La Lechuza, a horrible way to get your kids to behave!

When I was about six or seven years old, my older cousins baby-sat my brother, sister, and me one Saturday night.  We used to love playing outside until dark, and if we could play until the sun came up, we totally would!  Well that night my two older cousins were getting annoyed and tired and wanted us to go inside because it was already 10p.m., but we refused.  My two older cousins then started talking to each other about how they were worried that "you know who" was coming out that night.  I started to listen in on their conversation and asked them what they were talking about, but they just got quiet and stared at the sky.  So then, one of my cousins screamed in terror and yelled for us to run inside and hide from "her."  My brother and I could not have ran fast enough, but we managed to find a closet on the far end of the house, but we had lost my older sister! We could hear my older cousin screaming, "Lechuza, don't take me, take Sasha!" (My older sister) So my brother and I started crying hysterically, and my other cousin came in the room making noise, and we thought it was what ever had "taken my sister" and opened the closet door and found us crying! All he did was laugh and told us that next time we need to listen to them when they tell us to go inside! My sister was also a part of this mean joke!  After this, I did listen anytime my parents or whoever was babysitting told me to do something! Some time later I asked my parents what a "lechuza" was and they explained it was an urban legend about an owl/witch that takes children if they don't behave, of course trying to get me to behave.


There have been many accounts of this strage creature throughout the Southwest and Mexico for the past century. The Lechuza has its origins in the rural communities in Mexico and till this day, people still have wicked encounters with the "Owl Lady". Witches who are known for practicing both ancient medicine and black magic plus at times have the power to transform themselves into giant owls and prey on those who have done them wrong or steal children for ritual purposes. Apart from the traditional European witches we are familiar with, these Lechuzas have their origins in the rural parts of Mexico where old communities still believe in their power of witchcraft and transfiguration.  It is believed that they work for Satan to lure or capture children for rituals. They have not only have the power to transforms themselves into giant owls, they can also change their voice as that of a baby crying outside as to lure you to step outside for a brief moment. That is the creepiest thing I have ever read! Now, if I ever hear a crying kid outside, I'm calling the cops so they can deal with it!

So, needless to say, I was a pretty behaved child, sort of.. 

The BoogeyMan! Ahhhh!

Have you ever stared at your closet door late at night when you were alone and imagined it slowly sliding open from the inside? Have you ever checked underneath your bed to make sure no one was hiding there and waiting for you to fall asleep? There is no physical embodiment of this fear, but there is a word for it. This entity is the master of bedroom fright, and is known as the " Boogeyman". 
Where the heck did this darn boogeyman come from? I was scared of finding this dude under my bed when I was younger, and now I can get my  niece and nephews to behave, or else I call this boogeyman on my cell phone!  The bogeyman legend originates from Scotland, where such creatures are sometimes called bogles, boggarts, or bogies. The bogeyman changes description from region to region but generally means a person that causes irrational fear.




It's common knowledge that the Boogeyman is the Santa Claus of horror. Parents use this creature with a heart of darkness, that resides in a realm that somehow allows it to warp into any child's closet and reek havoc. This tale is key in teaching children obedience via supposed "hollow" threats. "If you aren't good the Boogeyman will get you, " they might say to their frightened young lings. Then, as parents bask in the warmth of a well-oiled order-taking child, they realize they've instilled fear in them that will take many restless nights to go away. The lights will go out and the nightmares will begin.

Girls, listen to your parents!

The folk tale of a women’s dance with the devil is an old legend. An early version surfaced in 1875 in Danzig, Poland. A more contemporary retelling places the devil at a San Antonio dance hall in 1975.

Folklore binds cultures, enforcing traditional values and norms. The tale of the dance is a warning against promiscuity and perhaps a paean for a patriarchal society — had the women not disobeyed her father, and been pious, she would still be alive.

The punishment for her impiety came quickly. Around midnight, she saw a handsomely dressed stranger with black hair and eyes that glistened like onyx, coming towards her to ask her for a dance. She took his arm with pleasure as they began to dance with perfect grace, but faster and faster . . .

