Urban Legends News
Urban legend Sheila is back on the highway
December 08 2004 at 03:25PM
By Yogas Nair
A Chatsworth couple returning home in the early hours of Saturday morning are still reeling from shock after their hair-raising experience with a "mysterious Indian woman dressed in black" in Havenside Drive, off Bayview.
According to Nirvana Rupnarain, 30, of Moorton, they were on their way to Havenside to drop off a friend at about 2.30am when "sheeee" appeared out of the blue.
Rupnarain said they were passing Protea Secondary when they spotted a tall woman, dressed in black pants and shirt, standing in the middle of the road.
"My first thought was that we were going to be hijacked. She was just standing there and looked frightening with her long black hair hanging on her shoulders and her arms outstretched, almost beckoning for us to stop."
She said that as the car approached the woman, she stepped out into their path of travel and looked straight at them with her "wild, glowing, almost spooky eyes".
"By this time I was hysterical and screaming. My husband Niresh swerved the car to avoid her but she jumped out of the way."
Rupnarain said they stopped the car and looked back but the woman had disappeared.
"My hair was literally standing on end and I was terrified but still wanted to know what we had seen."
She said they drove back on the same road but there was no sign of "Sheila".
"I don't believe in ghosts but I said a prayer and have vowed never again to go out late at night."
But her husband Niresh said he was convinced it was either a prostitute or a hijacker.
"I was driving at top speed and this woman just jumped to one side to avoid being hit. I have heard stories about Highway Sheila in the past and unless she changed her dress code from white to black, I'm not convinced she's back."
Legend has it that Highway Sheila was a ghost who roamed on Higginson Highway and was often seen standing in the middle of the road, pleading for motorists to stop, or hitching a lift.
According to one legend, a Chatsworth grandfather fell prey to Highway Sheila when he stopped to give her a lift.
He apparently lent her his jacket and forget to take it back from her when he dropped her off at home.
The next day, when he went to collect it from the house where he'd dropped her, the woman who was living there told him that the young woman had died many years before.
It seems he went to her graveside to verify the story and found his jacket lying on her tombstone... but then this could be just an urban legend.
According to psychic and spiritual healer Elma Duclou, spirits, otherwise known as poltergeists, really do exist.
She said some people who had died in traumatic circumstances (murder or suicide) often manifested themselves as spirits during the festive season or at certain phases of the moon.
"They reveal themselves in an attempt to communicate with the living world and are not harmful in any way."
She suggested that anyone who encountered such spirits should pray and seek protection from God.
"This creates a good energy and washes away any evil."
This article was originally published on page 1 of The Post on December 08, 2004
Birth of a scary urban legend
Archis Mohan
New Delhi, March 17, 2005
RUMOUR AND blind faith are on the prowl in Outer Delhi. People believe that a witch has escaped from Rajasthan's Balaji temple and it is behind several unconfirmed deaths.
The hysteria is such that any woman who asks for an onion from a house in these areas runs the risk of being lynched. According to the rumour, a witch goes to houses, pretends to be hungry and asks for an onion from residents. The witch cuts the onion into two halves, "blood squirts out and the person dies instantly". According to another version there are three witches.
Of course, no one has seen a witch, but even natural deaths are being attributed to churails. People say they do not believe in the story, but they are not taking chances. Thousands of homes have maroon-and-yellow palm prints at their entrance. The palm prints of henna and turmeric will scare away the witch, claim residents.
"I think this is just a rumour. But I don't want to fight with our elders about such a small thing as putting up palm prints," said policeman Surinder Singh, a Sagarpur resident. Sunita Sharma agreed that "the witch" is mere fiction. "But everybody is putting up palm prints, so I did too," she said. Sharma said she heard that some people died in her neighbourhood after the witch visited them. "I do not know their names or house numbers, but people in the neighbourhood have died."
At Sagarpur and other parts of Outer Delhi, saffron-clad men have been visiting homes and promising to get rid of the evil. People, who may not have given donations, have been obliging these 'holy men'.
Police officials denied that there were any complaints about the witch. "There are no mystery deaths in our district. All deaths have been accounted for. This is just fiction," said DCP (West) Neeraj Thakur.
2005: KATRINA SPAWNS "URBAN LEGENDS" BY THE DOZEN
Not since Princess Diana was killed in Paris eight years ago have "urban legends" grown so quickly as in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Here are a handful of the ones your editor has encountered so far.
