Author Archives: Charlotte Bartel

Flickering Lights

Date_of_performance: 04/03/2025

Informant Name: VL

Language: English/Spanish 

Nationality: American

Occupation: Student 

Primary Language: English

Residence: Los Angeles

Interview:

VL: Hmm my next door neighbor had a chandelier that started flickering and then it lifted/turned upside down/swinging and the painting that it was in front of fell off the wall.man it was so long ago I don’t remember a lot of the details.I think it maybe was over a course of a few days and it was progressively getting worse until the painting fell.

VL: Oh yeah the painting was of the Virgin Mary, forgot to mention that first.

ME: Do you know if they ended up moving or getting rid of it?

VL: nope they stayed for a while after that and I’m pretty sure they kept the painting. They kept the chandelier too.

ME: Hm okay! Do you know if they talked about anything weird going on in the house or did you mainly see the light flickering?

VL: Apparently the whole house was haunted, at least that is what my friends would say to me. But the chandelier lights flickering and the painting falling was just a big moment I remember the most.

ME: Wow! That’s helpful to know about the house.

VL: But there was always noises or things falling by itself in the house when they were there.

ME: How long have they lived there for? And were the lights always flickering or something that happened suddenly.

VL: Damn they lived there forever probably more than 2 decades, *pauses* if im remembering correctly. And I think the flickering happened suddenly.

ME: Wow! That’s perfect! I think that is all I need. Thank you for your help.

Interpretation

What stood out to me the most was that the painting was of Virgin Mary, which is known for being a symbol of purity, divine grace and motherhood. So that painting falling down instead of any other work of art they may have, could be read as a sign that there is a force in their house haunting it and trying get rid of anything that could be seen as a protection or pure. When lights flicker in horror or thriller movies, it is a scene that there is an evil sprit in the room that is either trying to gain control and take over or kill someone. Or simply sending them a spiritual message to back off and move out. I want to think it is more than just a faulty electrical wire or connection, if the painting of Virgin Mary didn’t start falling down with it, I would believe they just need to fix what wire is connected to the chandelier. They also have lived in the house for so long, there is a possibility that while they have lived there, a ghost or paranormal spiritual could’ve came in and started to slowly haunting them until it become obvious. VL said the family still leaves there, so the spirit hasn’t done anything harmful so maybe it left after scaring them for a bit or showing that they were there and could come back.






Haunting Shadows

Date_of_performance: 04/04/2025

Informant Name: IS

Language: English 

Nationality: American

Occupation: Student/Grammy U Ambassador 

Primary Language: English

Residence: USC

Interview:

IS: I remember once when I was either a little kid or maybe in middle school I was young that is what I know. I was going to the bathroom super late at night. The bathroom is right across the hallway from my bedroom, so it was a two-second walk.

IS: As I walked to the bathroom, mind you the house is fully dark aside from a few lights here and there so it was hard to see, but I swear I saw a tall, pitch black ghost looking figure move by in the living room. I looked back a millisecond later and didn’t see anyone, even went to the living room to check. It was so weird and I told my mom later that morning curious if she saw something like that before in the house, she told me she didn’t.

ME: Oh my god! That’s crazy! Seeing the tall figure would’ve freaked me out so much. Did you ever see it again after that?

IS: Nope! I thought there was something in the living room that looked like a quickly-moving figure at first, because I was rushing to the bathroom, but there was nothing in the living room that looked like it.

Interpretation

Out of the paranormal folktales that I have collected from my friends, this one is the story that I believe the least is a ghost. She mentioned how she was rushing to the bathroom and it was hard to see because it was dark, so it could be likely that the tall figure she saw was one of her family members grabbing a drink of water or going back to bed, and the figure didn’t say anything because they didn’t see her. The figure didn’t make any noises or approach her, like the spirituals in the other stories did, there was no action the figure did to show they were a ghost or a type of shadowy spirit. If the ghost speak to her in a hushed voice or in a voice that didn’t sound like anyone in her family, I would fully believe she saw a ghost or if they even made something fall down or make a light flicker. She said she didn’t see it again, so the figure wasn’t trying to haunt her or her house, which other ghosts might have done to show that their presence is there. There is also no other spiritual evidence that would back up the figure was a ghost, but she was young when it happened, so there is a possibility that she did forget details that made the figure be a ghost more believable, but in my personal opinion, I don’t see it as a paranormal figure but everyone’s experience with ghosts or spiritual figures is different and not every ghost is different in the way they show up or how they make themselves be seen as.

