Random Chaos Theory: Urban Legend edition
This is considered an urban legend here, I think. I'm trying to include this in a fanfic, but I can't find an angle. Oh well. I'll just post this here.
A woman was returning after an evening shift at work on a Monday. By the time her company transport dropped her off under her block of apartments, it was nearly midnight. There wasn't anyone else around.
She headed towards the elevators, since her apartment was at the tenth floor. She pressed the button and waited for the lift to take her up. Instead of an uninterrupted ride, however, the elevator stopped on the fourth floor. The doors opened, but there wasn't anyone coming into the lift. Feeling uneasy, she peered into the lobby but there was no soul around. Spooked, she pressed the Door Closing button, and the ride continued on without any more disruptions.
The next day, the woman worked the evening shift again, and she arrived home about the same time. Yesterday's events was still fresh in her mind, but she dismissed her fear and went into the elevator, making sure that she only pressed her floor and nothing else. However, the elevator stopped on the fourth floor again. Again, no one came in and again, no one was at the lobby. Getting more agitated, she repeated her actions as per the night before, and this time she made sure to turn back every so often to make sure she wasn't followed.
On Wednesday, the same thing happened, the elevator once again making its unscheduled stop on the fourth floor, but there still wasn't anyone around. By this time she was on edge, and as soon as she reached home, she arranged with her mum, who was staying with her at the moment, to wait for her at the first floor lobby so that they could go up together. Her mum asked why, but she refused to tell her anything.
On Thursday, just before the bus reached her block of apartments, she made a call to her mother to inform her she was about to reach home. She saw her mum by the lobby, waiting patiently for her. Feeling slightly more reassured, she beckoned her mum into an open elevator and both of them started the journey up.
They passed the second floor, and then the third floor, and miraculously, the fourth floor as well. The woman relaxed. Feeling much better and safer, she montioned casually to her mum that the elevator had been opening on the fourth floor and she had been feeling more afraid each time, and she theorised that having someone else whom she knows with her might stop the disturbance.
Her mum then turned to her, smiled and said," HOW DO YOU KNOW I'M YOUR MOTHER?"
*EVIL LAUGHTER*
A/N: According to Chinese belief, the number four is bad luck/not so good because 'four' in Chinese has the same sound as 'death'. That's why they usually avoid giving things in fours. According to Malay belief, Thursday night is considered to be the most auspicious/'potent' night, the night when most rituals will take place and evil spirits like to disturb. So the final 'meeting' in the story takes place on the fourth day which is also a Thursday.
I told this to one of my students and she shudders and rubs her hands in cold sweat. I was rubbing the back of my neck because the hairs are standing up; it's that creepy even though it was in the afternoon!