Throughout history, humans have told stories, spun tales and shared out-right lies. Urban legends have existed for hundreds of years. Many of you have heard about the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, or Chupacabra but are there any local urban legends? Maybe even some within our own school? 

The term “urban legend” is defined by Merrium Webster as,“an often lurid story or anecdote that is based on hearsay and widely circulated as true.” Many students at Southeast of Saline have had terrifying events happen to them, with no explanation. 

Nathan Barr (Senior) said, “When I was younger, about a month after my mom’s dad passed, I was sitting in my parents’ bedroom doorway, and I saw his (my mom’s dad)  figure standing at the foot of their bed. He was in a wheelchair (at the time of his death).” 

Trévon Byrd (Freshmen), also commented, “My mom and my grandma both believe that there was a ghost in my old house. My mom’s dog had to be put down because he attacked my uncle and got an ear infection. They say that the dog used to lie on the bed and watch out the window. As they would come inside, he would bolt down the stars to see them. After he died, they said they heard something bolt down the stairs.” 

Lainy Myers (Senior) chimed in, “I think the downstairs bathroom by Mrs. Petty’s room is haunted. I went to that bathroom a few years ago when I was in Graphic Arts. After I shut the door, I heard a girl say, ‘Hey I’m in here,’ and there was literally nobody else in there. (It) freaked me out so I just left.”

According to Myers, another peculiar story goes that a guy was locked up in the costume room for so long that he died. When asked whether or not she believes in Urban Legends, she confirms, “Yes I do. I like to scare myself, so I like the thought of there being something else that I don’t quite understand or there being something there in the dark that isn’t there in the light.”  

Barr had another tale to recount as well: the infamous midwestern legend, Skinwalkers. These are said to be Native American deities that take the form of whatever they kill, “so if you are outside your house in the middle of the night, and you start smelling death, the idea is to get out of there as soon as you can. Because the second you smell this awful, horrid smell, it is there. Once it finds you, it finds you, and there is no hiding from it.”

Unlike Myers, Nathan falls under the category of skepticism. “I do not believe in urban legends. I don’t think that any of them have any real basis or any factual evidence. I do see that there is a purpose though. Sometimes they are only to scare or entertain people. Other times, especially for young children, they make stories like that to keep them from going out into the middle of the woods and getting killed by an animal.”

No matter the differences in opinions of these students, one thing remains clear: The need for entertainment has been universal throughout history. Telling stories around campfires and recalling thrilling tales to children has been something many students have enjoyed. These stories stick with us and shape us, whether we want them to or not.