Bloody Mary and the Blue Lady
Aha! I'd lost track of this fascinating article, "Myths Over Miami" [URL corrected/updated in 2009], published in '97 in the Miami New Times, about a sort of mythology that's sprung up among homeless kids in Dade County, Florida—and in New Orleans, Chicago, and Oakland, California. Thanks much, Chance, for providing the pointer!
The article's pull quote:
Captured on South Beach, Satan later escaped. His demons and the horrible Bloody Mary are now killing people. God has fled. Avenging angels hide out in the Everglades. And other tales from children in Dade's homeless shelters.
The stories are remarkably detailed and vivid, and I find them oddly compelling. And the fact that they're told all over the country (though it's not clear to me from a quick re-skim of the article just how exact the parallels are between the stories in different regions) is kinda spooky.
Also of note: this article must've been the first place I encountered La Llorona, who appears regularly in stories submitted to SH.
