Jared walked across the sidewalk toward his home. He was practically jumping with excitement at the sleep over that was going to take place in only a few hours time. He’d been planning this for over a month, so he hoped it would be just as good as it was in his dreams. The best part was that his parents would be out so it would only be him and his four friends.
      Jared was pulled from his thoughts as he felt his shoe kick something hard. He looked down and saw a worn book. He picked it up and read the title, “Urban Legends.”  Jared smiled; this would be the perfect thing for his sleep over. In his mind he saw him and his friends in a circle cowering in fear as he read the stories.
      He grinned as he pocketed the book and continued home. 
_______________ 
 
      It was about ten o’clock and he and his friends were watching a movie. “Well now what do we do?” Jared’s best friend Billy asked as the movie ended. Jared started to shrug when he suddenly remembered the book of urban legends that he had found earlier.
      “Hey how about if we read some horror stories?” he asked. His friends shrugged so he ran up to his room to retrieve the book.
      Jared went to his desk were he had put it. Jared frowned as he looked at the spot but the book was gone. He sighed as he started looking threw drawers for the book.
After a couple minutes of searching Jared was about to give up when he noticed a red light in the corner. He walked over to the corner and gasped as he saw the words “Beware of the legends Jared.” shining on the floor.
      Jared took a step back and closed his eyes, when he opened them the words were gone. He then turned around and started to walk to the door, but did a double take when he passed his desk. Lying on the desk in the exact place he had put it lay the book.
      He walked over to his desk and picked up the book. A chill swept threw him as he remembered the warning.
      “Jared hurry up!” he heard Billy call. For a brief moment he considered leaving the book, but once again he saw the image of him and his friends reading the book in terror, and he made his way down stairs.  
      When Jared walked back into the living room he saw his friends waiting impatiently “About time.” Joe muttered. Jared ignored the comment. 
      Jared sat down on the floor and his friends crowded around him.
      He flipped threw the book as he scanned the tittles. He found one that caught his eye. “The water babies.” He read aloud. He looked up “Well?” his friends shrugged. “Sure?”  “Come on and read it.” Bob said impatiently. Jared grinned and began to read. 
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      There are many stories regarding the mysteries and superstitions of Pyramid Lake, but there is one that continues to frighten and horrify us, the legend of the water babies.
      It is said that if you go into the lake at night the water babies will take you and pull you down and stab and cut you with there long claws, but they’ll make sure to keep the vital organs alone. They will then take you up to let you breathe and then once again pull you down.
      They’ll do this a couple times and then they will bash your head on a rock and throw your body on the pyramid.
      It is also said that if you hear a pair of babies crying outside at night and you go outside the water babies will also get you.
      The water babies are described as having the body of a baby but with green skin yellow eyes and claws.
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      Jared looked up from the book to see his friend’s reactions and to his disappointment saw boredom on their faces. “Well that sucked.” Billy said. “Lets try another on-“Jared began to say when Joe held up a hand” Do you hear that?”
      They all stopped and listened and then Jared heard running water coming from the upstairs bathroom. Bob frowned “Did you start the bath?” Jared slowly shook his head. “Sure?” Jared nodded slowly. Billy looked at Joe “Why don’t you go up and check?” Joe shook his head vigorously “Are you kidding? You go check.” Billy shook his head, “No you.”
      Joe started to refuse when Bob sighed, “Fine if you two are to chicken to check I’ll go.” And before anyone could say anything he ran up stairs.
      Every one held there breathes as they waited. “Ya, the baths on you must of—“But then he let out a blood-curdling scream.
      They all looked at each other then they ran up stairs. Jared stopped when he saw the bathroom door shut. He nervously knocked “Bob?” he called, there was no answer. “Bob.” He called again.
      Jared looked back at his friends, “Open the door.” Billy whispered. Jared nodded and grasped the handle, his hand was shaking slightly. He took a deep breath and slowly turned the handle and opened the door.
      Jared walked in and looked around; there was no sign of Bob. Jared frowned and looked around “Bob.” He called out, his heart was pounding in his chest as he lessened, but he heard nothing.
      He slowly looked toward the bathtub and saw that the curtain was closed. He walked over and pulled it open. Jared’s mouth fell open in horror as he gazed into the bathtub, the water was a deep crimson with unmistakable blood, and for a minute Jared thought he saw a baby in the water, he closed his eyes and shook his head and when he opened them the baby was gone.
      “Jared?” He heard Billy call. Jared didn’t answer but stood there mouth open in horror.  Jared heard Billy walk up to him. He heard Billy gasp when he saw the bloody  water. One by one his friends walked up and looked at the tub.
