Introduction

Urban legends are something that I grew up on. Hearing about some evil spirit that haunted the woods around me as a child scared me senseless – so I naturally wanted to pass along this feeling to those who are in this mythology class. Urban legends are told everywhere throughout the world, so I figured focusing on the state where I was born would provide an interesting insight into how Texans perceive ghosts and legends.

The collection of stories that I’ll be re-telling in my own way are as follows: The Donkey Lady, Woman Hollering Creek, and finally, a story of a ghost near White Rock Lake. The Donkey Lady is one told of a woman who burned alive, near the outskirts of San Antonio, who now preys on those who dare to drive alone at night. The Woman Hollering Creek comes from an urban legend of a mother's love for her children. This ghost is in the same area as the Donkey Lady, showing that some parts of Texas are a bit deadlier than others... Finally, the last story involves a ghost near White Rock Lake. White Rock Lake exists, it's near Dallas, where many cowboys used to congregate before hitting the trails. The pain and suffering that comes from such storied histories yields to marked spots, haunted areas that people can feel when they're near. I’ll be attempting to tell these stories in different ways from which they’ve been told in the past – I’d like to try and delve into the spirit’s backstories, as in how they came to be a haunted spirit who wiggles their way into children's nightmares throughout the state. Then once I’ve covered the “background” the style that I’ll use will be of one of omniscience, of something that knows what is going to happen to those foolish to come near these haunted places. It’ll be up to the class to determine if they think these urban legends have any truth to them, if the ghosts of Texas will really haunt the roads they drive at night, if they’ll be there, lurking in the lake, waiting for someone to pull in.

Each story will take place within more modern times. Each one will tell of the ghost's past, with an emphasis on what has caused them so much pain. For the donkey lady, that comes from the fire that changed her. For the woman hollering creek, it's those that pushed her to murder her children. For the ghost of White Rock, her motivations remain a mystery throughout the story... Cars/transportation are going to be the primary means of coming into contact with the legends that surround the area. These places are within grasp of civilization - not enough people drive through it, but there's a constant flow of people who wind up being there. One could drive easily to White Rock Lake from Six Flags in Arlington. You could accidentally stumble onto the Hollering Lady, with a short walk in San Antonio. These stories are more connected with modern areas than most of us would like to believe. If more people know about these legends, then maybe the ghosts that they’re about will be able to travel to the imaginations of Oklahomans, starting up a new chapter of the urban legends of America.

Haunted Bridge, provided by ChristopherM