(1) Jaws in Jackson Square - A young black woman decided to wade across flooded Jackson Square in downtown New Orleans. She was wearing a sleeveless silk blouse, Daisy Dukes (tightfitting denim shorts--J.T.) and knee- high reddish-brown boots. The water in the square was waist-deep. As she was halfway to Andrew Jackson's statue, she felt something scrape her knee. Figuring it was just underwater debris, she changed direction and continued walking. A couple of minutes later, she felt something scrape the back of her thigh. Again she changed direction. Then it felt like something got tangled in her boot. She managed to kick free. Two minutes later, the other boot encountered some debris. Despite her energetic kicks, it clung tightly. Then, suddenly, her boot was free.
I'll never make it across with all this debris, she thought. Then she heard a splash behind her. Turning, she saw a triangular fin swimming away, heading for St. Ann Street. A shark! She let out a scream that could've been heard in Pascagoula, Mississippi.
Some men waded out to get her and helped her reach the statue's pedestal. They found teeth marks all over the woman's leather boots. Apparently, the shark had mistaken the woman's boots for tropical fish and had tried to eat them.
(2) The 'Manburger' Stand - A few days after Katrina, two guys opened a hamburger stand at the corner of Progress Street and Loyola Avenue. They were offering fresh food at "special bargain-basement hurricane prices"- -$10 for a fresh-cooked burger and $20 for a quarter- pounder. Passersby began to wonder how these guys could offer "fresh meat" in a city where there had been no electricity and no refrigeration for days and where the daytime temperature was near 100 degrees Fahrenheit. So they called the police.
Investigating officers became suspicious when the vendor asked, "Would you like white meat or dark meat?" and it wasn't even Thanksgiving.
(3) If It Floats, It Fries - Early one morning, just after Katrina, people on Bourbon Street heard mysterious explosions. They called police, who came down the flooded street in a motorboat. The cops saw a stick of dynamite come out of a second-story window and land in the water. KA-BOOM! A geyser foamed upward, followed by passel of fish floating belly-up in the choppy water. The cops went inside to arrest the "terrorist," only to find out it was some good-old-boy "redneck fisherman" from Tangipahoa Parish getting his breakfast the usual way.
(4) Now That's A Fan - In Arabi, Louisiana (population 8,093), a 300-pound (150-kilogram) transvestite was found floating facedown in the Mississippi River, apparently having drifted downstream from New Orleans. What a surprise at the parish coroner's office when they found a tattoo of Lindsay Lohan's face on the deceased's rear end.
(5) Politics As Usual - Judge Michael Chertoff, the USA's director of homeland security, fired Gov. Kathleen Blanco and appointed Britney Spears as the provisional governor of Louisiana.
There must be more. Send your Katrina "urban legends" to UFO Roundup at this email address: Masinaigan@aol.com.
GOBSTOPPED.COM FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
'it's a waste of time'
File under: entertainment; media; technology; mobile
ARE THEY TRUE OR A HOAX? NEW URBAN MYTHS NOW BEING SHARED VIA MOBILE PHONES
Chances are if you have had an email address in the past few years you are more than aware of the countless urban legends or "urban myths" circulating in cyberspace. Everything from a distant friend waking up in a bath of ice with his kidney removed to the decapitated boyfriend of the helpless girl in a broken down car.
Besides sharing them, the fun thing about urban myths is that you're never completely sure how much is rooted in fact. They always seem to have happened to a friend of a friend of whoever told the story
First they spread by word of mouth, then via the Internet and now through the through the 21st century's iconic lifestyle device the mobile phone!
GOBSTOPPED is an interactive mobile internet (WAP) site exclusively making available a new wave of terrifyingly believable contemporary tales. All the tales have been contributed by GOBSTOPPED users keen to share their bizarre and eerie experiences. Are they real or are they a figment of over-active imaginations?
Whilst being an open platform where anyone can submit their stories or cartoons, GOBSTOPPED has taken the precaution of hiding the tales in an unnamed zone. This zone has no name because no one dare speak its name. And no one in their right mind would want to knowingly visit there. Thus it will simply be marked on the GOBSTOPPED WAP & web sites with the sign DO NOT ENTER and an exclusively designed skull and crossbones icon.
