Each year, Halloween circles around with the same spooky feelings and haunting magic in the air; however, there is always a side to the holiday that not many stop to think about: creatures. 

    Terrifying things that come out in the night and become the topics of the scary stories every person  knows today. In the spirit of the upcoming holiday, here are some of the creepiest urban legends out there.

     Up first is the legend of The Watcher, a story that originated in New Jersey and began obtaining fame around 2015. This story goes that a normal family in New Jersey began to get fearsome letters from a man who claimed himself to be The Watcher, and he was assigned to watch over and protect the home this family had unfortunately moved into, a million-dollar house to boot. The letters started out creepy, full of sinister words and strange requests. One letter read: “Do you need to fill the house with the young blood I requested?” A request to spill the blood of their young children, no doubt. 

     This poor family of Jersey were terrified out of their wits, and the letters only got worse. After being asked by The Watcher “who slept in the front two bedrooms,” among other derogatory requests, the family left the home. They sued the previous owners and refused to move back in. They were unsuccessful in selling the property. 

     Another trippy tale is that of the Bunny Man, rumored to have been around since the 1980s. The man is straight messed up. The Bunny Man hails from the state of Virginia and is known for his serial-killing tendencies– all while dressed up as a rabbit. While that is incredibly weird, he also does all his killings with a traditional ax. Bunny Man has several horrific murders to his name. Once Halloween rolls around, make sure to visit the appropriately named “Bunny Man Bridge,” a popular party spot for daring Virginia teens, where he is said to skin rabbits and hang their bodies on the sides. See for yourself on what would surely be a delightful October vacation. He has been reported as seen in Maryland and Washington D.C. as well. 

     Every child has been taught “Stop, Drop, and Roll” since they were very young. What most decide not to tell them, is that it does not always work. A long time ago in the city of Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia, it is said that a girl named Jenny was warming some broth over a campfire. Jenny didn’t notice her dress beginning to catch fire, but soon dashed around in horror as the flames engulfed her body. She screamed, she cried, running to anything she could think of to make it all stop. Jenny finally threw herself onto B&O Railroad tracks in an attempt to get the attention of an oncoming train. Jenny was too late and was hit head-on. 

     It is believed nowadays that on the anniversary of her death, Jenny’s ghost visits the tracks on which she died. She then roams the area late into the night. Some say, at that late hour, you can still hear her screaming. 

     Up next is a classic legend that many know about, originating in Latin America. The Chupacabra is a famous mythical creature, immortalized forever based on its less-than-normal eating habits. Its urban legend goes as follows. This horrible creature roams the deserts of Mexico at night, resembling a fearsome wolf and dog-like creature with eyes that glow and a boney, spikey back. 

     Said Chupacabra feasts on juicy creatures, usually cows and other farm animals, in order to suck their blood and devour their bodies. Its name can be directly translated to the very fitting one of “goat-sucker.” There are many reported sightings of this legend, but it’s certainly all just a ghost story meant to scare the children into coming home before curfew… right?

     Looking for a reason not to go to California? Here’s a great one, in the form of this scary tale. Long ago, a man and his son were trapped in a horrible fire. Before help could manage to get to the site, the man perished from his burns and injuries. His son was traumatized from the event and went insane upon discovering his fathers demise. He took his old man’s body, skinned it and dashed away into the woods. 

     His son is known today as Char Man because of his supposed gruesome appearance after being trapped in flames. His burnt body is now rumored to attack passing cars on Creek Road in the city of Ojai, looking for more human skins to add to his unique collection. Well, I guess we all have our hobbies. 

     And thus concludes the retelling of some seriously spooky stories. Hopefully no one loses sleep, or their skin, over the urban legends they’ve just read. Halloween is just around the corner, who knows which tales might come true.

Despite living in one of the most fortunate nations in the world, our country has failed when it comes to the protection and vigilance of the hundreds and thousands of children who are in foster care or waiting to be adopted. The perception of the adoption and foster care system in our country seems to be picture-perfect. A child is lifted up from a broken environment into a warm and welcoming home that provides them with safety and stability. In reality, the picture-perfect perception disguises the fact that these children get more vulnerable and more defenseless with every new home they go to. There are currently over 515,000 children in foster care, with 155,000 children who are waiting to be adopted. Every year, over 20,000 children age out of foster care and go out in the world by themselves, without a family to go home to. 

National Adoption Month is about spreading awareness. It’s a month that is dedicated to encouraging others to learn about adoption, honor people that have grown their families through adoption, but most importantly recognize the hundreds and thousands of helpless children waiting for a family to call their own. In the United States, roughly only two percent of citizens have actually adopted a child. The average child waits for more than three years for an adoptive family. Eleven percent of children spend more than five years waiting for a family. The average age of children waiting for an adoptive family is eight, given the fact that most people usually want to adopt newborn babies or toddlers. National Adoption Day also occurs during National Adoption Month. Typically held on a Saturday, National Adoption Day is witnessed by people all over the country in court hearings, where thousands of adoptions are legally finalized simultaneously. 

While many adoptive parents choose adoption as their way to start and grow their families, the effects of adoption are usually more profound, rewarding, and empowering than they could have ever imagined. The most common question adoptive parents are asked is “Why did you adopt?”, they most likely won’t be able to form an answer for you. Instead, they might show you a picture of the first time they met their daughter. They might tell you the story of how they taught their son how to ride a bike, or describe the joy of hearing their children’s laughter while playing in the house. Each family that adopts has their own personal reasons for adopting that vary between a million different things, but at the end of the day, the advantage of adoption is simple: it builds families and it creates a love that you never even knew was possible.