I had heard, like many of my classmates, most of the urban legend tales as ghost stories during sleepovers or campouts. Speaking of ghost stories, when I was little my family had a "tradition" during the Labor Day holiday when we all got together to camp to walk in the dark to the cemetery on my Grandparent's farm. My uncle Phillip would claim to see the Bell Witch and beg her to leave us alone and not to hurt us. Then we would all gather around Mr. Miller's grave to hear Phillip tell his stories of the ghost. Another uncle or my dad would be waiting at the cemetery to make sounds that go along with the stories. I know it sounds like a weird family tradition, but I'll never forget those times. I don't think they were trying to teach us not to do something, like sneak out of the tent at night (although we didn't, most of the time we weren't brave enough to sleep in the tent after that) but just to scare us to death (and it did).

I know now the characteristics of urban legends and will be skeptical of stories I hear that involve a friend of a friend. It is still entertaining to hear them though and it will be interesting to see when my children start telling me the same urban legends I heard as a kid.

Well, off to study for the midterm. I can't believe that time is already here.