Sigbins are the cure for AIDS

About

The Sigbin is a mythical creature that's more popular in Visayas and Mindanao. Old folks say that the sigbin walks backwards with its head tucked between its hind legs and that it "resembles a hornless goat, emits a very nauseating smell and possess a pair of very large ears which are capable of clapping like a pair of hands." They also say that it ventures out of its lair during Holy Week in order to "look for children that it will kill for the heart, which is made into an amulet." For some reason, the story about it being the cure for AIDS spread like wildfire in the late 1990s even if nobody really knew what a sigbin looked like. Some drawings actually make it look like a kangaroo.

Story

Rich government officials in Mindanao who lived in mansions or large estates were believed to be raising sigbins. They were accused of being too greedy to share the wealth with the people. The blood of the sigbin, its meat, or its oil was supposed to cure AIDS within seconds.

Fact

There are no words to explain just how ridiculous this story sounds and the fact that many people actually went sigbin hunting. Many hapless people who wanted to make a fortune by catching the animal that would cure AIDS were said to have been shown pictures of albino animals that the con men passed off as genuine sigbins. Many of those who wanted to try their luck at sigbin hunting were asked to pay a fee for the privilege of being part of the sigbin hunting group.

Sources:

http://www.spot.ph/newsfeatures/41192/urban-legends-that-drove-pinoys-crazy

Night Shift Nightmares

This is my final post in my series saying goodbye to the Alabama State Psychiatric Hospitals.  This post is one I wrote when I was working the Night shift on a psychiatric floor.  Sadly, psychiatric floors are becoming fewer and far between these days making the closure of the Alabama State Hospitals even sadder.   I wrote this a couple of years ago when everything was quiet and the lights were out in the hospital. 

I'm working the night shift tonight. I don't usually work the night shift, but I thought I'd do something different this week. At night, when most of the staff have fled the psychiatric floor and you are left alone with two nurses and a few patients, you hear things you would never notice during the day. They day is bedlam and all the noises blend together, but in the quiet every rattle becomes distinct. I was doing an intake with a patient in their room when I noticed a strange and unaccountable noise that sounded like a large metal object being drug over the door and wall. The noise was very loud and it almost made me drop my clipboard. I asked the patient what the noise was. They responded that the noise came and went and that noises like that have filled the room since they've been here. The patient had assumed it was all in their head. I assured them it was not and they were very relieved.


I had heard that noise before in that room. I had been doing a treatment plan with another patient and I had thought it was another patient dragging something on the wall, but tonight all the other patients were in the group room. Tonight, the halls are empty and the nurses are eating dinner. Of course, I know that several months ago we had a sentinel event. A sentinel even is an event that makes hospital reconsiders their policies and rewrite their rules. We had a patient kill themself in the very room I had been sitting and listening to odd noises in. There had been a thorough investigation into the incident and it was determined that the staff had done all they could for the poor woman, but she had been determined and creative. I am proud of where I work. We have some of the best staff and the best reputation in the area, but on psychiatric units, sometimes bad things happen.

Very few here believe in the supernatural. They are all people of medicine and think ghosts are the product of mental illness driven magical thinking. They enjoy the stories but they would never notice the odd noises. But sitting here alone in the dark, I have to wonder what is in that room? Does that unhappy woman linger in the shadows making her presence known only to the patients? Is her ghost still here struggling to find the happiness she couldn't find in life?

Mercedita - An Engkanto of Binangonan, Rizal

Stories

[Taken from a social networking site [1]:]