      Jared slowly started to back away from the bathtub, his mouth still open, and slowly his friends followed suite. “This-This cant be happening.” He heard one of his friends Kevin say. Billy walked to the tub again and frowned. “What is it?” Jared called. Billy paused, “It’s gone.” He whispered. “What!!” Jared yelled, he ran up and stopped as he looked at the bathtub, Billy hadn’t lied the water wasn’t just clean, but gone.
      Jared and Billy walked back outside. Jared stopped and looked back and everyone was stunned to see a grin on his face, “It was a joke.” He said. Billy frowned “What do you mean?” “It was a joke, don’t you see, Bob is playing a joke on us.” There was a pause and then Kevin laughed, “He’s right.” And one by one they all started laughing.
      It was quite some time before they finally quieted down. “Well now…What should we do now?” Billy asked as before. “Want to read another urban legend?” Jared suggested, his friends agreed, so they walked downstairs and once again they crowded around Jared as he once again flipped threw the book in search of a good story.
      “How about this one?” he said, “The Bunny man.” His friends nodded in agreement. So Jared began to read. 
___________ 
      A long time ago, deep in the woods of North Virginia there laid a mental asylum for the criminally insane, and when a village formed in the town now known as Clifton; the villagers did not like the sound of an asylum being so close to them. So a new asylum was built several miles away.
      And so all the criminals were loaded onto a buss, but on its way there the bus got into a wreck and all the convicts spelled out into the woods. About a month later the police had found all but two, and as they searched they began to find half eaten and decapitated bunnies. Then finally they found one of the guys, under a bridge now known as bunny Man Bridge. His thought was slit and deep gashes were in his chest and lying next to him was a homemade axe and a decapitated bunny.
      After two more months the police gave up their search. And the villagers soon forgot about it. But then towards Halloween the villagers started to find half eaten decapitated bunnies again.
      The on Halloween night a group of teenagers were under bunny man bridge smoking and drinking, but then at the stroke of midnight there was a flash of light and forty-five seconds later they were hanging on either side of the bridge, their throats slit and gouges on heir chest, girls on one side  boys on the other.
      Once again the police started searching for the convict but after a month they gave up. And once again   on Halloween night a group of teenagers were under bunny Man Bridge smoking and drinking, but then at the stroke of midnight there was a flash of light and forty-five seconds later they were hanging on either side of the bridge, their throats slit and gouges on heir chest, girls on one side boys on the other.
      This happened every Halloween for five years, until the villagers got smart enough to stay away from the bridge at Halloween. But then there was a group of teenagers who didn’t believe in the bunny man, so on Halloween night they were under the bridge and toward midnight a girl was starting to get scared and started backing away. And at the stroke of midnight the girl saw a flash of light and she heard a blood curdling scream and forty-five seconds latter she saw her friends hanging on ether side of the bridge.
      The girl ran screaming to the village blabbering and screaming. The police charged her for the murders and she was sentenced to life in prison, but soon afterwards she was put in an asylum. But after the murders happened again the police dropped her sentence, but by then it was two late, she was completely insane. She died three years latter from shock, though the police didn’t know from what; they say the bunny man finally got her.
      For the next five years nobody went under the bridge on Halloween. But then a group of teenagers wanted to be the first to escape from the bunny man. So on Halloween night they went under the bridge. And threw out the night they were hiding and jumping out at each other. But as midnight approached a girl got cold feet. So she started backing away but it was too late she saw a flash of light and she looked down and screamed as she saw gashes appearing on her chest she broke free and started to run but she knocked herself out when she ran into the body of one of her friends. When she woke up her hair was white.
      You can see her to this day, rocking in a chair looking towards the bridge. Since then nobody has gone under the bridge on midnight. All this is recorded in Clifton’s history and the murders are in the police records.   
___________
      Jared slowly looked up; this time he saw fear in his friend’s faces. “Well that one was interesting.” Jared nodded. He looked at the clock and was surprised to see that it was two to midnight.
      Jared looked around as he saw Alex stand up. “I’m going to go get another coke.” He started to walk towards the kitchen when Jared stopped him. “Wait don’t go in there.”
      Alex looked at the clock and laughed “What, do you think the bunny man is going to get me?” Jared turned red. “No I just um…” “Forget it.” Alex said and without a word walked into the kitchen just as the clock chimed midnight.
        Every one gasped as they saw a flash of light burst from the kitchen and a scream rent the air.
      “You got to be flipping kidding me.” Billy said exasperated. He looked at Joe “You check it.” Joe shrugged and walked into the kitchen and shrieked.
      Jared ran into the kitchen every one following. What they saw would forever be burned into their mind. Blood covered every inch of the wall. Every body screamed, Jared just shook his head bent over and puked.
      Billy was the first to come to his senses “Everybody shut up.” Every body did immediately. Billy looked around “There is a vary reasonable explanation for this.” Every body waited as Billy thought. “What happened is that a light bulb exploded and a bottle of ketchup was under it so it exploded as well.” “So where’s Alex?” Joe asked. Billy thought for a minute “He saw what was going to happen so he ran away.”
