Episode 74: Urban Myths AKA Spooky Stories That Tend to Be Fake

Listen to this Episode of "Coffee with Gringos" here or on iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts and Stitcher.

Paige:  You're listening to “Coffee with Gringos.” I’m Paige Sutherland.

Ian: And I'm Ian Kennedy.

Paige: So today we're going to talk about urban legends. Basically, they're, kind of, spooky stories that you hear of a friend of a friend. So, usually they're not true, but they're often pretty creepy. So, we're going to talk about a few that we know from growing up, ones that we've heard about often. So again, if you get lost, check out that audio transcript online. Okay, so, Ian urban legends—tell me one that comes to mind that you remember growing up that might have spooked you out a little bit.

Ian:  Sure, so I was just thinking about them recently. And while I can't think of a lot of them, there's one in particular that I can remember that's pretty scary to start this off. So, there's a story of a woman who's driving in her car, and there's a truck behind her, and the truck periodically keeps bumping into her car, or flashing its lights. And the woman, she's not really sure what's happening, she's not sure why this truck is doing these things to her. So, the truck follows her all the way to her house. So, when she gets to her house, she's wondering what's up. So, she gets out of the car and so does the guy in the truck. And the guy in the truck tells her “I'm sorry, I've been bumping your car, I've been flashing lights, but there's someone who's been in the backseat of your car.” And each time that they raise up from the seat to either hurt you, kill you, to do something, the man would bump the car, flash the lights to scare the person in the back from doing what they're going to do. So, it's really creepy to think of someone being in the backseat of your car while you're driving. Yeah, that’s a pretty creepy one that that I could remember.

Paige: I think that is everyone's worst fear, someone in your backseat. What's interesting though, is I don't know if I would have stopped. Like, as a female, you're driving, a trucker at night is flashing his lights at you…I would think this guy is trying to kill me.

Ian: Yeah, exactly.

Paige: Not, like, the opposite of that he's trying to help me.

Ian: Right. It's like a double whammy of being scared because then once she pulls over, you don't know what this guy's gonna say or do, right?  And then he tells you something else even scarier is happening inside your car. It's a bad scenario.

Paige: Do you think you would stop?

Ian: Probably not. You're right. Thinking about it, I'd probably just keep going. I wouldn't want to, usually, wouldn't want to mess or stop and mess with somebody who was doing something like that to my car.

Paige: I know, I probably would get off the road, go somewhere, like, change my direction or something.

Ian: Yeah, exactly.

Paige: Which would result in me being killed.  I’m gonna go somewhere secluded where the guy in my backseat can kill me. One that I heard a lot growing up, because me and my cousins and siblings would always tell urban legends to scare ourselves because we grew up in the summer in Maine, which is rural, and, like, you could kill someone very easily and no one would notice there. So, we would tell all these kinds of urban legends. One of my favorites was there was this girl and she was alone in her house and her family was out. And she had this family dog, and she was just in bed, probably watching a movie, eating popcorn or something. And the family dog was under the bed and, like, he would be licking her hand. And she, like, gets up to get a glass of water, and she realizes that the family dog is, like, killed. Like, murdered in the dining room, and there's like a note on the table or something that says, “humans can lick too.”

Ian: Oh shit…

Paige: So, there is a guy in the urban legend that was under the bed, licking her hand….

Ian: Wow, that's really scary. I've actually never heard that one before.

Paige: So, yeah, it's pretty terrifying. I think that's why, like, if I'm in bed I would, like, never let my hand just dangle.

Ian: Yeah, never leave something dangling. Yeah that's scary, I don't like that.

Paige: Yeah, it's a lot of things scary because, like, obviously things into your bed… freaky. And then, like, a human licking you? Very odd. And then, a dog’s murdered? It’s, like, of all that.

Ian:  Yeah, you got three strange things. Oh wow, that's crazy, yeah.  What other urban legends, urban myths have we heard of before?

Paige: I think what's interesting too is, like, that the one I just told is just an urban legend, but I've heard stories of, “oh my aunt’s friend…”, because that's usually a lot of the urban legends. There's, like, classic ones and then there's, like, stories that you hear from a friend of a friend that probably aren't true. Like, I heard one, my best friend in high school, her aunt’s friend, told her that she was, like, shopping at Walmart one day. And this guy went up to her and he was really nice and he was like, “Oh, like, let me help you with your groceries.” So, like, he helped her with the groceries and, like, put them in the car. They were, like, having a conversation and he was like, “Oh, like, I have this really cool thing to show you, like, it's in my car, like, come look at it.” And he was really nice but she was just like, “Ehhhh, you know…”

Ian: Little fishy…

Paige: Yeah, like, “yeah, I'm good. I have to go. I have something I'm late for.” You know, made up an excuse and left. And then, like, later that day in the news, he got, like, pulled over for speeding or something. And they found in his trunk, rope and, like, those ties.