Mag-ingat, baka mapag laruan ka ni Mercedita! Pag sapit ng ala-sais ng gabi ay huwag na daw paghuntahan si Mercedita, dahil naririnig niya ang usapan at maaring sumagot siya. Kung hindi ka pa takot, kukwentuhan kita. Si Mercedita ang sinasabing engkantada sa kweba sa Batasin, sakop ng Wawa, Libis. Napakalinaw ng tubig sa parteng ito ng Laguna de Bay, kaya paboritong labahan ng kababaihan. Pag may dalagang naglalaba ay may kasamang manliligaw na binata. Tulad ng eksenang napapanood sa penikula nina Vilma Santos at Edgar Mortiz, kung hindi mo na inabot ang panahon nina Carmen Rosales at Rogelio de la Rosa. At si Mercedita ay nagpapakita sa mga lalaking lumalapit sa kweba. Sa di kalayuan sa kweba daw natagpuan ang labi ng dalawang binata mula sa kilalang angkan na nalunod sa Lawa nuong Dekada 60’s. Ang ipinagtataka ng marami ay kabataan at atleta ang nasawi, sanay na lumangoy sa Lawa. Ang bulong -bulungan ay dinala daw ni Mercedita ang magkaibigan sa kanyang daigdig. Sa mga hindi maniniwala sa engkanto, itinuturong dahilan ang maghapong pagbabasketball ng mga nasawi at ang posibilidad na pinulikat sila at naghatakan palalim sa Lawa. Mapaglaro daw si Mercedita. Parang napagti-tripan ang taong napapadpad sa kanyang lugar. Hindi pa malimot ng mag-asawang taga-Calumpang kung paano ang kanilang bangka ay umikot-ikot lang sa lawa, isang umagang isinama nila ang sipuning anak upang makasagap ng sariwang hangin. Sa kanilang pagkabahala, itinaas ng Tatay ang bata at nakiusap sa engkantada na hayaan na silang makadaong sa lupa, alang-alang sa batang nuon ay nag-iiyak sa takot. Sa isang iglap umusad ang bangka, at iyon ang pinakamabilis na pagsagwang ginawa ng ama sa kanyang buong buhay. May mga basketbolistang taga-Maynila na naglaro sa Rizal Cement Company, kabilang na ang asawa ng nuo’y sikat na telebisyon talk host. Apat silang nagkayayaang mamangka sa Lawa. Ganoon na lamang ang kanilang panghihilakbot dahil mula sa Wawa hanggang sa makadaong sa RCCI Compound, ay inabot sila ng walong oras! Sa paikot-ikot ng kanilang bangka at marahil sa gutom na rin, parang hilong talilong ang mga atleta na pamula nuon ay isinumpang hindi na babalik pa sa Binangonan. May kwento na si Mercedita daw ay may mortal na kasintahan, isang albularyo na binigyan ng engkantada ng kapangyarihang makapagpagaling ng maysakit. May kumontra naman na propaganda daw lang ng manggagamot iyon upang simikat ang kanyang paghahagod, pagtatawas at iba pang paraan ng pagtataboy ng karamdaman at masamang espiritu sa katawan. May sabi-sabi rin na si Mercedita ay kadaupang palad ng isang banyagang pari na naging Kura Paroko ng Binangonan. May lihim na lagusan daw sa likod ng altar kung saan sinusundo at inihahatid ni Mercedita ang pari kapag tinawag niyang mag-misa ito sa kanilang daigdig. Ang mga engkantong kasama ni Mercedita ay umaahon daw dito sa bayan at namimili sa palengke. Kapag malingaw ang nariring o ingay ng salitaang hindi mawari, hudyat na may taga ibang daigdig sa tabi-tabi. Kapag nakakita ng babaeng pantay ang nguso, o walang linyang parang kanal mula sa ilong hanggang sa labi, iyon ay kasama ni Mercedita. Sa mga hindi naniniwala, at laging humahanap ng paliwanag, binangit nila na tutuo ngang may bahay na bato sa Batasin at marahil ito ang sinasabing kweba. Pag-aari ng dayuhang pamilya na ang negosyo ay ospital at paaralan sa Maynila, ang bahay na bato ay naging tirahan ng isang kaanak na pinanawan ng bait. Inilayo sa lipunan sa kung ano mang pampamilyang dahilan. At marahil, ang paghahabi ng kwentong engkanto ang babala upang huwag lapitan ang bahay na ngayon ay abandonado na at kinatatakutan. Ang matatanda ay may paraan upang pigilan ang likas na pagka-makilot at pagka-gala ng bata. Ang panakot: may engkanto sa tabing dagat, may nuno sa punso sa bukid, may kapre sa kaingin pag gabi. Katulad ng sinasabing lihim na lagusan sa likod ng altar. Ayon sa kaibigang nuon ay sakristan ay paraan ng taong simbahan upang huwag nilang inumin ang alak ng pari patago duon sa likod ng altar. Si Mercedita ay isang walang katapusang kwento na manganganak pa ng maraming kabanata mula sa malikhaing isip at malagong dila. by: CKH Chef july 6, 2010 CKH Chef July 6, 2010

