoma) to rid themselves of the mischiefs of this creature, said to cause infertility, bring bad luck, defecate on your floors, steal your food, and even rape its victims.
It is said that the tokoloshe is a curse brought upon you by those envious or jealous of your successes, so next time you are jealous of someone, be careful. The tokoloshe is always waiting ...
Closer to home, in the garden of England, Kent - there is an infamous ghost originally named 'The Ghost of Bluebell Hill'. The ghost is so popular, it is rumoured that even the local police are aware to ignore phone calls from travelers down the A229 who have encountered the spirit.
According to the KM Newspaper (https://www.kentonline.co.uk/maidstone/news/the-true-story-behind-the-ghost-of-blue-bell-hill-214650/) the ghost is that of 24 year old Suzanne Browne, who tragically died when her vehicle collided with a Jaguar travelling on Bluebell Hill on the night of her hen party in 1965.
Witnesses say they have stopped to offer a young hitchhiker, soaked from the rain, a lift to an address, but when they arrive the hiker is gone and there is only a wet splotch where the passenger was sitting.
Another variation of the story is that the girl stands in the middle of the busy road, staring drivers right in their eyes and they pass through her. One man was so terrified by the incident, he made contact with the local police station, reporting that he had hit someone. On investigation a body was never found, and there was no damage to his vehicle.
Moving across the pond to our American counterparts, there's this creepy guy!
Brave enough to say 'Candyman' five times whilst staring into the mirror? If so, you've probably not seen the frightening but macabrely cool revenge tale of the man himself. 'Candyman' (based on Clive Barker's short story of the same name) follows the tale of a black artist who was tortured and killed for having a relationship with the white daughter of a wealthy landowner. Enraged by their relationship, her father hires a band of misfits to cut off the artist's hand, smear his body with honey, and had him stung to death by bees. The rest of the tale is history, when the artist comes back to seek his revenge as 'Candyman' - a terrifying entity that appears when called through the mirror.
As entertaining as the film was - and is indeed one of my all time favourites, it would be hard to believe it held any truth. I mean, it doesn't matter how angry someone is - coming back to haunt people centuries later, covered in bees, with a hook for a hand, just doesn't seem likely.
However, in one particularly disturbing scene of the film, the killer crawls through the space behind the bathroom cabinet from one apartment into another to take the life of his victim. They say that the victim screamed the whole way through but the police never came to save her.
This part is actually true.
In 1987, a woman living in a Chicago housing project was murdered. Shortly before her death, she made frantic calls to the police department saying someone had gained entry to her apartment and was attacking her. By the time the police arrived, she was dead. The killers had gained access through the medicine cabinet via adjoining walls built intentionally for ease of access for maintenance.
You can read the full article here: https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/they-came-in-through-the-bathroom-mirror/Content?oid=871084
Image from https://study-of-supernatural.tumblr.com/post/182309507553/107-hook-man
The following morning, she is awoken by a knock on the car window: it's the police. They escort her to a squad car and instruct her not to turn around. At the last minute she can no longer contain her curiosity and sneaks a peek only to see her boyfriend hanging from a tree branch above the car; his feet dangling against the roof of his vehicle.
Next time you are sneak out to do some heavy petting in the woods, boys 'n girls, be careful - the killer could come be coming for you!
Another cautionary tale - particularly for men - hails from the UAE. The story centers around a beautiful seductress, a genie known as 'Um-Duwais'. The genie is said to be perfect in every sense of the word - every man's fantasy (although there are other accounts of her having the legs of a donkey and the eyes of a cat - hey, whatever floats your boat - I'm not judging!). Once this bombshell lures in her victims, she transforms into a hideous creature that devours the unsuspecting fools!
Be careful what you wish for, boys. You might just get it.
So … are you afraid of the bogeyman yet?
You probably should be!
Despite the evolution of story telling from oral to technological, these stories seem to form a part of all cultures across the world and will probably continue to scare generations to come.
Are there any urban myths that you know of? I'd love to hear them. Drop them in the comments section!