Urban myths are often a means of expressing our fears about the dangers that go unnoticed in our seemingly calm and mundane world. It should come as no surprise that horror legends are one of the largest and most provocative collections of tales. Like the needle in the phone booth change dispenser we've heard about, we worry about the terrible accidents that we are powerless to prevent. We cannot protect ourselves where we work, play, and shop. There are stories of cannibalism, food tampering, medical mishaps, even a device for predicting the manner of our death - and everything else that plays on our fears and imaginations.
Gobstopped Managing Editor, Nick Hirst, adds: "This is crazy, spooky stuff. It's amazing that so many of our users have had such weird experiences. We would be failing in our duty if we didn't publish them and it's a logical progression that such tales are now being shared on mobile phones. The trick is to work what's true and what isn't I just hope to God the one about hamsters isn't..''
Via Gobstopped's 'do not enter' zone you can now choose to read the latest urban myths or add to the ever-increasing collection of urban myths by adding your own story don't worry Gobstopped keeps your information confidential so no one will know if you submitted fact or fiction
For more information go online to www.gobstopped.com OR to view Gobstopped via your mobile by simply text GOB to 83238.
Powered by Kwickee the Mobile Information Exchange Gobstopped provides instant entertainment on your mobile phone. Kwickee is a platform where any individual, company or organisation can publish and market information, knowledge, experience and creativity. Using "powered by Kwickee" technology you can reach every WAP enabled mobile phone in the UK. Kwickee guarantees NO SPAM and NO subscription services
CONTACT DETAILS
Available for interview: Nick Hirst (Managing Editor)
For more information or to arrange an interview: Call Mary Kabza (Marketing Manager) on 020 7520 5703
Web: http://www.gobstopped.com or WAP: wap.gobstopped.com
Contact: PR@gobstopped.com
Phone: 020 7520 5700
***********
Extra Information:
Just to give you a little more information about us. There are two 'zones' on our mobile internet site which might interest your readers:
1. DO NOT ENTER
This zone is for stories which are presented as being true experiences of the writer or somebody they know. These could be loosely classified as horror stories. They are scary, spooky or chilling. They are the kind of tales which could become urban myths, spreading from person to person until nobody really knows if they are true or not.
2. GOBFICTION
This zone is for all other stories - those which are presented as fiction, not fact. In this area you might find any stories about the paranormal, sci-fi, horror, fantasy, and indeed almost any other type of fiction (but not adult or erotic material).
If any of your readers are interested in writing material for either of these zones, they are very welcome to contact us for more information. Essentially, they can submit virtually any type of story on any subject, so long as they conform to our style and format guidelines. All work will be published on the platform provided by Kwickee mobile, and the best work will be selected for promotion on the Gobstopped channel. It's usually best if writers initially submit a couple of samples by email so we can give them feedback about suitability for Gobstopped.
Work can also be submitted for our Cartoon and Humour zones, and illustrated fiction is welcome.
All contributors are encouraged to sample our material first by texting GOB to 83238 (UK only) or visiting wap.gobstopped.com via the browser on their phone. This will give them a feel for what works well on a mobile phone before they start creating work for us.
Revealing classic urban legends
10/23/05
The Enid News and Eagle
As kids and even as adults, many of us were and are captivated with urban legends. An urban legend is an oral narrative (a rumor if you must) told as a true story. Details are often changed to fit the audience. These stories are much like folktales often containing a touch of irony and a supernatural element.
Bloody Mary
Mary Worth, who lived in Massachusetts in the 1800s, had a hideously disfigured face. Children called her Bloody Mary.
During one of the colony witch trials, she was accused of worshipping the devil and was hanged.
One night a group of children decided to call her forth by chanting "Bloody Mary" in front of a mirror. On the 99th time, she appeared more hideous than ever, her hands (now claws) reaching through to scratch off the children's faces.
Now some say you have to spin around and say it just 13 times and she will appear.
Death on lover's lane
A high school football star and his girlfriend drive to secluded spot along a country road. While making out, they hear a thump or tap or scratch on the roof of the car.
Usually the boyfriend assures the girl it will be OK and he will get out of the car to assess the situation. She locks the doors, afraid of what is out there. He never comes back and she can't get away because he took the keys.
