The Shape-shifter of Vienna

Marcus Berger was working in a theatre and had only just stopped serving popcorn when a man stood in front of him. Marcus asked the man what he wanted from his stand, but the man didn’t answer him and instead reached over and touched his head leaving him unconscious on the ground. The man that had done this to him then turned into another object and watched on from a shelf as all manners of people rushed over to help Marcus out.

When Marcus recovered in hospital he told them about the man that had simply touched his head, but he was so heavy – handed that he made him collapse.

The nurse who heard his story then told him that they’d heard all about what’d happened. There was a man that’d entered the theatre and as he was about to serve him Marcus was touched on the head where he collapsed on the ground. The man then seemed to jump onto the shelf behind him and disappear.

Marcus couldn’t work out how that could’ve been the case since if he’d jumped on the shelf he surely would’ve stood out like a sore thumb? A doctor called Niki was close at hand and he said to him that he’d heard about a number of situations where this had happened before. The first case of its kind was back in the late nineteen-fifties and the initial person was killed. Ever since then on the anniversary of that date someone experiences a strange situation.

Niki told him that if this thing had intended to kill him he wouldn’t be here now, but he’d have to be wary about repeat incidents from this moment on since it sounded like the shape shifter of Vienna had singled him out for some special treatment. Marcus couldn’t figure out what he’d done wrong, but the doctor told him that all of the other attacks had come inside theatres where not just support staff were victims, but so were actors and actresses too.

Marcus had a bad thought and didn’t like where it was leading him, but the nurse urged him to contain himself and calm down until they could discharge him. Marcus hoped that Niki could come up with some kind of cure for coming into contact with the shape shifter, but Niki told him that there was no cure it was just something he’d have to learn to live with although there were going to be signs to watch out for.

The nurse wanted to find out about these signs and Niki wasted little time passing it on. He told them that the best way to avoid being attacked was to avoid being alone in a public place. He then told Marcus to quit his job at the theatre or else a repeat incident was very much on the cards for him. Marcus had – had this job for many years and didn’t really want to quit, but the nurse and Niki told him that he’d simply no other choice in the matter.

Marcus then asked once again about the signs? Niki said that if he ever felt like he was being watched he needed to make sure he was around other people, because this eradicated the threat of the shape shifter. If he ever experienced something out of the ordinary he needed to tell people about it rather than keep it to himself. Marcus knew that he was one of those that liked to keep things to himself, so this sounded like pretty solid advice.

A few days later Marcus was released from the hospital and told to rest, but he would be forever haunted by the day that the shape shifter of Vienna made his presence known to him and left him with a continued threat to think about from that moment on…                      

The Bookstore of Prague

Bret and Vicky were on a sight seeing vacation to Prague, but as they joined many other tourists the next stop was a bookstore that stood in the square. The host of the tour then led them through the hallways until they reached the main floor where he introduced the librarian to them. The librarian told them to look around and get a feel for the place, she felt that this was the only way they could truly appreciate being in such a historic place.

Bret and Vicky immediately went up to the second floor of the library via the staircase, but once they’d reached the second level a woman was seen seated in the corner apparently flicking through the pages of a book with great interest. Bret and Vicky laughed as they looked around, but this caused the pretty blonde lady to place her fingers to her mouth to warn them to be quiet. Vicky stopped herself from laughing at the way they’d been told off, but for some strange reason Bret couldn’t contain his amusement and continued laughing.

They sheepishly looked over at the lady they’d disturbed ready for whatever form of punishment she might want to dish out, but instead they just found the book she’d been reading placed on the floor by the row of books she’d been seated besides. Vicky looked around for her and felt that she couldn’t have got too far, but there wasn’t any sign of her on the second level. Bret wasn’t about to panic and asked if anyone on the level below had seen this woman, which he then provided a description for.

The librarian gasped as she heard their words and she rushed up the staircase in order to talk to them. Bret and Vicky recognised that they could be in for another warning about making too much noise, but instead the librarian had something else in mind. She produced a picture of a woman from her pocket and showed it to them, it was something they instantly recognised as being the same woman who’d told them off. The librarian looked panicked as she shared a story with them.

She told them that the woman’s name was Jana Corolova and she’d often been sighted on the second level of the library, but she’d also been dead since 1965. Bret laughed nervously as he waited for the punch line, but one wasn’t forthcoming. Vicky explained that they’d seemingly upset Jana while she’d been reading a book, which she pointed out to her. The librarian walked over to the book and then picked it up this was apparently the book she always seemed to read whenever she’d been sighted. Only now did Vicky ask about possible consequences?