 

One of the musicians watched the dancing people carefully, and one can imagine how he felt when he noticed that the stranger had the cloven hoof of Satan! He drew his comrades' attention to it, and in the very middle of the waltz they were playing, they changed the tune and broke into a religious hymn. The clock struck twelve, the devil pulled his partner close to him and in a frantic whirl crossed with her to the other side of the room and crashed through the window. The girl was found lying on the green grass in the garden covered with broken glass. The devil had disappeared.

I found a story about a DJ from McAllen who witnessed something like this in 1979; creepy that it is a little closer to home than we think.

Danny Nava Played Rock and Roll for the Devil! <---Must Read!

Haunted Railroad Tracks

So, I'm sure we have all heard the story about the haunted railroad tracks in San Antonio, well I thought I would also talk about it here!


Back in the 1930s or 1940s, a school bus full of children was making its way down the road and toward the intersection when it stalled on the railroad tracks. A speeding train smashed into the bus, killing 10 of the children and the bus driver. Since that dreadful accident many years ago, any car stopped near the railroad tracks will be pushed by unseen hands across the tracks to safety. It is the spirits of the children, they say, who push the cars across the tracks to prevent a tragedy and fate like their own.
 

Even today, cars line up at the haunted intersection to see if the legend is true. The driver stops the cars some 20 to 30 yards from the tracks and puts the car in neutral gear. Some even turn off their engines. And sure enough, even though it appears that the road is on an upward grade, the car begins to roll. It rolls slowly first, then steadily gaining speed - seemingly of its own accord and against gravity - up and over the tracks. This has been tested time and time again, and cars really do roll up and over the tracks - every time.
But that's not all. The second half of this legend is that if a light powder - like talcum or baby powder - is sprinkled over the car's trunk and rear bumper, tiny fingerprints and handprints will appear - the prints of the ghost children pushing the car. Many who have tried it swear that indeed they can see the evidence of small children's handprints in the powder.


I found a video online that proves this could be true...
Haunted RailroadTracks

DEMONS OR THE SUBCONSCIOUS? The evil Ouija board!

For the sake of argument, however, let’s say that tales of terror about the Ouija board are true.  Should we blame the board? Or should we blame the people using the board? In other words, where is this negativity really coming from? Is it coming from a demon, who I guess we have to assume is sitting around with nothing better to do, waiting for teenagers to sit down at a Ouija board to scare the crap out of them with a selection of supernatural antics? Or is it more likely that any effects – supernatural or not – arise out of the energized subconscious of the users? Are the movements all in their heads??

You’ll know that I do believe that people can get possessed using this board, and I would never use it! I may be too much of a "pastor's daughter" do even allow someone into my house with this thing because I don't call it a game. 

These are ancient superstitions – that may be made up, but I don't want to find out that they aren't! It is pretty much unknown who invented the Ouija board...but I have read on several websites it was Elijah Bond, whose name was on the original patent documents under the heading "inventor". Still, some say it as a man named Charles Kennard. Regardless of who actually invented the board, it is still creepy!



In 1848, two sisters in New York said they made contact with a dead peddler -- and basically kicked off the widespread popularity of "Spiritualism" in America.  Through the late 18th century and early 19th century, communicating with the dead became a very popular and widespread activity. Some people took it very seriously, a lot of people thought it was just a fun past time, and a lot of people were more interested in profiting off the trend than anything else.  The primary reason the Ouija board came into being was because people more-or-less found other methods of communication (interpreting knocks and taps, or illegible scrawl from a spirit-writing device) to be boring after a while -- and were frustrated with methods that resulted in little/hard-to-understand payoff.

Well, I don't know about everyone else, but I won't be playing with this "game" anytime soon!  I have also found some stories online that you can read and decide for yourself whether or not you think its real. 
And yes, I really am a pastor's daughter...