Beware, Mercedita may play on you! As 6 o'clock in the evening, never talk about Mercedita, because she may hear your conversation and she may answer you. If you are still not feared, then I tell you more story. Mercedita was the said engkantada of the cave in Batisan, part of Wawa, Libis. The water here in this part of Laguna de Bay is very clear, thus became the favorite laundry place of women. When there is a maiden washing clothes, she is accompanied with her suitor. Just like the scene in Vilma Santos and Edgar Mortiz's movie, if you weren't born yet at the time of Carmen Rosales and Rogelio de la Rosa. And Mercedita appears on men who went near the cave. Not far from the cave, they found the two bodies of young men, from a well-known family, who were drowned in the lake last Dekada 60's (1960's). The mysterious thing people thought was, the two are both young and athletes, both were skilled in swimming on lakes. According to the stories, Mercedita brought the two to her world. While to those who didn't believe, the said cause was the over playing of basketball and the possibility of having cramps which leads them to pull each other deeper unto the lake. They said, Mercedita is playful. As if, those who passes or walks through the place will be played at. A married couple from Calumapng can't forget the time how there boat just moved riduculously round at the lake, one morning when they brought with them their catarrhing child to breathe some fresh air. Of there fear, the father raised his child and pleaded to the engkantada to let them go offshore, for the sake of the child which that time was crying of fright. In just an instant, the boat moved, and it was the fastest rowing the father had done on his entire life. There were basketball players from Manila who played at Rizal Cement Company, one of them is the husband of a popular television talk show host. Four of them persuade each other to go boating on the lake. However, they were frightened because, from Wawa to the RCCI Compound, they spent almost 8 hours before they got off the lake! Of there boat being uncontrolled, and also because of hunger, the athletes got dizzy which started on that time, they pledged not to go back in Binangonan anymore. There was a story that Mercedita got a mortal suitor, an albularyo which the engkantada gifted the power of healing diseases. But there are others saying that it was just his propaganda to be famous in his massage, tawas and other treatments of driving away sickness and bad spirits in the body. There was another rumored story that Mercedita was a companion of a foreign priests which became the parish priest of Binangonan. There was a clandestine passage behind the altar where Mercedita fetch for a mass on their world, and accompanies him to that passage when he goes home. The engkanto friends of Mercedita sometimes go offshore going to the village and buys in the market. If you hear some kind of noise or words you can't understand, it symbolizes that there are unknown beings somewhere. If you see a woman who don't possess a philtrum, she may be Mercedita's companion. To those who don't believe, and always seek explanations, the said stone house in Batasin is true, which perhaps the cave they are talking about. It was owned by a foreign family, whose businesses in Manila are hospital and a school. They once lived in that house but they became insane, and they were hidden in public for some family reason. And, maybe, the creation of engkanto story is a warning not to go near the stone housev - now, abandoned and frightening. Elders knew ways on how to avoid children's being mischievousness and rovingness. Scary warnings: there is an engkanto on the seashore, there is a nuno sa punso in the field, there is a kapre at night. To the said clandestine passage behind the altar, according to a sakristan friend, was just the church's way to warn people not to drink the wine of the priest secretly behind the altar. Mercedita was one of the infinite story which becomes wider to many chapters as time passes by, from playful minds and transmission of tongues. by: CKH Chef july 6, 2010 CKH Chef July 6, 2010

Sources:

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=130693470302612

Manananggal and Aswang in the City

Stories

[Taken from a News Website [1]:]