Ian: Like zip ties?

Paige: Yeah, and, like, all these weapons and bags and stuff in his trunk. And it was like “uhhhhh.”

Ian: Geeze, yeah. It's stories like that are always strange to hear but they're especially strange because you know they could happen. They could really happen. Some of these other ones, you're kind of, like, I don't think that's realistic. But a story like that, that could really happen. Actually, it happens a lot. So, the idea that these kinds of people who are polite and helping you with your groceries—these seemingly really normal, okay people—are all around us and walking around us. They're on the metro with us.

Paige: Okay….

Ian: I won't say anything else…

Paige: Oh man. Yeah, now I’m, like, terrified to leave. Because of all these stories, I would be nervous, even if someone was like, “let me…” No. And it does suck because, like, some people are just nice and have really good intentions but you have to be cautious.

Ian: Sure, of course.  It's good to accept that help, but you have to keep your head on a swivel, you have to be careful about people, especially in these kinds of situations. And just a quick reminder if you are interested in taking private classes with Dynamic English, go ahead and check out our website at dynamicenglish.cl. And there, you can sign up for private classes in your apartment, in your house, in your office. You can even now take classes online. Sitting on your couch, you can log on and practice English. It's very easy. So, if you're interested, check us out also on social media through Facebook or Instagram. Now I have to ask you about an urban legend that is pretty well known, at least in North America. And it's the legend of “Bloody Mary.” Can you tell our listeners about the legend of “Bloody Mary”?

Paige: Have you never tried the game?

Ian: Oh, I've done it, I've definitely done it. I have to say, I can't remember the background story of it, though.

Paige: Yeah, so the idea of it is that you go in the bathroom and you shut the light off, and you stare right into the mirror, and you have to say “Bloody Mary” five times in a row—so you say, “Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary.” And the idea is that after the fifth time, she'll appear in the mirror. And she's—I've heard different variations—but she's, like, kind of, like, a bloody woman, like witch lady. So, like, the idea is, like, she appears and then kills you. So, I don't actually think I've ever done it. Like, I've been in there and done it maybe like four times and then I chickened out.

Ian: I see you weren’t bold enough to go for the fifth.

Paige: No, I don't believe in those things, really, but I don't not. Like, I don't want to mess with it.

Ian: Exactly, yeah.

Paige: No because that would be, like, a very common thing that my cousins would dare, you know, like, “I bet you won't go in the bathroom and play “Bloody Mary!”

Ian: Sure. No, I remember being as a young kid, I remember being with some friends doing it in my friend's house. And my friend had a pretty scary house, pretty scary basement. And so, it was the perfect setting for trying “Bloody Mary” and definitely scared me.

Paige: The other one that is popular right now is because of the internet is the “Slenderman.” I don't know if it's popular outside the US, but in the US, it was, like, on the internet. And it's this, like, really, slender, really, like, skinny, like, pasta-looking man that has no face. And the idea of it is he, like, appears, mostly around like children, young kids, and he'll just, like, start appearing. And then, like, every time you see him again, he, like, gets closer. So, he's, like, stalking you. And when he gets closer, I think he's, like, manipulating what you're thinking.

Ian: Ahhh, okay. And there's actually a case with a couple girls, right?

Paige: There were two girls that stabbed one of their classmates, and they said that the reason for it was because this “Slenderman” had appeared to them and told them to do this. It had, like, manipulated, influenced their decisions. It’s crazy.

Paige: Insane, the girls too, like, they were young. I mean, they were fourteen years old. And they, like, brought their friend—because they were all friends—they, like, brought the friend to, like, a cemetery and they stabbed her nineteen times. So, the crazy thing too is that she ended up, they, like, left her and she ended up, like, crawling to the road. They found her, and she was saved. She's alive today. But no, that one is, like, insane because it’s, like, an urban legend that shouldn't be, like, believed.

Ian: Right?

Paige: To the point that you're doing that.