La llorona

Date_of_performance: 04/05/2025

Informant Name: MD

Language: English/Spanish

Nationality: American

Occupation: Student/RA

Primary Language: English

Residence: USC

Interview:

MD: The only thing i can think of, for legends, La llorona. Which is a hispanic folklore my mom scared me with when I was growing up. You can look it up but my mom would tell me that if I didn’t go to bed on time she would come get me in my sleep.

MD: And i was terrified of her. The pictures online are so triggering to me. *laughs*

ME: Do you remember what she told you about La llorona?

MD: Basically, she told me that she was like an evil mom that would kidnap me if i didn’t listen to her, which is terrifying to hear as a child, so I’m sure you can believe that I started to listening to her more. The whole point was like if you don’t obey your good mom, La llorona will come steal you away from your family. i think she told me that her kids died or something so that’s why she takes other people’s kids.

ME: Oh yeah. I learned a bit about her in my class. It is so interesting and terrifying even now.

MD: Yeah. I don’t think she copied the exact myth, just told me enough to make sure I did listen to her and to scare me away from wanting to misbehavior against her.

Interpretation

I find it so interesting to hear about different legends people have heard of when they were younger and ones that continue to stick with them or influence the way they behave today. It is especially interesting for me when it is a legend that turns into a lesson for children. I had a little bit of knowledge of La llorona before they told me the story of what her mom said to her to frighten her into good behavior. I’m glad I heard it from someone who is Latina or has been haunted by this legend from a young age, there will be a genuine portrayal of who she is and her character wouldn’t be full of harmful Latina stereotypes to make her seem more cruel or dramatic for entertainment effect. The legend focuses on maternal care and I think that is why people tend to force her into such a dark and evil box, because there no talk of the father or consequences for the children is they don’t listen to their dad and a lot of folktales don’t usually focus on a feminine character not being the victim who ends a masculine character to save them, while she is seen as a threatening force because she drowned her children, it is more about wanting children to behave and to stay away from waterways (which is a meaning that tends to be overlooked) and less on how she is a cruel person, which may be painted differently if there is a masculine character starring beside her in the legend. Legends surrounding motherhood are the ones I like to read about the most, because it shows what they would do for their children and how far they would go, even if it means turning against themselves and being represented as someone who is vicious.





Ouija board

Date_of_performance: 04/06/2025

Informant Name: MPF

Language: English/Spanish  

Nationality: Mexican

Occupation: Student/Student worker

Primary Language: English

Residence: USC

Interview:

MPF: The paranormal experience the most, that I would call paranormal experience, is when my dad pulled out a Ouija Board when I was younger.

ME: How old would you say you were when it happened?

MPF: Hm. I was pretty young, maybe around 7 years old. Young enough for it to freak me out a lot at the time.

MPF: One night during the summer, my dad thought it would be fun to bring out the ouji board for us to mess with. He would play around with it when he was young and always said he swore it brought ghosts into his house and I was curious so I agreed to do it with him.

MPF: I don’t remember the exact question he asked it, I think the first question was if someone was in the room with us, the usual question people start out with when talking with spirits *laughs*

ME: What did it respond with? Or did it respond back?

MPF: So at first, it did move to Yes and I started getting scared but then my dad confessed that he moved it there to mess with me. So we tried again and my dad swore he felt a shiver down his back when we asked if someone was there again and it moved to yes. I thought my dad moved it again, but he swore to this day that he didn’t.

ME: What happened after that? Did you continue asking it questions?