      Everybody shrugged, forcing themselves to believe it. Jared looked around thinking hopefully that the blood or ketchup would disappear like it did in the bathroom. But to his disappointment it didn’t. “Well let’s clean everything up.” Billy said cheerfully.
      In no time they had cleaned everything up. Billy clapped his hands tougher “Well lets here enough urban legend.” Jared looked at him in disbelief. “Are you serious?” Billy frowned, “Why not?” Billy sneered “Are you afraid.” Jarred glared at him “Of coarse not.” “Well then let’s go.”
      In a couple minutes they were once again in a circle, the book in Jared’s hands. He flipped threw it looking for one that couldn’t possibly be scary. Finally he decided on a short one. ”Mirror tricks, the candy man.”  
___________________ 
      This is a fun little trick you can try. Go into a bathroom and turn off the lights. Look into the mirror and say Candy man three times and you’ll see two red dots in the mirror, then run as quick as you can out of the bathroom and into the brightest room in the house, you’ll have to find out yourself what happens if you don’t. 
________________ 
      Jared looked up and saw a malicious grin on Billy’s face. He looked around and stared strait at Joe. “No.”  Joe said. “Common do it.” “No” “Chicken.” Joe glared at Billy “Fine.” And with those words stormed into the bathroom, turned off the lights and shut the door.
      Jared listened as he heard Joe whisper “Candy man, Candy man…Candy man.” There was a pause and then he heard Joe yell “WHAT THE…” the next thing Jared heard was Joe trying to open the door, but some how it was locked. Jared stared in horror as Joe cried “Please no, no, NOOO!!!”
      Billy and Jared looked in horror at the door as the heard a ripping sound followed by Joes screams. Suddenly the ripping noise stopped along with the screams. But they could hear a dripping sound.
      Billy looked at Jared “Your turn to check.” Jared walked to the door and paused; he looked over his shoulder and looked at Billy, “Well go on.” Billy said.
      Jared gulped and grasped the doorknob, he tried to turn it but it was locked. His heart stopped.
      He tried desperately to open the door but to little avail. In frustration he pounded his fists against the door. “J-J-Jared.” He looked behind him “What?” Billy just shook his head and pointed to the ground.
      Jared looked down at his feet and felt his stomach drop. A pool of blood lay beneath his feet. He jumped back and realized it was coming from beneath the door. Jarred backed up and stood beside Billy.
      Jared looked at Billy “Got an explanation for this one.” Billy shook his head and muttered “This is getting freaking ridicules.” Jared looked down and to little surprise saw that the blood had vanished.
      “Well want to read another story?” Jared gaped at Billy “Are you serious?” “Ya, why not, come on one more.”
      Jared sighed, “Fine.” They walked back into the living room Jared grabbed the book and flipped to a random page and read “The sleep over.” 
 
____________ 
      One night there was a sleep over that was meant to be cooler than any there had been before.
      Just as the kids were about to go to bed they heard a blood chilling scream come from outside the window, and a moment latter they saw the bloody corpse of a woman hit the window, her bloody lifeless face pressed against the window, to their horror they saw that one of her eyes had been ripped out of her socket.
      The woman’s face slowly slid down the window leaving a bloody streak of blood. A moment later they heard maniacal laughter from out side and they saw the shadowy figure of a man out side.
      To their absolute horror they saw the man come closer and closer he stopped when he reached the window, from the moon light they saw a clown from there worst nightmares. Its face was white and it had red around his mouth and under his eyes but instead of makeup they saw blood.
      The clown knocked on the window and said in a high pitched voice “Hello little children, do you like play?” It laughed at the terrified looks on their face. Then before they could do anything it raised a knife and broke the widow and started to climb in and then…  
____________ 
      Jared slammed the book shut. Jared sat there staring at the book, “No, oh please no.” Jared and Billy looked at each other in terror as they heard a chilling scream out side, and just as the legend said a woman’s bloody corpse hit the window.  “No” Jared whispered, “No, no, no, NOOOOOOOO!!!!” 
__________ 
      Jared sat up in bed cold sweat dripping down his face. He looked widely around then laughed in relief. “It was only a dream.” He said allowed.
      “Jared.” He heard his mom yell. “I got a surprise for you.” Jared jumped out of bed and ran out of his room. His mom was standing at the bottom of the stairs hiding something behind her back. “What is it?” Jared said happily. “I bought you this last night.”
      Jared looked with horror at a worn out book his mom pulled from behind her back, he slowly read the title,” Urban Legends.” His mom’s smile faded as she frowned “Jared are you OK?” Jared just shook his head and screamed.