Urban Legends

There is no specific definition for the term Urban Legend, but they are commonly known as secondhand stories, beliefs, songs, or customs of ordinary folks. Some are believable; some are not. The choice to accept the information as true or not is left to the listener or the reader of the tale. Urban legends will tend to appear spontaneously. They are often presented to convince the listener that the story comes from a reliable source. For instance, “You won’t believe what my sister told me…” or “My Grandfather had the most unusual experience…” Characteristics of an urban legend are that it is presented as a narrative; it is alleged to be true; it is believable; it is delivered from person to person orally or in the written form, and the storyline will almost always vary each time it is presented.

Did you hear about the amazing story of the Mother Duck and her ducklings in Spokane, Washington? The story is told by a lady whose brother worked for the Sterling Savings Bank in Spokane. The duck made her nest in a planter at the bank nearly 10 feet in the air. After the ducklings had hatched and they were ready to fly, Mother Duck flew down to the sidewalk below, summoned the ducklings to join her, and one-by-one they began to jump. The first one hit the ground with a splat; it lay stunned for several seconds before it began to move. Then came duckling number two. Finally, this lady’s brother couldn’t stand watching this, so he began to catch the additional seven ducklings as they jumped to the cement to meet their mother. Brother Joel gathered the little family, put it into a cardboard box, and walked it to a nearby river a little over two blocks away. This is a believable story that was validated with pictures.

Not all urban legends are true, however. For example…, a man I work with claims that his dad was driving down I-75 right here in Michigan when he noticed a limousine parked at the side of the rode. He stopped to see if he could help the folks in any way. Apparently, the driver needed to borrow the gentleman’s cell phone to call for assistance. After the call, the driver asked the gentleman if he would like to meet the celebrities in the limo. He said sure and was introduced to Donald Trump and his wife. Mr. Trump asked the gentleman if he could do anything to repay his kindness. The gentleman said it would be great if he could send his wife a bouquet of flowers. Time passes and the gentleman and his wife are at the breakfast table when the doorbell rings. When the wife answered the door, there was a gigantic bouquet of flowers and a note which said, “Thank you very much for the help. We have paid off your mortgage.” Signed… Donald Trump. It would be a wonderful gesture if it was true. Unfortunately, it was not, but it is something many people dream might happen to them.

My cousin told me about this couple who drove their car to a local park to make out. They were a little nervous because they heard that others had gone there and were attacked by a man with a hook. Some of those people actually died. They were determined to be together, so they started to kiss, but they heard noises in the park. Thinking it might be a dangerous animal, they decided to leave. Unfortunately, the car would not start. After a few minutes, the boy decided to go for help and told his girlfriend she would be okay until he got back. She was left all alone for what seemed to be the longest time. All of a sudden she began to hear an intermittent tapping on the car. It was driving her crazy, so she slid over to the driver’s seat and attempted to start the car. After several tense moments, the car finally started and she raced away. She raced to the police station and brought them back to the park to look for her boyfriend. As the police approached the place where they were parked, they told the girl to stay in the backseat of the police car. As they walked toward the location of the car, they looked up in the trees to observe the dead body of a boy hanging over a branch in a tree. He was just above where the car was parked. Blood was still dripping into a puddle that had formed on the ground with the same familiar sound of intermittent tapping.

All three tales accomplished their objective. They captured the listener, told an intriguing story, and made the listener wonder. It does not matter if the tale was true or false. All that really matters is that the story was interesting and believable because if it captivated the listener, the listener will be anxious to share the story with someone else. Hence, the Urban Legend continues…