MPF: My dad wanted me to ask the next question so I can get the full experience. So i asked if the ghost was friendly.. and it slowly moved to no.

ME: Oh my god.

MPF: Yeah! So I started getting freaked out and crying, my dad decided that we no longer should play with it anymore and took me to bed.

ME: Did you guys say goodbye to it? I remember seeing in films that people say goodbye to close the portal or such.

MPF: I think my dad was too preoccupied getting me to bed and calming me down to say goodbye. But later that night, I swear I felt someone tickle my feet and tugging on my blanket when I was trying to sleep. I don’t know if it was just paranoid in my mind tricking me or if something was there. Let’s just say I will never touch that game again.

ME: Wow! That’s so crazy. Do you know if any other family members mentioned feeling something at night because of the ouji board?

MPF: i think my uncle said saw an old lady walking around at night in his room a couple days later, but that might not be related. My dad did mention to me that he felt that the whole house felt covered in dark energy afterwards, so the house could’ve been haunted but we moved out a couple years later so I have no idea if the ghost is still there haunting the next family. I just know that it spooked me for many years later and I have never and will never pick up a ouija board again.

ME: Did you guys get rid of it?

MPF: Yeah. My mom threw it out when we were moving because she was upset with him for making me cry because of it. So luckily I see no ghost sightings or feelings of dark energy in their new house when I come home and visit.

Interpretation:

Her story reminded me why I haven’t picked up a Ouija board and now I never will. The shiver that her dad felt is such a small detail but so important to the story, it is the point in the story where the ghost could be entering their house and that is why she felt someone tugging on her blanket when she was sleeping. I feel more drawn into this folktale because she didn’t say whether or not she believes it was a ghost, she leaves the ending open and therefore creating suspense and making it more believable because she is sharing an authentic story of a scary moment that happened to her when she was a child. This story is a good example of a classic modern day supernatural folklore memorate, the myth that the Ouji board could invite ghosts into the person’s house and her facing the consequences of trying it out and because her dad did it before when he was younger and had the belief that it worked. It is also interesting that they didn’t close out the ouji board and say goodbye to the ghost, and later her dad felt dark energy and there could’ve been someone in her room that night. That is strong evidence that could led me to think that the Ouji board did work and is a pathway to ghosts or the dead. Saying goodbye to a ghost is a known ritual closure to get rid of the bridge to both sides and according to widely accepted Ouija mythology (and the media) failing to say “goodbye” at the conclusion of a session is dangerous move because it could leave the portal open, which we did end up seeing in this interview and now the ghost feels welcomed to stay. I love how personal this story was, how she felt during the process, a little bit of humor when her dad messed with her and the lead up to the paranormal event. It makes it believable and made me freak out while listening to her talk about it to me.

Treat others well proverb

Information Info

Age: 18

Date_of_performance: 02/16/2025

Informant Name: CK

Language: English 

Nationality: American 

Occupation: Student 

Primary Language: English

Residence: Westwood, Los Angeles 

Text:

““Treat other’s the way you’d like to be treated” My mom engrained that into my brain growing up anytime I ever did or said something she thought was unfair, especially towards other kids my age. It’s a fairly common saying, but I associate it most strongly with my mom because of her strong sense of justice and compassion.”

Analysis:

It is fascinating to me that most of the proverbs you hear around, are introduced you by your parents or specifically by your mother. This one stands out the most to be out of all of the them. It has 2 meanings we could dive into. 1. The simple and widely known meaning of treating people with respect and kindness. Putting yourself into their shoes and imagining what it would be like if someone those awful and disgusting words towards you, how would you feel? What you give out will come right back to you. 2. This meaning is a bit harder to find, but it also could mean do more than what is expected of you and put your own needs aside. The proverb follows the first meaning more, because CK mentioned how his mom would say it to him whenever he did something unfair towards siblings or kids around his age and her sense of justice getting passed down to him because of this saying that he will carry with him throughout life and help create his own sense of justice for others and doing what is right.