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“My boys and I snuck into the hospital in Waltham and once we were in, it was abandoned and disgusting with trash such as beer cans everywhere. There were eerie sounds in there and we reluctantly were scoping around the area. Legend commonly says that this hospital is haunted and noises we heard we thought to be the mythical ghosts. We searched the deserted building for a bit til we ran out of fear, finding nothing but trash but I swear we heard these weird sounds constantly.”

Context

This ghost story is commonly known by teens in Massachusetts familiar with the Waltham area. Kids often talk of the area in a spooky manner due to its past being a psychiatric institution. Rumor has it that the abandoned hospital is haunted with ghosts of past patients. This sparks curiosity in the young kids of the area who explore the building often.

Analysis

This folk story is a common example of an abandoned building with an emotional back story becoming associated with ghosts. The psychiatric hospital has cultural ties to suffering and isolation which permit horror stories and supernatural beings. This story is a legend because it is based in reality and believed to be true by some and false by others. In society, people often use folklore to rationalize factual events. This specific legend is used to make sense of why the hospital is abandoned and show how the suffering within that building created ghosts. Him and his friends’ exploration is legend tripping because they are experiencing and testing their belief first hand.