Author Archives: feldfebe

The Babysitter and the Red Room

Age: 15
Occupation: Student
Primary Language: English
  1. My brother shared a story with me that he heard at a summer camp:

“One day, there was this babysitter who was told to watch these kids in this house in her local neighborhood. She never babysat for this family before, but they seemed like nice and like normal so it wasn’t too weird or anything unusual. When she arrived at the house, the parents met with her and told her that their kids were great and she should have no problems at all. They said she was free to be comfortable in their home and can even help herself with their food in their kitchen and stuff. But they emphasized the fact that, she cannot even go near the locked room on the third floor of their house. If she avoids this room, then everything will be okay. The babysitter says she understands, but as soon as the parents leave, her curiosity wins. She goes to the third floor and up to the locked room. She tries opening the door, but is unsuccessful. She decides just to give up, and looks through the keyhole of the locked room. Much to her surprise and confusion, all she sees is red. She’s just staring into red. A red wall? Maybe a red pillow or curtain? She’s confused but goes ahead and heads back downstairs. All of a sudden, the parents return home. They say to her, you tried to get into the room huh? She tries to lie and say that she didn’t, but they know… The parents then explain to her that an evil spirit of a young girl who was killed in that room lives there. She is essentially a shadow, but has a single red eye..”

  1. My brother had heard this story when he was away at summer camp. The kids were sitting around a fire and telling each other scary stories before going to bed, which is a common camp tradition. Although they had told each other many stories that evening, this one really stuck with my brother. This was the scariest one to him because it was not a story he had heard before, since a lot of the babysitting scary stories usually end in a similar manner.
  2. This story is creepy and is a great one to be shared at future campfires or other events that call for classic scary-story telling. This story is a bit more complex than the typical scary stories that are told, so this one might be better suited for an older audience.
  3. I actually found this story scary and enjoyed it. Similar to my brother, I hadn’t heard this story before and I thought that the ending was really what made it especially creepy. I like how this story didn’t end in a way where the main character, or even the side characters involved, were harmed. I think this aspect also separates it from other scary stories. I would definitely share this story in the future if I’m ever at an event that calls for scary-story sharing.

The Luck Proverb

Nationality: Cuban
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish
  1. You can have it all- looks, money, and intelligence. But if you don’t have luck, then none of it matters.
  2. This proverb was one my grandmother had heard from her grandmother, and so on. It has been passed primarily through the maternal side of my family for generations. It is a strong belief she has always held, and believes it is applicable to everyone’s lives. Looking back on things she was able to accomplish in her past, she believes that none of it would have been possible had she not credited to at least a little bit of just good luck. This isn’t to say that she believes that other qualities and characteristics do not matter, but she thinks that luck is truly what is the leading force for a lot of her accomplishments and successes.
  3. This is a family proverb that can be shared with other families simply if they believe in and agree with what this proverb is emphasizing; luck is an essential force in helping you reach your personal goals.
  4. I personally do agree with this proverb and would happily share it continuously with my family and future generations. Sometimes being ‘in the right place and at the right time’ can surpass anything else.

The Family Ring

Nationality: Cuban
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish
  1. My grandmother gave me an emerald and pearl ring that has been passed down in our family for generations and generations. The ring is shaped unusually square-like and she told me that it protects those who wear it from evil. The ring was always given to the granddaughter on her 18th birthday, and this is when I was given the ring.
  2. My grandmother was given this ring on her 18th birthday as well, from her own grandmother. She was told to keep it safe and give it to her future granddaughter on her 18th birthday. She wore the ring every day after it was given to her, and strongly believes in its powers to ward off evil.
  3. There is no special ceremony or tradition involved when it comes to actually passing down the ring to the next granddaughter. The only condition must be that it is given to the granddaughter on their 18th birthday, but there is no specific time or place involved when it comes to passing down the ring.
  4. I do not know if I personally believe in the ring having supernatural powers, protecting the wearer from evil. But I do think that the ring is beautiful in a unique way and I enjoy wearing it because it reminds me of my grandmother and how important my family is to me. I do not wear it every day only because I am afraid of scratching it, or losing it. It appears to be pretty fancy and extravagant too, so it’s not very practical for me to wear daily. I usually only wear it for special occasions, but I keep it by my side every evening on my bedside table. I will definitely pass it down to my future granddaughter on her 18th birthday to keep the family tradition alive.

The Ghost Joke

Nationality: Chinese
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Primary Language: Chinese
Language: English
  1. Why can’t ghosts ever become comedians? Because they’re dead serious.

OR the alternate ending, because they’re dead. (An ‘Anti-joke’).

  1. The informant actually created this joke and ‘Anti-joke’, herself. It features a classic joke ending, and an Anti-joke ending that she can alternate depending on what she believes her audience will find more enjoyable. Anti-jokes are purposefully set up so that you believe you will get a normal punchline that is found in other jokes. In regular cases for jokes, the punchlines are supposed to be edited so that they’re intentionally funny, but for Anti-jokes this is not the case. Anti-jokes are not intended to be funny, and that itself is the actual punchline.
  2. The informant created this joke during her senior year of high school. She created this Anti-joke during class time when she was bored. She then shared her joke with the rest of her classmates.
  3. I thought that this joke was funny. I actually liked the Anti-joke ending more, because I definitely expected a more complex answer than the one I had received. Again, this is the purpose of an Anti-joke. You are essentially expecting something drastically different than what you are told. This is why I found the alternate ending funnier, since I usually have a good idea as to what the punchline of a joke would be. With this joke, I was definitely surprised by its ending.

The Room Riddle

Nationality: Chinese
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Primary Language: Chinese
Language: English
  1. So you’re in a room with no exit. There’s only a round table and a saw. How do you get out? You cut the table in half, because two halves make a “whole”.
  2. This was a riddle the informant had heard in class one day, at her middle school. She likes to re-tell this riddle because most of the time, she discovered that people are unable to answer it. She likes that they are surprised when they learn what the answer actually is, because it then appears to be rather obvious. She actually learned it from her substitute teacher during their class time. Their teacher was trying to see if anyone in their class could solve this riddle before being released for recess. The informant thinks the riddle is light-hearted enough to tell to others just for fun, or in casual conversation.
  3. This riddle can be shared in normal day-to-day conversation if you wish to incorporate something more entertaining within your conversation. This riddle is good for all ages, from elementary school students to adults.
  4. I thought that this riddle was effective. I actually was not able to solve it, but I found it humorous when the informant eventually told me the answer. I think that I would share this riddle with some of my other friends sometime, just for fun. I would also like to know whether or not they would immediately be able to solve the riddle. I have never heard this riddle before, so it’d be interesting to see if this were a well-known riddle among my peers that I just never had learned prior to speaking with the informant.