Short Creepy Horror Legends

1. Eight Feet Tall

Eight Feet Tall or "Hachishakusama" is a Japanese urban legend about a tall woman who abducts children. She is 8ft tall, wears a long white dress and makes a sound like "Po... Po... Po... Po... Po..."

My grandparents lived in Japan. Every summer, my parents would take me there on holiday to visit them. They lived in a small village and they had a big backyard. I loved to play there during the summer. When we arrived, my grandparents always welcomed me with open arms. I was their only grandchild, so they spoiled me.

The last time I saw them was the summer when I was 8 years old.

As usual, my parents booked a flight to Japan and we drove from the airport to my grandparent's house. They were delighted to see me and had a lot of little presents to give me. My parents wanted to have some time by themselves, so after a few days, they took a trip to another part of Japan, leaving me in the care of my Grandma and Grandpa.

One day, I was playing out in the backyard. My grandparents were inside the house. It was a hot Summer's day and I lay down on the grass to rest. I stared up at the clouds and enjoyed the feeling of the soft rays of the sun and the gentle breeze. Just as I was about to get up, I heard a strange sound.

"Po... Po... Po... Po... Po... Po... Po..."

I didn't know what it was and it was hard to figure out where it was coming from. It sounded almost like somebody was making the noise themselves... as if they were just saying, "Po...Po... Po..." over and over again in a deep, masculine voice.

I was looking around, searching for the source of the noise when I suddenly noticed something on top of the tall hedges that enclosed the backyard. It was a straw hat. It wasn't resting on the hedge, it was behind it. That's where the sound was coming from.

"Po... Po... Po... Po... Po... Po... Po..."

Then, the hat began to move, as if someone was wearing it. The hat stopped at a small gap in the hedge and I could see a face peering through. It was a woman. But, the hedges were high... almost 8 feet tall...

I was surprised at how tall the woman was. I wondered if she was wearing stilts or some sort of huge high heeled shoes. Then, a split second later, she walked off and the strange noise disappeared with her, fading into the distance.

Bewildered, I got up and wandered back into the house. My grandparents were in the kitchen drinking tea. I sat down at the table and, after a while, I told my grandparents what I had seen. They weren't really paying attention to me until I mentioned that distinctive sound.

"Po... Po... Po... Po... Po... Po... Po..."

As soon as I said that, both of them suddenly froze. Grandma's eyes grew wide and she covered her mouth with her hand. Grandpa's face became very serious and he grabbed me by the arm.

"This is very important," he said, in an intense voice. "You must tell us exactly... How tall was she?"

"As tall as the garden hedge," I replied, beginning to get scared.

My grandfather bombarded me with questions... "Where was she standing? When did this happen? What did you do? Did she see you?"

I tried to answer all his questions as best I could. He suddenly rushed out to the hallway and made a phone call. I couldn't hear what he was saying. I looked over at my Grandma and she was trembling.

Grandpa came barging back into the room and spoke to my grandmother.

"I've got to go out for a while," he said. "You stay here with the child. Don't take your eyes off him for a second."