Scary urban legends

𝕎𝕙𝕚𝕥𝕖 𝕝𝕒𝕕𝕪

A friend of mine was in the northeast Philippines when he heard whispers about the White Lady.

In some areas they call ghosts like her the Tagalog term, Kaperosa. Where he was, in Cagayan, they said "White Lady" in English.

My friend brushed her off as a local legend. That is, until he saw her himself.

It was a warm, sticky evening, and he was cycling with a friend through a rural neighborhood, carved out of the jungle.

His buddy rounded a corner up ahead of him. While my friend was trying to catch up, he caught a glimpse of a glowing figure with long hair in a white dress.

He did a double take, but when he turned back, she had disappeared. Needless to say, he pedaled a bit faster after that.

The most famous Filipino White Lady is the White Lady of Balete Drive in Quezon City near Manila. They say she's the ghost of a woman who died in a car accident on the road.

And by "they," I mostly mean taxi drivers, who tend to be the ones who spot her at night. Some have reported picking her up and looking back to see a bloody, bruised face that scared them out of their taxi.

Others only see her on the road in a rearview mirror, but the shock of spotting her has caused multiple accidents. Yikes!

Here are some of the White Lady's other favorite "haunts" around the world.

Canada

White Lady legends almost always involve some kind of tragic backstory, though some are more detailed than others. The White Lady of Montmorency Falls near Quebec City is one of those.

When she was alive, this White Lady and her fiance used to meet at the top of the falls. But when he died in the Battle of Beauport, her grief drove her to jump from the falls in her wedding dress.

A couple hundred years have passed, but people still see her wandering the area in her white dress. Never mind that Victoria hadn't popularized the white wedding dress yet - a good story is a good story.

A nearby waterfall is named Chute de la Dame Blanche (White Lady Waterfall) after the legend.

Mexico

Latin America's White Lady is La Llorona - The Wailer.

Traditionally, she was a young woman who married a colonizer. Then he cheated.

After catching him, La Llorona drowned her own children in rage. Now, she wanders close to bodies of water and cries for her children. Some parents use the La Llarona story to discourage their children from playing by the water.

Trinidad and Tobago

The Caribbean twist involves some dark forces - well, the dark forces, actually.

In her vanity, La Jabless (or La Diablesse) sold her soul to the devil in exchange for eternal youth. As you'd expect, it didn't work out so well for her.

She may seem beautiful, but her wide-brim hat hides a bruised face, and her long white dress conceals a cow's hoof at the end of one of her legs.

Usually people spot her in crossroads or at cemeteries. She also likes to make an appearance at the occasional dance. Then when a guy inevitably hits on her, she lures him off a cliff or into a forest where she leaves him to die.

Kind of an extreme way to reject someone, but that's how she rolls.

Shout out to Trinidad local Genora on our team for this one. She's written a whole travel guide for Trinidad and Tobago with lots of other insider tidbits.

Japan

Kuchisake-onna, the slit-mouthed woman, looks a lot like any other White Lady. Except she has a big ol' gash from one ear to the other. She usually wears a mask to cover it (but hey, we all wear those these days).

When you encounter Kuchisake-onna, she asks you a simple question: Is she beautiful?

If you say no, you die.

If you say yes, she takes off her mask, revealing the slit, and asks again.

If you say no, you die.

If you say yes, she takes her scissors and cuts your mouth to match hers.

It doesn't make for a very pleasant flow chart.

The only way to come out of the meeting alive and with your face intact is to give her an answer she doesn't expect. Or bribe her - she takes cash.