Manananggal gumagala sa Caloocan City (Manananggal roaming in Caloocan City) By: Gemma Amargo Nababalot ngayon ng takot ang mga residente sa isang liblib na barangay sa Caloocan City matapos na masaksihan ng mga ito ang isang lumilipad na babae na kalahati ang katawan na umaaligid sa bahay ng isang buntis, kamakalawa ng gabi. Ayon sa mga residente ng Brgy. Tala, dakong alas- 11:55 ng gabi nang makita ang lumilipad na babae na pinaniniwalaang manananggal na may mahabang buhok at matutulis na kuko at nagliliyab ang mga mata. Ang naturang manananggal, ayon pa sa mga residente ay umaaligid sa bahay ng isang Tessie Acuna, 31, na walong buwang buntis. Binanggit naman ni Mang Tomas, isang residente sa naturang barangay na hindi na bago sa kanila ang ganitong mga pangyayari dahil tatlong taon na ang nakakalipas ay sumalakay na ito sa kanilang lugar. Isang buntis din umano ang sinalakay nito at napatay. Kinuha umano nito ang puso at sanggol sa sinapupunan ng ginang. Dahil dito, muling nagsagawa nang mahigpit na pagroronda ang ilang grupo ng mga kalalakihan na armado ng matutulis na kawayan at gulok. Hindi naman umano nila makuhang humingi ng tulong sa pulisya dahil sa pangambang baka pagtawanan lamang sila ng mga ito. Two at night, the residents of the distant barangay in Caloocan City was covered with fear after they witnessed a flying woman with her half body roaming around the house of a pregnant. According to the residents of Brgy. Tala, at about 11:55 pm when they saw a flying woman, which they believe to be a manananggal, having a long hair and a pointed nails, and a flaming eyes. The said manananggal, according to the local residents, was roaming around the house of Tessie Acuna, 31, eight-months pregnant. Mang Tomas said, this was not a new story for them because three years ago the same being attact another resident in their barangay. Likewise a pregnant woman was said to be attacked and killed by this. She took her heart and unborn child from inside her body. Because of this, some groups of men armed with pointed bamboos and bolo planned again to patrol at night. They said, they can't consult help from police because they might just laugh at them.

[Taken from a News Website [2]:]

Manananggal namataan sa La Union (Manananggal seen in La Union) By: Artemio Dumlao SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union – Imbis na fetus ng buntis na babae ang hanapin nang namataang manananggal na lumapag sa bubong ng estasyon ng radyo sa Wallace Air Station ay pinaniniwalaang ibig nitong makita ng personal si Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo na dumating noong Biyernes ng umaga. Napag-alaman sa sister radio station (DZNL) ng Manila Broadcasting Company (MBC) na isang security guard ng Voice of America compound ang nakakita sa kalahating katawan ng babae na lumilipad at lumapag sa bubong ng power house bandang alas-12:30 ng madaling-araw ilang oras bago dumating ang Pangulo sa nabanggit na lungsod. Kaya naman biglang kumalat na parang apoy ang balita at nagkaroon ng haka-haka ang mga residente na posibleng ibig lamang makita ng harapan ang kanyang idol na si Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo na naging kontrobersyal na "manananggal" din ng mga tiwaling opisyales ng pamahalaan. Ilan naman sa mga residente ng nabanggit na lungsod ay hindi kinagat ang kumalat na balita at ang iba naman ay nag-isip nga kung may katotohanan ang napaulat. Hindi naman kaagad nabatid kung naipagbigay-alam ang kumalat na balita sa Pangulo na nagtungo sa naturang lungsod upang bigyan ng moral support ang naisalbang dinukot na si Jakie Rowena Tiu. Magugunita na noong 1998 ay may namataan din ang residente na manananggal na umaaligid sa mga kabahayan na pinaniniwalaang naghahanap ng mabibiktima. SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union - Instead a manananggal searching for a fetus of pregnant woman, they saw her went down to the roof of a radio station in Wallace Air Station which was believed that this being just want to see President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who arrived last Friday morning. Found out from the sister radio station (DZNL) of Manila Broadcasting Company (MBC) that a security guard of Voice of America compound saw the half body of a woman flying at the roof of the power house at about 12:30 am, hours before the President arrives in the city. That's why the news spread like a fire, and the residents' opinion was probably the being just want to see personaly her idol - President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, which was rumored by the corrupt officials of the government to be a "manananggal" herself. But many of the local residents didn't believe on the news, and some doubted if it was true. It was not known right away if the rumor was told to the President who went to the said city to give the kidnapped Jakie Rowena Tiu a moral support. If we remember that on 1998, there was also a manananggal seen by a resident flying over the roofs of houses which was believed to be looking for a victim.

