Amber couldn't wait to scare everyone with her story and prove that hers was the best.  She started in a soft whisper.  "My aunt's friend's son works here in New York City."

 

"That's scary enough on its own," Heather said.

 

"Shut up, Heather!  Let me tell my story!"  Amber yelled.  Then she continued.  "He was at work late one night with one of his co-workers.  They had a deadline that they had to meet and they knew they would be pulling an all nighter.  They were the only two left in the building, other than the security guard, and they decided they needed to go downstairs for a smoke break.  They had a long ride down the elevator from the 72nd floor."

 

"I'm afraid of heights!  That would definitely be a long ride for me," Amanda said.

 

"That would be a long ride waiting for a smoke break," Stephanie agreed.

 

Amber rolled her eyes and continued with her story.  "After they got down to the ground floor and were smoking just outside the building, they got on the subject of ghosts and how many of them haunt buildings in New York City.  Random subject, of course, but when it's late, people start to get a little delirious.  They finished their cigarettes and headed back into the building.  After scanning their badges and saying hello to the security guard, they walked to the elevators and pushed the button.  The doors opened immediately since no one else had used them since they had come down from the 72nd floor.  The two men walked into the elevator and each one stood in a corner.  As the elevator started to move, it jolted a little."

 

"Wow, this is an appropriate story.  Way to get us all scared.  We're in an ELEVATOR, Amber!"  Heather exclaimed.

 

"That's the point, Heather.  Now let me finish."  Amber proceeded with the story and prepared herself for the scariest part.  "The two men stopped talking for a moment when they heard a creepy noise.  It sounded like dry, brittle bones creaking and cracking.  They looked at each other and then looked towards where the sound was coming from.  In the front left corner of the elevator they saw a woman, floating in the air."

 

All of a sudden, the lights in the elevator went out.  There was nothing but pitch black darkness.  The girls screamed.  It wasn't a small shriek, but a blood-curdling scream from all four of the girls at the same time.  Heather grabbed her cell phone and pushed the button.  An eerie, blue glow of a cell phone light illuminated the elevator.  All four girls huddled into one corner.  They were scared and they realized that maybe telling scary stories in a broken-down elevator wasn't such a good idea. 

 

"Maybe we should stop and try and call for help," Stephanie suggested.  "I don't want to die in this elevator."

 

"We're not going to die, Steph.  Let's all calm down and finish the story," Amanda said rationally.  "Remember, it's just a story - that's the whole idea, right?  It's just a story."

 

Amber calmed down and finished the story.  "The woman looked at the two men and opened her mouth.  A creepy, croaking sound erupted from her throat.  She was dressed in a white gown and looked to be in her mid-thirties.  The two men huddled together in the corner of the elevator diagonal from the floating woman.  They could not speak or move.  They were frozen in fear.  The elevator seemed to be moving in slow motion.  When the elevator bell finally rang to let the men know that they were at their floor, the two men were holding each other.  They started to shuffle their feet slowly towards the door and then, they bolted.  They ran as fast as they could to their office and slammed the door.  They never did find out who the woman was and neither of the men saw the woman again.  When they left that night, the security guard made jokes about the two men hugging each other in the elevator.  They explained the situation to the security guard who laughed.  He said he had been watching the security camera while they were in the elevator and the only thing he saw was the two of them, acting really weird.  He told them they provided good entertainment, but maybe it was best that they go home and get some sleep.  The two men did go home that night, but neither one could sleep.  They could not get the image of the woman out of their heads.  The two men never again spoke about what they had seen, yet neither one of them would get into that elevator again either."

 

"Wow, that was definitely scary, Amber.  I hope we don't see anything in here," Stephanie stated. 

 

The girls again came back to reality and remembered that they were alone, in an elevator, stuck between floors.  They had no cell phone reception and they realized that it was going to be a long night.  At that moment, the lights flickered and came back on.  It was still dim, but at least they could see the fear in each other's eyes now.

 

"The scariest part of the story was being trapped with a ghost in an elevator," Amber explained.  "I hate being in enclosed spaces and I can't imagine being stuck in one, as the floors go slowly one by one, and there is a ghost in the corner.  There is nowhere to run."

 

It was Stephanie's turn next.  She wasn't sure she wanted to continue because she already felt as though she was going to pee her pants.  However, she was very competitive and realized that her story had to be the best.

 

Stephanie cleared her throat and as she did that, the girls heard a creaking noise coming from above them.  Was it the cables attaching the elevator to the roof or was it something else?


Author's Note:

The original story was set in Singapore.  It was in an office building, but the reason for the two men being in the elevator is unknown.  The two men never realize the ghost is there.  The security video footage shows the two men walking in the halls and then getting into the elevator.  The actual elevator ride seems to be very long.  When the two men exit the elevator, an old woman who is hunched over seems to be shuffling her feet towards the doors after them.  The two men don't ever see the woman. 

This video that has shown up on the internet was used as a marketing scheme by the advertising firm McCann Worldgroup.  They did this for the GMP group who has a staffing firm in Singapore and other Asian cities.  It was used to show the dangers of working late and was seen as cheap advertising.  This video was posted on a blog created by three fictional "ghost busters".  Soon, the video was viewed by over 250,000 people.

I changed details of the story to be more scary.  Without actually watching the video, the story doesn't seem as frightening.  Here is a link to the video: Ghost Sighting at Raffle's Place  I added more details and the characters actually saw the ghost.  This made it a scarier story for the four girls in the elevator.

Coverpage   Introduction   Disappearing Act   Bloody Mary   One Missed Call
   
Bibliography

"Lifting Spirits" by Barbara Mikkelson.  Websource:  Lifting Spirits

Ghost on Stairs.  Websource:  Ghost Mysteries

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