The librarian stated that as long as they hadn’t disturbed her they wouldn’t be any problems, but if they’d caused her to tell them to be quiet and they failed to obey her wishes then their days could well be numbered. Bret looked at the book and thought that this had to be a joke? The librarian then produced a list of names that had also looked at this as being no more than a joke and none of them had lived for more than forty-eight hours afterwards. Vicky now wanted to find out how they could solve this apparent curse she’d placed on them, but the librarian wasn’t sure that there was anything that could be done they’d just have to face up to the consequences of their actions. They’d both learnt a harsh lesson and when someone wants you to be quiet there’s usually a good reason for it…  

The Krakow Jogger Urban Legend

The Krakow Jogger

Seth Saunders was sitting on a bench in Planty Park when a woman with long flowing blonde hair rushed past him, this made him sit up and take notice. Normally he was a shy type of individual who didn’t act on impulse, but there was something about this girl that made him think that he should do something about this. He could see that she was maintaining a fast pace, as she was rushing away from him so he started to run in order to catch up with her.

Seth was almost out of breath by the time he’d caught up with her and she turned around to see what he wanted from her. He explained that his name was Seth and he was here on a holiday, she told him her name was Kasia and she was a local of the area. Seth wasted little time in asking her if she’d like to meet him later on for a meal and she then accepted his invitation. They agreed to meet up after he kissed her on the cheek at a local restaurant.

Kasia rushed away once more seemingly getting back on with her jogging session while Seth looked very pleased with himself, as he quietly walked over to his hotel with something to look forward to later on. Kasia sprinted as Seth disappeared away from Planty Park and she seemed to be in a good mood.

Taking a seat in the restaurant Seth causally picked up a copy of the local newspaper as he waited for Kasia to arrive to join him. Inside the pages of the newspaper he found a picture of a girl that seemed to resemble her and it said that she’d died in a jogging accident after having had a heart attack. The waitress noticed him staring into space before introducing herself as Joasia, Seth showed her the picture inside the page.

Joasia could see that this story had hit him hard and thought that she’d explain the circumstances in which this came about. She told him Kasia had been jogging as usual when she’d planned to meet her boyfriend later on at this very restaurant in fact. Kasia collapsed and died before the ambulance could rescue her, but Seth told her that she’d agreed to meet him here tonight.

After some contemplation Joasia decided to tell him that she’d appeared to other people in Planty Park and he wasn’t the first this had happened to. Seth couldn’t believe what he was hearing and hoped that this wasn’t leading anywhere else. Joasia then said that all of the people she’d planned to meet had shared a kiss on the cheek with her in the park. Seth had also done this and wanted to know what his fate was as a result.

She told him that everyone else had been marked for an untimely ending and all those she’d kissed on the cheek had died within six months of meeting her. A small black circle on Seth’s cheek started to appear and Joasia showed him it by way of a mirror. Seth wanted to know how to get rid of it, but she couldn’t be any help to him and he’d have to live with the consequences of his actions. Seth had been marked for an untimely death as a result of pursuing someone when he would’ve usually left her alone…             

The Istanbul Kiss - Urban Legend

The Istanbul Kiss

 

Harry and Shaun were staying in a hotel in Istanbul enjoying a relaxing holiday from the United Kingdom. The weather had been friendly and they’d both had a brilliant time up to now. One evening while inside the hotel bar they were drinking pints of beer when a beautiful looking woman with long black hair and olive skin walked into view. She looked at them both before she made her way towards another part of the bar where she sat on her own.

Harry and Shaun realising that this could be an opportunity not to waste then egged each other on until it was decided that Harry would approach her. He walked over towards her and she smiled at him before gesturing for him to sit down, he then followed her suggestion and took a seat opposite her. For the next twenty minutes they exchanged small talk while an envious Shaun could only watch on feeling left out in the cold.

Soon enough Harry walked back over towards where Shaun was still drinking his pint of beer and told him that he was going to be leaving the bar with his new friend Behiye. Shaun begrudgingly wished him luck and then watched on as Harry walked off with the ravishing beauty they’d both set their sights on where they exchanged a kiss. Shaun looked completely lost as he rued an opportunity lost, but the barman whispered in his ear and felt that he’d won far more than he’d lost.

Shaun shook his head as if he wasn’t following what the barman was talking about this caused the barman to explain what he’d got in mind. He told him that Behiye was in fact a ghost of the past and the spirit of a woman who was about as real as thin air. Shaun couldn’t work out how that could be, after all she’d seemed very real to his friend. The barman thought that he needed to know that Behiye was often seen in the bar about this time of the evening looking for some male company, because she’d been meant to meet her boyfriend when she’d been alive.

Shaun still unconvinced by the explanation wanted to find out how this could be, but the barman was more than willing to fill in the details. He told him that Behiye was on her way to the hotel to meet her boyfriend ten years previously when she had been run down and killed by a man on a motorbike going far beyond the speed limit. Shaun gulped as he took this on board, but wanted to know where that left his friend Harry who’d walked off with her earlier on.

