BLOODY MARY 

INTRODUCTION BEFORE THE MAIN STORY

Bloody Mary is an urban legend that has its roots in so many folklore traditions, but is often said to have originated from England.

The story became very popular in the 20th century, but its main starting point is mostly traced back to 16th century England. 

Some versions link the urban legend to Queen Mary the first, who earned the nickname "Bloody Mary" for her constant persecution of Protestants. 

Other versions say it started from a tragic woman who died during childbirth or a witch that was executed centuries ago. 

But the truth is no one knows for sure who started the Bloody Mary legend or who became Bloody Mary.

The legend is a ritual that involves chanting her name three times in front of a mirror in a dark room that must be lit by a single candle. 

Many claim she appears in reflections, and never with good intentions.

—---------------

Megan, Sam, Mia, and I were gathered in Megan's bedroom. 

Halloween had always been a time for us to test our bravery, and this year, 2023, Megan had a brilliant plan.

"Let's do it," Megan said, grinning as she held up a thick white candle. 

"We summon Bloody Mary."

Sam groaned, "This again? It's just a stupid urban legend. Let's try something different."

"Scared, Sammy?" Megan chuckled, lighting the candle.

"I'm not scared," Sam shot back. 

"It's just dumb. What happened to our plan to trash Kialy and her stupid cheerleaders' outfits for tomorrow."

"Those are at the principal's office, do you want us to get expelled?" I asked.

Honestly, I didn't like the idea when Sam brought it up last week. 

It's a good thing Megan came up with something else at the last minute.

'And who knows, it might be good for us.'

"You're doing it," Mia said, crossing her arms. 

"We all are."

It's not like I was thrilled with this current idea, but it was a thousand times better than getting expelled and losing my scholarship.

Besides there were no other suggestions and I didn't want to be the only one chickening out. 

"Fine!" Mia said digging her head into the purple pillow beside her.

"Let's get it over with."

We crammed into the Megan's bathroom, and although I always thought her bathroom was quiet big, with all four of us inside, it was so small.

It felt closed-in in an instant and I wasn't even claustrophobic.

Megan went near the sink and tilted the lit candle, letting the wax drip down onto the side of the sink and stuck the candle on the thickened wax.

"Now," she turned to us.

"All we have to do is say 'Bloody Mary' three times together, at the same time."

"Oookayy," Mia said, rolling her shoulders, hitting Sam with her elbow in the process.

The already agitated Sam shouted, "Oww, watch it!" 

"Sorry, we're crammed in here."

"That's right Megan. Please let's start, I'm getting claustrophobic."

"Alright, alright. On the count of three. 3, 2, 1." 

"Bloody Mary," we all said.

"Bloody Mary."

"Bloody Mary."

The flame on the candle flipped about wildly, and the mirror seemed to ripple like water. 

I held my breath, then…

"See? Nothing," Sam said, shaking her head.

Then the candle went out.

—----------

For the first two days, nothing unusual happened. 

I started to believe the candle turning off had all just been a joke. 

But on the third night, I had a dream.

In my dream, I stood in front of a huge mirror just in front of the pouch at my house. 

I didn't know how it got there but when I looked in it, I saw a woman in red with hollow eyes, staring back at me.

Her voice was loud and authoritative, it shook me to my core.

"You called me. Now you pay."

"Haaa!" 

I woke up gasping, soaked in sweat.

The next morning, at school, Sam was pale, nervous and jittery. 

"I keep hearing her voice," she whispered as we sat in the cafeteria. 

"She's everywhere."

Megan rolled her eyes, "It's all in your head. You're psyching yourself out."

Mia didn't say anything, but I noticed how her hands shook as she picked at her food.

"I know what I'm saying, I've seen her." 

But Megan brushed it off.

I didn't say anything either but I wish I did because that evening as I began covering all the mirrors, stainless steel and every other reflective surface in my room, my phone buzzed in my pocket.

Unlocking my phone, I checked the notification that had popped up.

It was a text from Sam.

> She's in my room. HELP.

—--------

When I arrived at Sam's house, the door was unlocked. 

"Sam?? Sam! Mrs Keep!" 

Neither her nor her mum answered and I was getting worried.

I checked in her bedroom, under the bed, inside her double closet and in the bath tub.

But she wasn't there.

"SAM!!" 

"I'm he…re," she called out weakly.

