“In my school there was the ghost story of Mr. Sneakers. It was told by the gym teacher at the primary school, who told all the kids in the class that at the top of the rope we had to climb as part of the endurance test there was a ghost named Mr. Sneakers. He was apparently the ghost of a previous gym teacher who lived in the rafters and could only be seen if kids climbed to the top of the rope to catch a glimpse of the trademark white sneakers. A picture of floating sneakers in the rafters in his office along with testimony from the kids who climbed to the top that the air up there got colder seemed to spur this ghost story into truth, and I remember trying my hardest to climb to the top just for a glimpse of the real life ghost. In hindsight, the photo was likely a photoshop job that could only fool a group of 6-8 year olds along with the fact that the rope was hung down right next to the air conditioner, explaining the cool breeze felt by those who summited the rope. But it was a beloved ghost story that anyone who walks through the doors of Indian Hill Primary School in Cincinnati, OH can attest to.”

Context: The informant is a college student who grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Interpretation: This may cross over into fakelore, as it could easily have been invented by the school’s gym teacher as the informant explains; however, it seems to function just like a legend among the kids. The uncertainty of whether or not Mr. Sneakers really exists spurs a curiosity and motivation to find out, reflecting the tendency of children to explore boundaries of play along with taboo subjects like death and ghosts.

“I moved into a three bedroom apartment with two other roommates. I would start to fall asleep and suddenly, everything would get very loud (the noise from the fan would increase substantially). Then I would hear the voice. A somewhat demonic voice would say my name right in my ear. There were times I could feel the depression of someone sitting on the bed next to me as well. This happened on occasion for months. My cousin came to stay with me for a few days and stayed in my room with me. She also had an odd experience like she was floating in the room. When I was out of town, a friend of my roommate’s stayed in my room. She bolted up in bed to see herself walking through the door. Later, a psychic friend of my roommate’s told us my bedroom was a vortex for spirits. She said the next time I heard that voice, I should scream loudly (in my head) ‘No! Go away!’ or something to that effect. Eventually that voice finally went away.”

Context: The informant, 61, grew up in western Washington. These were some of various events leading her to believe that the supernatural may exist.

Interpretation: This seems to be a case where it is easier to connect strange sensations and treat them as supernatural rather than trying (without success) to explain them with logic. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, a popular setting for folk tales and legends, may also have primed the informant to sooner attribute these strange experiences to the supernatural rather than a realistic phenomenon.

“I was in college living on the 2nd floor of an off campus apartment. I had a very strange dream and woke up to see a bright light from the window. I walked over to the window and looked down onto the parking lot. In between two cars directly below our window was a swirling gold orb about two feet in diameter just hovering in place. I woke my roommate up to see it as well and we watched it for a while. The next morning, we checked that very spot, looking for some sort of logical explanation but there was nothing at all.”

Context: The informant, 61, grew up in western Washington, where she also went to college as a young adult. This experience is one she has referenced multiple times as anecdotal evidence that the supernatural may exist.

Interpretation: Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, a popular setting for folk tales and legends, may have primed the informant to sooner attribute this strange experience to the supernatural rather than an explainable phenomenon. Additionally, that two people experienced this together likely strengthened a shared belief that what they saw was both real and out of the ordinary. To assign an explanation to this event, however vague and supernatural, may have mitigated anxieties about facing the unknown alone.

“I was staying with my grandmother in Arkansas out in the country. In the middle of the night, I started to feel the bed shake and immediately thought we were experiencing an earthquake. I jumped out of bed and then a blinding white light filled the room from the window. I held onto the bed as it continued to shake. Then suddenly, the bright light disappeared and the shaking stopped. My cousin was sleeping in the next room over and was sound asleep.”

Context: The informant, 61, grew up in western Washington; this event occurred at some point during her childhood. This was one of various events leading her to believe that the supernatural may exist.

Interpretation: There seems to be a supernatural quality associated with events experienced by one person alone while others close by are unaffected. Similarly (at least in the US), areas more isolated from civilization (“out in the country”) are more often associated with unexplainable events and strange creatures. This could be a way to mitigate anxieties about the unknown and being alone; an explanation, however vague and supernatural, is better than fear in isolation.

“I grew up in Rancho Penasquitos, CA, which is apparently built on an Indian burial ground. There were often stories about strange sightings or occurrences in the neighborhood that we didn’t really pay attention to until we started experiencing strange things ourselves. They always involved water. One time, I walked into my bedroom on a warm summer day and stepped into a freezing puddle of water on the carpet. There was no apparent cause or source. I blotted it up and forgot about it. This happened around the house from time to time with no logical explanation but nothing scary that would make us consider moving. It all culminated one night when my step dad bolted up in bed because he felt cold water on his feet. He turned the light on to see that the comforter wasn’t wet at all. When he threw back the comforter, he saw a puddle forming on the sheets under his feet! That was the last occurrence I remember in that house.”

Context: The informant, 61, grew up in Rancho Penasquitos, California; these events occurred during his childhood.

Interpretation: The association of haunted places in the U.S. being built atop Native American burial grounds is a popular trope used to explain supernatural events. This likely stems from a collective guilt-fueled fear that modern Americans will be repaid for the atrocities of colonization (by the spirits of Native Americans killed by colonizers). Even if the strange events themselves aren’t violent in nature, they are more easily confirmed by this belief shared among residents of Rancho Penasquitos, perhaps strengthening a sense of identity and belonging within that group.