[Taken from a News Website [3]:]

Magsasaka nilapa ng aswang (A farmer attacked by an Aswang) By: Joy Cantos CAMP CRAME — Nanalasa na naman ang kinatatakutang aswang na gumagala pagkagat ng dilim sa Davao del Sur makaraang lapain nito ang isang 52-anyos na magsasaka sa Barangay San Guillermo sa bayan ng Hagonoy kamakalawa. Ang bangkay ng biktimang si Cornelio Regidor ay natagpuang tadtad ng kalmot ng matatalim na kuko sa iba’t ibang bahagi ng katawan na pinaniniwalaang kagagawan ng kampon ng kadiliman. Batay sa ulat na nakarating sa Camp Crame, natagpuan sa loob ng kanyang bahay ang duguang bangkay ng biktima na wasak ang dibdib at walang internal organ. Naniniwala naman ang mga kamag-anak ng biktima na aswang ang pumatay kay Regidor dahil walang anu­mang tama ng saksak ng patalim o bala ng baril sa katawan. Sa naunang ulat, gumagala ang aswang sa nabanggit na barangay sa tuwing gagapang ang dilim sa kalawakan kaya maaga pa lamang ay nagsisipagsara na ng kanilang mga tahanan ang mga residente. Gayon pa man, binalewala naman ng pulisya ang paniniwala ng mga residente na kagagawan ng aswang ang pagpatay sa biktima dahil walang nakasaksi na makapagpatunay na aswang nga ang responsable sa krimen. Patuloy naman ang im­bestigasyon ng pulisya upang malutas ang misteryosong pagpatay sa biktima. CAMP CRAME — The frightful aswang started to wander again whenever darkness came at Davao del Sur after attacking a 52-year-old farmer of Barangay San Guillermo in the town of Hagonoy this past two days. The corpse of the victim - Cornelio Regidor, was found full of scratches of sharp nails in any part of his body which was believed to be done by a creature of darkness. According to the news sent to Camp Crame, he was found inside his house bathed with blood, and whose thorax was totally destroyed and with missing internal organ. The relatives of the victim believe that Regidor was killed by an aswang because there was no knife stab or even a bullet of gun seen in his body. In the first report, the aswang roams on the said barangay when every night came, thus every people closes there homes early in the evening. However, the polices just ignore the belief of the residents that the victim was killed by aswang because there was no witness that can make it true that aswang was responsible with this crime. In the other hand, the polices still continue solving the mysterious death of the victim.

Sources:
[1]http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=143618
[2]http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=172673
[3]http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=46174

Aspirin between the knees....

I've previously discussed my beliefs in my other blawgs, and have drawn a pretty hard line in the sand regarding some of them. I'm a moderate who believes in the shades of grey a great deal more than a distinct black or white. That being said, I try really hard to see both sides of an issue. Case in point: the recent war regarding birth control. I got angry at the Democrats for offering only one person to speak at the religious debacle debate in front of Congress a few weeks ago. I thought one person was ridiculous, although I understand that Republicans can be assholes and may have only allowed them one person to speak--but wouldn't it have been the smart decision to bring back-ups just in case???

At any rate, the testimony they offered (which was subsequently declined by the assholes previously mentioned) was that of Sandra Fluke. She had a lot of stuff to say. None of that testimony talked about how much she loved sex (although most people do--it's kinda fun, amIright?). In fact, she declined to talk about her experiences with contraceptives. She instead focused on the stories of women who were unable to afford their contraceptives and suffered terrible consequences as a result. Stories of a woman whose polycystic ovarian syndrome got so bad (due to lack of hormonal treatment) that she grew a tennis-ball-sized cyst on her ovary and had to have the entire ovary removed. Stories of a woman who was married and couldn't afford her birth control. Stories of women who were struggling with hormonal issues and unable to secure the treatment they needed due to the fact that their medicine is also considered birth control. STORIES OF MILLIONS OF WOMEN THROUGHOUT THIS NATION.