Following her voice, I found her in the kitchen, crouched in the corner. 

Her face had long gashes that looked deep and blood was dripping down her cheek.

"Oh my tiara." 

I rushed to her, loosening the handkerchief I tied to my neck and using it to dap at her wounds.

"Wait here, let me get a first aid kit." 

"She wants something," Sam whispered, stopping me in my tracks. 

I turned back to her, "What does she want?" 

Sam pointed to the mirror on her wall. 

Scrawled in crimson letters were the words:

Your soul.

I stumbled back, feeling fear drop in my stomach.

Turning to the side, I grabbed a pestle that was placed at the top of the slanting plate rack —-- a gift Mrs Keep, Sam's mother got on one of her espionage to Africa —- and stalked over to the mirror.

I brought the pestle down on the mirror and smashed it, over and over again till it was in tiny pieces.

Keeping the pestle somewhere on the floor and bringing out the first aid kit from the kitchen cupboard, I went back to Sam.

"Why on earth do you have a mirror in your kitchen?" 

—--------

The next few days were a blur of terror. 

Bloody Mary began appearing everywhere: in reflections of car windows, in our nightmares. 

She whispered to us, demanded from us.

"You called me. I will not leave until I'm paid."

Then Megan called me, "Mia is gone!" 

Her parents called everyone they knew, plastering her face on missing posters. 

We looked at each other with the posters Mia's parents gave us in our hands. 

Mia wasn't coming back. 

"She took Mia," Sam sobbed, clutching my arm, devastated.

"I can't do this," she told us.

"I'm going home." 

Megan and I stood together after Sam left, wondering what to do when a moving van stopped in front of us.

The movers pulled out a full length mirror covered in a white clothe that fluttered softly.

Suddenly the clothe dropped to the ground, exposing us to the mirror.

I tried to look away as I saw the mirror start to fog up like someone was breathing on it, but I couldn't.

Her face showed up in her regal red dress and gold crown on her head.

Then she pointed her finger at us.

"YOU made a vow when you summoned me. FULFIL IT!" 

"Arrrrgggghhhhh!" 

We screamed, dropping the posters and fleeing in different directions.

Stopping by a tree side to catch my breath, I called Megan and she answered on the fourth ring.

But it wasn't her that picked up the phone.

"Hello, please are you family to the owner of this phone?" 

"She's friend." 

Megan had the bad habit of loosing her phone every now and then so I asked:

"Where did you see the phone, I'll come now and get it."

"Listen miss, I don't know how I'll tell you this…" 

I heard the someone on the speaker's side say something— "And she looks so young." 

No.

No please.

"What happened to my friend." 

"I'm so sorry, you'll need to call her parents to take her to the morgue." 

My phone slipped out of my hands.

"It was an accident, a car knocked her over." 

That was no car accident, it was Bloody Mary.

"Miss? Miss are you there? Miss??"

It was just me and Sam now.

—---------

Sam ran mad and was currently at a mental institution.

She attacked anyone she saw, screaming at them— "You're not real!" 

My parents forbade me from visiting my friend, saying she cut herself several times and broke a lot of things.

Reflective surfaces I know.

I'm scared, I could be next.

I don't want to die and I don't want to lose my mind either but the scratches on my arm I covered with a long sleeve shirt was putting me in despair.

I woke up with them this morning and Bloody Mary had carved out the words on my skin:

You're next.

I typed on my laptop, and clicked the search bar on Google, hoping to find an end to my problems.

Many results came up.

And I could see that Bloody Mary was a nightmare come true, many people had experienced her as well.

A comment under an article wrote: 

Bloody Mary isn't just a story. She's real, and once you call her, she never leaves.

When I finish reading this, I went out of the comment section and searched: 

How to get rid of Bloody Mary.

Then my screen went off, blank…

And I saw her face.

THREE MONTHS LATER

"It's 3 AM everyone. The spooky hour!" A heavily tattooed young guy said, standing on a center table with a bottle of beer in his hands.

The crowd jeered as the DJ turned off the music.

Two ladies in their tweens, dressed in gothic make up and outfits with piercings on their exposed belly button carried a full length mirror to the center of the party room.

Everyone gathered around it as the tatted guy placed an aflame candle in front of the mirror.

"Let's have some fun!!!" 

"Bloody Mary!" 

"Bloody Mary!!" 

"Bloody Mary!!!