The barman shook his head and told him that this was now out of his hands, Behiye often pitted two friends against each other and the one that walked off from the bar with her was the one that didn’t live to see another day. Shaun rushed off after his friend to see where he was and then heard a bloodcurdling scream, slowing down he entered his friend’s hotel room where he found him dead. The spirit of Behiye then slowly floated away into the night, but she would soon be back once more to claim more victims…                   

Bride of Berlin

Bride of Berlin

In the early morning hours of February 16^th Heinz Ottofield was driving along a deserted stretch of road looking forward to getting home, but upon looking ahead he noticed a woman situated there in front of him. She was dressed in what appeared to be a bridal gown complete with bouquet of flowers, Heinz slowed down before unwinding his window to see what’d happened to her.

She explained that her husband had left her behind and he’d forgotten about her, but Heinz couldn’t work out how he could’ve been so careless as to forget about her. Realising that she was a damsel in distress he offered her a ride and she smiled before getting into the passenger seat. Heinz told her that he’d be going another five and a half miles, but she explained that she’d be gone before then since her house was only a few miles away at the most.

They conversed with one another for the next ten minutes and shared some jokes, but soon came upon an eerie silence as Heinz realised he’d nothing else to say. He noticed a house situated to the right hand side of the road and she came over in a joyous looking smile, as this was where she lived. Heinz pulled the car over and opened the locks on the doors for her to get out. To his amazement the passenger door was open, but of the bride there was little sign she couldn’t have disappeared into thin air.

Flustered Heinz rushed over to the house and banged on the door for about thirty seconds and eventually the lights came on inside. A man clad in his dressing gown answered the door and gave Heinz a strange look before asking him to explain why he was banging on his door at this time of the night. Heinz explained that he’d picked up his bride from the side of the road and then ticked him off for leaving her behind, on her own out in the middle of nowhere. The man shook his head as he heard his remarks, but then stopped him before he went any further. Heinz was gestured to wait at the door while the man went back inside to grab hold of a photograph he then showed to him.

Heinz recognized it as being the same woman he’d come across earlier on and wanted to know where she was, but the man had some bad news for him. He explained that his wife had died on a stretch of the road about four miles back and this had been on their honeymoon. Heinz did not believe him and was sure that she’d been in his car not too long ago. The man showed him another picture where the newspaper gave her details out to show that she was indeed dead. Heinz was asked inside for a cup of something to steady his nerves, but he had to get home and looked to leave the front door.

The man stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder. He then said that if he’d come across his late wife then there had to be a good reason for it, he also was not the first to come across her and bang on the door like this. Heinz walked back over to his car, but her husband had a warning for him. He told him to make sure that he had everything in order because those that had spotted his wife along the road usually died within the next seventy-two hours. Heinz realized the mistake he’d made in picking up the bride of Berlin, but by this time it was all too late…              

Number One Thirty - James Dean & his car

 NUMBER ONE THIRTY

A well-known actor, with a love of pure speed,

Had his-own wants, and also his-own needs.

Was a driver, of some very cool cars!

Always had to get, where he was going so fast.

Brand new toy, was silver emblazoned with one thirty,

It caused more than a touch, of admiration and jealousy.

But his clique of actors, had their own misgivings,

Couldn’t help but have, many uneasy feelings.

Took it out on the open road, leaving on route ninety-nine,

Other people’s premonitions were going, to be realised this time.

For the sun was playing tricks, the light closed in on the same day,

The little car ended up a wreck, and its driver passed away.

This was his new toy, had the number one thirty,

It was only designed, to go at real speed.

Everyone gathered around, his number one thirty,

They were chilled to the bone, by what they had seen.

He would get inside, and never leave number one thirty,

It ended in an accident, and it was a real life tragedy.

Adelaide Effect - Poetry about the 1989 Australian GP

Adelaide Effect

It was the second, grand prix I’d seen,

But this was, unbelievably wet,

It captured my attention, and enthusiasm,

All this was made possible, by the Adelaide effect.

Prost was true to his word, only doing the parade lap,

It left Senna in the lead, one he was reluctant to give back.

The Williams of Boutsen and Patrese, gave chase,

As the circuit now resembled, some kind of boating race.

Mansell hit the barriers, spun out of control,

While Nannini pressed the Williams, heading into the unknown.

Senna passed a backmarker, but left Brundle unsighted,

Turning the Mclaren into a tricycle, and leaving Boutsen delighted.

It was all down, to the Adelaide effect,

This race was a classic, and still ranks as one of the best.

It was all down, to the Adelaide, effect,

When it rained on this circuit, it really got seriously wet.

It was all down, to the Adelaide effect,

Not many cars and drivers, made it to the end of this test.

All down, to the Adelaide effect.