Enter Rush Limbaugh. 

I can go ahead and tell you that I'm not the biggest Rush fan. I find him hypocritical, obnoxious, and pretty stupid. He didn't disappoint this time either. Not only did he call Ms. Fluke a slut, among other things, he also told her she prostituted herself since the government was essentially paying her to have sex. He then told her the least she could do was post videos online of herself having sex, since she had been paid to do this.

Now, I'm all for first amendment rights. That being said, I fail to see how ANYONE could defend these stupid, ridiculous, fantastical comparisons, particularly women. Enter Angela Moribito. A self-proclaimed right-winger and "100 pounds of fury," Angela not only agreed with Rush Limbaugh (something she later claimed not to have done), but she also let-er-rip with this lovely little pearl of wisdom: that Sandra Fluke will always be remembered as "a Welfare Condom Queen [sic]." Apparently, Angela thinks Ms. Fluke has chained herself to the "sinking ship of Pelosi Liberalism," while seemingly--and most ironically--not realizing she herself was chaining herself to the Titanic that was inevitably Rush Limbaugh. 

I get it--some people equate condoms/birth control with slutiness. What I fail to understand is how they've equated THIS TESTIMONY with slutiness. One thing I know for certain: the world would be a much better place with a little more sluttiness and a whole lot less judgmental assholes throwing gender-bombs at people. 

Ta-ta for now. It's time to go take my birth control. 

Free Kindle Copy of Circe

 Inspired by the haunted hospital where I did my internship, Circe touches on my favorite parts of  what makes ghost stories intriguing.  If you would like a free copy of  Circe, email your email address to me at jessica.penot@gmail.com.

Dr. Black is a good man with a few vices. He is willing to sacrifice his career for his wife, Pria. He takes an internship at a hick institution in Southern Alabama to make his wife happy, but once he is situated in this old hospital, he finds that old habits die-hard. He is sexually compulsive and easily seduced by his supervisor, Cassie, who takes him to the bowls of the institution and shows him its tragic history. As Dr. Black loses himself in his obsession with Cassie, he becomes convinced that she is the key to Circe's mythology and magic and a series of bizarre murders leaves him convinced that she has opened the gates to another world. Madness and sanity begin to blur for Dr. Black and he becomes entangled in the mystery at the heart of Circe. A mystery that's as old as the ancient hospital itself. A mystery that could incriminate Cassie, an old god, or Dr. Black himself

The Old Bryce Hospital for the Insane

Earlier this week, I wrote about the closure of all of the Alabama state psychiatric hospitals.   I thought I should do several posts in honor of the demise of such an important part of Alabama's healthcare system. After I wrote this post, I said I would do several posts on the ghosts of the Alabama psychiatric hospitals.  This is my second post in that series.  Today, I revisit Old Bryce Hospital and I add to my original post by posting two anonymous comments I got on the hospital.  These comments were wonderful to me because they describe the experiences of those who have been to and seen the ghosts of Old Bryce Hopsital for the Insane:

Alabama Hospital for the Insane was designed to be a refuge for the mentally ill. Its architecture was designed based on the ideas of Dorothea Dix and Thomas Story Kirkbride. It was meant o be moral architecture that would contribute tot he healing process within the hospital The hospital opened in 1861 and for a while it held to the ideals of Dix and Kirkbride. The first superintendent, Peter Bryce, was an idealist and he had studied mental health in Europe. He believed that patients should be treated with respect kindness. He even abandoned the use of restraints. The hospital was later named for Bryce and it went on to be the model for progressive mental health care.


Time quickly eroded Bryce' legacy, however. By 1967, there were more than 5200 patients residing in a facility that was never meant to hold that many. Observers described Bryce as a concentration camp and a model for human cruelty. In 1970, one patient named Wyatt started a class action law suit against the Alabama's other mental hospital, Searcy State Hospital. This lead to major change in the way the mentally ill were treated in Alabama. The number of beds were cut drastically and humane treatment of the mentally ill became an absolute necessity. The landmark Wyatt v. Strickney Casee would change Bryce drastically. Old Bryce was the African American portion of Bryce Hospital and was notorious for being even more cruel than its white counterpart. After Wyatt v. Strickey and desegregation, Old Bryce was shut down entirely and other buildings were used. The African American patients were integrated into the white population.

