The Tale of the Thirteenth Floor

With Halloween just nine days away, it's time to enjoy a little warm-up scare. The first thing along those lines that came to mind was Room for One More, the classic urban legend style horror story that took place in a department store elevator. The notion of department store elevators got me thinking about the dreaded 13th floor, though the only department store I know of that ascends to those heights is the Shinsegae Centum City in Busan, Korea. That shopper's paradise is 14 stories high, though this number may be somewhat elastic since I am not sure if the 13th floor was omitted.

This general dread of the number thirteen ( Triskaidekaphobia) has been around for a long time. though nobody knows for certain how it got started. A Norse legend states that twelve gods were sitting down to a banquet, when a thirteenth god, Loki, showed up and wrought havoc. Some say Judas was the 13th to sit for The Last Supper.

Thought it wasn't until 1885 that the first skyscraper was built--and that one was only twelve stories tall--in skyscrapers that followed thirteenth floors were often omitted--officially at least. That hasn't changed. According to Otis Elevator Company, up to 85 percent of elevator panels today omit the number 13. The practice is so pervasive that emergency responders generally assume that to be the case.

In this uncharacteristic epic poem, Ogden Nash addresses that missing floor. It's a delight to read any time, but perhaps it's most enjoyable this time of year. Read it, and get into the spirit of a spooky Halloween!