Apple Park's Statue

"Have you seen the statue down at the community park?"
"The old man sitting on a bench? Yeah. I don't get why it was made, it's ugly."
"My older sister told me the city didn't commission it. They found it, centuries ago, right along the time an old man from the community went missing. And by 'found,' they think a monster did him in."
"Really?... I mean, there are beings who can turn people to stone...do you think it's him?"

— urban legend of the "ugly" statue in the middle of Apple Park

Summary

The outline of the legend is simple. Mr. Kent Regent, an elderly community member of the city at the time it was being built, disappeared. At the same time of his disappearance, a statue of an old man was found in the park, with no one claiming it. Therefore, urban legends state that the statue is the old man.

Historical Basis

The myth might be rooted in the disappearance of an elderly community member from the city when it was more of a town. Mr. Kent Regent was 67 years old at the time and, as old journals note, was prone to wandering around the city at night. [There were notes found in Amalia Mekong's private journal, "It's a weekday night and I should have been studying, but instead I was roped into helping search for old man Kent again. This is the second time this week!" as well as a newspaper ad "Mr. Kent, gone missing again. Reward if found."]
However, during the same time period the statue was found in the park and no one said it looked like Mr. Regent. [His descendants had their pictures taken fifty years later and artists compared the statue to the photos, but the conclusion was for the mystery to remain unsolved.] At this point, there is the thought that he either:

• put himself under a stone spell
• had a run in with a Medusine (though there were none reported in the area at that time)
• had a run in with a cockatrice (again, none were reported in the area at that time).

If it wasn't him, then is a possibility that someone:

• cast a stone spell upon him
• donated a statue to the park after making it has a hobby (and it has no relation to the missing person)
• killed him/buried his body (and he statue has no relation to the missing man).

The only parts that people agree on is that Mr. Kent Regent went missing during the same week that a new statue was found in the park.

Spread

The myth has it's own page (several pages) on the internet, and it's part of a ghost hunt that parades through the city, so it's common knowledge.

Variations & Mutation

The original myth hasn't changed much due to the solid placement of the statute in the park; however, the reasons as to why the statue came about change in each retelling of the story. 
In some versions the old man deserved it (he was spying on a Medusine being, tormenting one, or pestering one until they got angry). In other versions, he accidentally stumbled onto a mod scene and was "taken out" so he couldn't tell the police what he'd seen. There are two rare versions of the story floating around. One says he had an incurable disease, one that he didn't want to live with, and so he set out to find a way to pass into the next life on his own terms. The other tale is that he sat down to pose for a statue maker, and he didn't understand that "statue maker" meant a being who makes others into stone (as opposed to a person who creates a statue with chisel and stone). 
As to who transforms these tales, who knows. There doesn't seem to be a reason for the retellings (or at least, nothing beyond a person's own thoughts about it).

Cultural Reception

For those who are Medusine, this story highlights the worry that they don't have control over their stone-creation gazes (which only happens to the very young, the very old, or those who have been in accidents which have taken away their control). However, those who are being pestered will take the legend and use is as a warning: "If you don't go away, the park will have another statue." 
Other than that, the other cultural groups are in flux as it depends on the reason why the urban legend is being told - stone sculptors and pottery enthusiasts like the idea that the person saw a murder; those who are worried about the future report that talking to the statue gave them a clam and wisdom that they hadn't had before. Some believe the stature saved their lives by simply being there and therefore it's vital to their own story and identity; others pass the statue every day and don't feel any connection to it.

In Literature

There's a collected book of the statue's urban legends, with each chapter being a different one of the legends. There are also some fanfictions based on the urban legend as well (usually improbable ones about someone falling in love with the statue who comes to life during a specific situation).

In Art

There are several painted landscapes focusing on the statue, and there are photograph galleries that have pictures of the park's statue as well, however art tends to remain in the city, or is given to someone with a connection to the city.