Variations are she falls asleep or lays on the horn until a law enforcement officer appears. He tells her to stay inside until help can arrive. The girl doesn't listen and when she gets out, she screams at the discovery of her boyfriend. He either is hanging from the tree or is sprawled on the car roof with his heart ripped out.
Taking a girl home
A young man or two men are driving home after a party and see a young woman stranded alongside the road. It is cold and she is shivering. The guys offer her a ride and she accepts.
One of the men offer her a jacket for warmth or the girl already has a coat on, but accidentally leaves it in the car. She says little other than to give directions to her house. They drop her off then realize they are missing a jacket or she forgot her coat. When they return to the young woman's house and knock on the door, a parent answers.
It is then the guys are informed the girl has been dead for so many years. Sometimes one of the guys goes to the cemetery to visit her grave and finds his jacket neatly folded on top of it.
Ear bug
A woman is sleeping and a bug burrows its way into her ear. She complains of an earache later and her husband eventually takes her to the doctor.
After an initial exam, the physician insists on an X-ray. He reads the film and delivers the news -- a bug is making its way to the skull. Eventually the bug will crawl out of the ear and everything will be fine, he tells the woman.
Two weeks later the bug drops out of the ear, but the doctor wants another X-ray to determine all is well. However, all is NOT well. The bug was pregnant and laid its eggs in the skull. The doctor gravely informs the woman she will die because the baby bugs will eat her brain when they hatch.
The bouffant
In the 1960s, women prided themselves on their bouffants, a hairstyle of high proportions. Hair stiff with hairspray and sometimes piled almost two feet tall, women rarely washed their bouffants except when appearing for an appointment at a beauty salon.
Such was the case with this woman. A college student, her bouffant brushed a spider web hanging from a tree and she never noticed. Three weeks later, while in class, she noticed blood trickling down her face. She collapsed and was rushed to the hospital.
The emergency room doctor ordered his nurses to cut her hair so he could get to the head wound. At the first snip of scissors, spiders spilled out of the bouffant and scurried around the ER. Once the infestation was finally cleared, the medical personnel found the woman dead. They continued cutting off the rest of her hair only to find a hole in her head where the spiders had eaten through her skull to her brain.
Infected needle
There are many variations of this urban legend. An unsuspecting person reaches into a pay phone coin return slot, coke machine or vending machine and is pricked by a hypodermic needle. Sometimes the victim sits on a needle buried in a seat at the local theater. In any case, he or she usually shrugs off the incident until illness strikes. Upon a visit to the doctor, the person is informed he or she has HIV.
AIDS Mary
A lady named Mary, who was from Seattle, set off for a vacation in the Caribbean. While at a resort, she was seduced by a handsome cabana boy. As she prepared to leave for the United States, the front desk attendant approached her and asked her if she had slept with the cabana boy. Mary was offended by the question but listened to what the attendant had to say -- the cabana boy had AIDS and spent his days infecting lovely tourists.
Mary immediately visited her doctor in Seattle who informed her she was indeed infected with HIV. Angry, Mary slept with every man she could. She would leave in the middle of the night while he was asleep after scrawling "Welcome to the world of AIDS!" in lipstick on the bathroom mirror.
Headlight murderers
To be initiated into a gang, the newbies must drive around one night with their headlights off. The first car that flashes lights at them becomes the target. The would-be gang members then kill the driver and any passengers.
Ankle slasher
After spending all day at the mall, a holiday shopper was ready to go home. She walked out to her car, burdened by packages and fumbling for her keys. She finally popped the trunk and unloaded all her finds before reaching for the driver's side door.
Suddenly, from beneath her vehicle a hand shot out, brandishing a knife. The man slashed her ankles and rendered her immobile. The man then robbed her of her purse, keys and car. In some versions, the robber is teenage gang member who rapes the shopper in her car first before leaving her to bleed to death.
Written by Ruth Ann Replogle with a little help from www.snopes.com and Thomas J. Craughwell's "Alligators in the Sewer."
Speaking for the Dead : Descendant of a woman who inspired ghost stories sets the record straight. - 10/26/05
Urban Myth: Believe me, this really happened - 11/27/05
Rumor Has It: Television, Web sites aim to disprove urban legends - 10/8/07
Fact or fiction? We check out the north state's most enduring legends - 10/26/08
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