Ian: And it's a newer urban legend and the fact that you have young people committing crimes due to this urban legend coming around. Pretty crazy.

Paige: The other one that, growing up, that would always freak me out when I was babysitting is, it's the babysitter scenario where you're alone and the kids are asleep and you get a phone call. And it's a stranger who's, like, trying to scare you. How the urban legend goes is that the call is coming from inside the house.

Ian: Yeah, sounds like the plot for movies I've seen, like you mentioned.

Paige: But it's always something, like, when me and my friends would babysit, we would like call each other.

Ian: Of course.

Paige: So, it’s definitely something you're like, “This is, like, not true, but like….”  

Ian: Still, I'm gonna look around the house. I’m gonna double check. Yeah, exactly.

Paige: They make so many movies about babysitting. I was the worst babysitter. If something happened, I’d be like, “See ya kids!”

Ian:  Yeah, “Peace! I’m out!” How funny. “Good luck.”

Paige: I'd be curious if there's urban legends here in Chile—we'll have to ask some of our students.  But those are just a few from the US that were pretty common and were good to tell when you were a kid to scare all your friends. But again, if you get lost, check online, check out that transcript and vocabulary guide. Thanks for listening.

Ian: We'll see you next time.

Paige: “Coffee with Gringos” was brought to you by Dynamic English, where you can learn English simply by using it. If you’re interested in taking classes or just want to learn more, go to our website at dynamicenglish.cl. Thanks for listening.

Key Vocabulary, Phrases and Slang:

1.     spooky (adjective): mysterious, scary, strange

a.     The old house down the street is so spooky.

2.     creepy (adjective): scary, terrifying, strange

a.     The man that lives next door is creepy.

3.     to bump (verb): to run into or knock into something.

a.     The cars were bumping each other in traffic.

4.     to flash (verb): quickly show or shine a bright light

a.     The other car was flashing its lights at the other driver.

5.     raise up (phrasal verb): lift or move up into a vertical position.

a.     He raised up from his seat to show that he was in the room.

6.     double whammy (noun): a problem or effect that has two combined actions.

a.     The economy experienced a double whammy with taxes and prices both increasing.  

7.     to pull over (verb): to move one’s vehicle off of a road.

a.     I need to pull over so I can go to the bathroom.  

8.     secluded (adjective): completely alone, private.

a.     The area in the woods is completely secluded and no one will see us.

9.     rural (adjective): remote, countryside, away from cities.

a.     Maine is a rural state in the north of the US.

10.  to dangle (verb): to hang or swing loosely.

a.     She dangled her hand off of the side of the bed.

11.  freaky (adjective): strange, creepy.

a.     The way she spoke to the woman was freaky.

12.  fishy (adjective): unusual, suspicious.

a.     She felt that the man was doing something fishy.

13.  trunk (noun): the storage space located in the back of a car.

a.     He kept many strange things in the trunk of his car.

14.  cautious (adjective): careful, wary.

a.     You need to be cautious walking the streets at night.

15.  to keep your head on a swivel (idiom): to be cautious, to be aware of one’s surroundings.

a.     I always keep my head on a swivel when I travel to a new country.

16.  to stare (verb): to look at something for an extended amount of time.

a.     The man wouldn’t stop staring at her in the subway train.

17.  witch (noun): a woman with magic powers, usually evil.

a.     The woman was a witch who scared all the children.

18.  to chicken out (phrasal verb): to become so scared that you don’t do something.

a.     I wanted to watch the scary movie but after ten minutes, I chickened out and went to my room.

19.  to dare (verb): to challenge someone to do something particular.

a.     I dared my brother to go into the scary, old house.

20.  basement (noun): underground level of a house.

a.     The basement was very dark and spooky.

21.  slender (adjective): thin, skinny.

a.     The figure was slender and scary looking.

22.  to stalk (verb): to follow or approach someone of something, usually is unwanted.

a.     The man stalked the young woman for several years. 

23.  to manipulate (verb): to control or influence a person or situation.

a.     The man was able to manipulate the people into doing what he wanted.  

24.  to stab (verb): to put a knife or sharp object into someone to hurt or kill.

a.     The girls stabbed their classmate almost twenty times.

25.  cemetery (noun): place where dead bodies are buried.

a.     The city cemetery is one of the creepiest places I know.

26.  to babysit (verb): to watch and take care of children whose parents are away.

a.     I’ve been babysitting my neighbors’ kids for a few years.