Old Bryce still sits quietly deserted, however, as a reminder to the old days when patients were held like prisoners with no rights. It is covered in graffiti and has been vandalized many times. Its even been set on fire. Trespassing is forbidden here, but the curious have reported seeing all manner of horrors coming out of the dark around Old Bryce. Lights flicker on an off in the building that has no electricity. Phones ring in rooms with no phones. Phantom lights drift from room to room. Furniture moves on its own and footsteps echo through the abandoned hallways. The living patients may be gone, but many believe Old Bryce is still filled with the ghosts of those who once suffered in its walls.

Here are two comments from Anonymous visitors to the haunted hosptial:

"I live on the side of the river where "Old" Bryce is, and I attend the U of A where "New" Bryce is. If you're out on Highway 82 coming from town, take the left before 84 Lumber (the right after it if you're coming from Coker). You go down the road a bit, and you'll see two stone entrance things (one on either side of the road). Go down to the end of the road (or where there's a huge branch in the way like it was when I was there) and you'll be able to see the building. Word of caution, there is no sign, no markers, nothing. They've almost been trying to erase its existence it seems, so keep an eye out if you go, and it is trespassing to go inside so be careful.  As of last night, I've been out there 4 times, but only down to the end of the road once (during the day at that). The first time at night, the streetlights couldn't light up the road at all, and we couldn't see anything so I panicked and turned the car around. The second time at night, I drove just past the stone things and turned on my brights but they didn't go any further than where the light from the streetlights ended(they're yellowish, not blue) and I saw blue...things, like almost hospital gowns in a way, so I chickened out and turned the car around promptly. The last time (last night actually), I drove to where I had before and turned on my brights again. My headlights flickered (they never do that) twice very quickly, and I turned the car around. Every time, I went with a friend (she didn't see the gowns), but last night she said she saw dark hands, like the darkness was crawling toward us. We'll probably go back again, but we're never getting out of the car. Haha."

"Three friends and I went there tonight. It is a very creepy place. You walk down this long stretch road that's pitch black, and the building sort of sneaks up on you. I jumped because I looked up and we were standing right in front of the asylum, when I hadn't seen it seconds before. The front lawn is littered with debris and broken glass and empty beer bottles. We walked up to the front with all of this crunching underfoot. There's absolutely no way to walk silently throughout the building. The place is in ruin. It's completely dilapidated. The floors and stairs are littered with debris, there are wires and poles hanging from the ceiling. Every last window is busted out, and in some places there were plants growing in the building. I mean, this place was just your textbook, archetypal haunted house. The place is covered with graffiti inside and out. Paintings of devils and penises and hundreds of names smear the walls. My friends and I explored the furnace room, the cafeteria, and just about every other wing of the place. Of course we hear the creepy sounds and our flashlights sent shadows flitting across the walls, which made me jump more than a few times. And overall, the place just has an haunting atmosphere. I've heard all of the stories of ghosts and seances and Satan worshipers and cult meetings, but your biggest fear should probably be cops, homeless people, and asbestos poisoning. The cops are often on patrol, and its easy to tell from a distance that there's a flashlight shining in the abandoned building, and it's completely and totally illegal to be there. I've heard first hand stories of friends entering a room and finding a homeless man sleeping, and one of my friends personally got chased out by one. And, of course, its an old rotting building, asbestos likely abounds. However, I plan to visit again. Doing research, I hear that there are other, creepier, buildings behind it. I've read of people finding lobotomy machines and masks and even some creepy drawings. I'd really love to explore some more. Overall, it's truly a haunting place. Whether or not you believe in the paranormal, it's true that hundreds have been tortured and many killed there. And, c'mon, it's a freaking abandoned insane asylum! How much cooler can that get. Definitely check it out if you get the chance."