Mr. Jones could see by her face that she was panicking. He knew
Kate was very gullible and guessed she had been listening to urban
legends about weddings...again.
"Oh the wedding plans! Well, I cannot go out and buy a dress,"
replied
Kate.
"And why is that, Kate?"
"Well, you see, I heard this urban legend that this woman died
in
her wedding
dress. The dress was evil!"
Dressed to Kill
"Ah, an urban legend. Kate, you should not let those stories
bother you. Urban legends are FALSE stories from the past that are
horrific or humorous, and are believed to be true by the storyteller."
"Mr. Jones, this IS a true story. My cousin, who heard the story
from her friend told me. She promised me it was true and she does not
make many promises! PLUS she said the friend that told her said it
happened to her sister- in- law!
"Kate, a
story is considered to be an urban legend if it is
well known, re-told in many different versions and is SAID to be
true.
Whether or not the events occurred or not is irrelevant to the urban
legend classification."
"I am so overwhelmed. I have all these stories floating in my head. I
can't sleep at night and I do not eat as much as I used too. I am
constantly worried something bad will happen at my wedding!"
"Calm down, Kate. Have a glass or water and we will talk about this.
Did
you know urban legends are narratives that put our fears
and concerns in the
form of stories? The reason that there are so many urban legends about
weddings is because many people have a lot of fears and nervousness
about getting married.
"Are you saying I am scared of getting married!?"
"No, Kate. My point is that these stories can heighten our fears and
influence our thoughts. They can even prevent us from performing tasks
if we take
them seriously. Urban legends are mean to be very persuasive because
the storyteller wants you to BELIEVE the story is true. The stories may
or may not be true but the main idea is that the storyteller believes
or pretends that
the story is true."
"Well, I still believe my cousin."
"What if the whoever told your cousin made the story up?"
Kate put her hands on her head and took a deep breath.
Mr. Jones paused and said, " Okay, let's slow down a bit.
How are the reception plans going?"
Kate looked even more in despair. "I wanted to play games
at
my
reception. It's tradition. BUT my best friend told me about a tragic
accident that happened to a bride while playing hide and go seek. I
know my sister was not lying about this one because she said she read
an article about it in a magazine!"
Bride and Go Seek
"Have you made any plans at all for the reception?"
"No. My aunt told me about her husband's crazy
ex-girlfriend trying to kill her...on her wedding day!"
The Sting of Jealousy
"Wow, what about your honeymoon? Any fun
plans?"
"I am worried about that too! My best friend told me this story
about a bride being kidnapped on her honeymoon! I am scared to go
anywhere out of the country."
The
Missing Bride
Mr. Jones was starting to get a bit aggravated at this point
and
finally said, "Okay, Kate, you are going to tell me all these
stories and we will work through the meanings together. This way you
can face your fears and hopefully plan a wedding! Go ahead, begin with
the first story of the
women who died in her wedding dress..."