"It goes a little something like this. This is not actually about me, but about what happened to my dad, but it has affected all who enter our house.
One night, my dad and his buddies were at our house, just messing around. They were about 17 or so. Well, somebody had the brilliant idea of bringing along an ouija board. At first, it was all in good fun, they were just asking random questions. Then, they asked “its” name. It began rambling off letters for about five minutes, it looked like it had a whole mess of different names inside it. It would have kept going, but they decided to stop it. Then they asked how old it was, and it did the same thing. It just went on, and on with random numbers, and they eventually just stopped that too. Then, they asked, “Could you possess us?” and it pointed to “yes”. They asked, “could we help you?” and it pointed to “yes” again. Then, being the idiot he was, my dad jokingly took a crucifix and touched it to the ouija board. The second it touched, Jesus fell off of the crucifix at hands & feet" 

"Hello,my name is Joey,I am from Illinois in the USA. I have been a Paranormal Investigator for 14 years. My beginning was with a Ouiji Board,I had no religion at the time. I had sat down with two friends,and we entered the ouiji board,it lead us to the gatekeeper…”Amond”…who lead us to several other spirits,including my deceased father. well things got nasty quick,after the demon made me mad,it royally pissed me off. I challenged its power for 2 solid hours. Finally I just stood up and walked away. A week later,I was driving down a dirt farm road,I noticed that the air in the car was heavy,so I rolled down my window. I started feeling sick to my stomach,so I stopped my car,and took some deep breathes. I lite my cigarette,and started to turn on my car,suddenly my back of my neck felt sharply cold…then heat warmed my neck up fast…..then I felt this liquid sensation on my back of my neck. I thought it was just sweat….,I pulled my hand back and my hand was full of blood. I drove fast to the emergency room,were I was treated for deep cuts on the back of my neck,the nurse asked me if I was in a fight? I simply replied “yes”..but in a spiritual sense,then I went home."

Alright party people, this next urban myth I tried was a not so easy one for me.  I dreaded this one, but I tried BLOODY MARY! It took my a whole hour to try and finish saying the name three times, but while I practically cried and prayed, I did it, and found that nothing happens. I am not saying I would try it again, but I'm just saying that this too is another urban legend proved to be false.  What a waste of time! Just kidding, I was pretty scared!  I looked it up and there are various theories as to who the woman behind the Bloody Mary legend is, but many believe her to be a woman named Mary Tudor.
 
Mary Tudor is confirmed to have actually existed and I’m not surprised that she’s believed to be the origin of the Bloody Mary legend as her life was often soaked in blood. Mary Tudor was the daughter of the notorious King Henry the VIII who is famous for putting his wives to death whenever he grew tired of them.  So, she did see her share of "bloody" acts because Mary was the daughter to the very first wife of King Henry.

 

Not only did King Henry kill people, but he disowned Mary, and forced her to work as a servant for her younger sister.  Well at the age of 37, Mary became queen, so she finally had a chance to turn things around.  Unfortunately, she didn't really change much, except for the fact that she didn't kill husband after husband; she did burn people at the stake because they didn't follow her religion.  So, that is where the name "bloody mary" came from.  

So, if someone else wants to try it, and tell me what happened, that would be awesome.

My First Myth Buster!

So, I am sure that we have all heard our share of "urban legends," and I am pretty sure it has been through some second-cousin's-next-door-neighbor's-dog-sitter-from-two-blocks-down! Well I am here to tell you that I will be checking these scary stories out! I want to go to whatever "haunted" dorm hall there is at UTPA, and try Bloody Mary.  I am not saying I am not scared because that is far from it! I still sleep with a nightlight! All those will come in time, so let's start small.

With that said, I already had my first myth busting experience!  And it is with one I am sure you all have heard of; The famous "don't eat pop rocks and coke because you will explode" myth! It is false! I tried this, and all that happened was an upset stomach!

So here it is folks, the truth behind the pop rocks and coke urban legend, and it was not true.  I mean, I wouldn't recommend you go out and buy these two because they are unhealthy, but if you would like to try it yourself, you don't have to be scared anymore!

 1) Pop Rocks & Coke 
 2) Bloody Mary