My experience with the fantastic...

I'm from a small town about an hour from Tuscaloosa. When I say small, I mean it. My closest neighbors are about 2 cow pastures away. Yes, in the boondocks that's how we measure things, in cow pastures. That being said, there weren't many opportunities for fun growing up in such a rural area so people created legends of haunted places that we could visit and have the bejeezus scared out of us. All throughout school we had several big legends. One being “Crybaby Bridge.” Supposedly if one were to park on said bridge late at night they would be able to hear a crying baby. Some claim that if you sprinkle baby powder on the bridge you can see footprints. Some say the spirits would rock your car or you may be chased by fog. The entity that is connected to this bridge is that of a young child who is said to have been drowned in the river by his mother who went mad. I myself never went to the bridge, but had many friends go. They all came back shaken and believers.

Another legend was that of the “Hayes House,” which was supposedly haunted. A couple hung themselves and were tied to this house. Supposedly if you sit outside and watch you can see the lights turn on, you see people walking, but no one had lived there since the couple took their lives. Unfortunately the house recently burned down. :(

The legend that has frightened me since I was a small child is that of “Dock Wallace Hill.” There is a hill on this small, winding, country road. Off of this road under the hill there was once a saw mill and an unfortunate worker slipped one day and fell on the saw, which decapitated him. It is said that at night you can sometimes see the headless figure of the worker walking on the side of the road. I think this tale strikes me most, because I used to ride with my mom and my grandfather to deliver newspapers late at night and we would stop there and they would tell me the story. I still do not like to take this road after dark.

The final legend is relatively well-known. It is said that at the University of Montevallo a girl once caught on fire while cooking on a hot-plate in her dorm room. She is said to still run down the hall screaming, visit people at night, and her image constantly etches itself onto any door that is placed on her old room.

I'm not so sure about the validity of all of these tales, but I do believe in the paranormal because I've had several experiences with it. I think these tales mainly give kids something to do to let their imaginations roam and get adrenaline pumping on those dull nights. I find it quite amusing that my younger brothers are now in high school and they're talking about the same legends and seeking out the same places that both our parents/grandparents and I did.