Full Body Chills: “When No One’s Watching”

Podcast: Full Body Chills
Host/Narrator: Nicole (read by Leanne Gatto)
Episode Date: October 1, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode centers on a chilling childhood memory—Nicole’s harrowing night at her friend Chrissy’s house—where an innocent game in a dark basement spirals into a haunting encounter. Through atmospheric storytelling, the episode explores fear, guilt, denial, and the supernatural, leaving listeners with the unsettling impression that some nightmares never truly end.

Key Discussion Points and Story Breakdown

1. The Unwanted Playdate

[03:07 - 07:30]

• Nicole’s parents attend a work event, leaving Nicole reluctantly in the care of her odd classmate, Chrissy.
• The story establishes unease: “As we neared Chrissy’s house, I had this awful feeling in my stomach.” – Nicole [06:00]
• The encounter with Chrissy and her mother is strange; Chrissy’s mother is supposedly asleep, house is dark, and the atmosphere is unwelcoming.

2. The Game in the Basement

[07:30 - 11:45]

• Chrissy brings Nicole to a cluttered, dimly lit basement dominated by a bizarre, childlike sun painting with haunting dark eyes.
• “The only thing that stood out amongst the blanket white clutter was a rather large painting… The sun was painted a vibrant red, but its eyes were dark blue, almost black.” – Nicole [08:18]
• Chrissy introduces her homemade game: “It’s called when no one’s watching. I made it up myself.” – Chrissy [10:15]

3. The Rules: When No One’s Watching

[11:45 - 15:39]

• The goal: in total darkness, players move to surprise or scare each other—“You can only move when no one is watching.” – Chrissy [10:34]
• Nicole’s intense discomfort grows with every round; Chrissy displays uncanny movement, always appearing closer when the light returns.
• A memorable moment of fear: “Pulled the string for one final round, waited only a second, then pulled again. I jumped back. Chrissy’s face was right on mine.” – Nicole [13:43]

4. Boundaries Crossed and Growing Horror

[15:47 - 19:17]

• Nicole tries to play along for politeness, planning to inch toward the stairs, but the physics of space feel distorted, and Chrissy bends the rules.
• The game turns terrifying when something grabs Nicole’s hand in the darkness: “At first just a brush, a graze, and then the tip of cold fingers interlocking with mine. I screamed and tried yanking my hand back, but they were holding on too tight...” – Nicole [17:10]
• Stark physical evidence: “I had red burn marks on both my palms.” – Nicole [18:03]

5. Escape and Aftermath

[19:17 - 26:01]

• Nicole flees but finds the door locked and is taunted by Chrissy or something else as it ascends the stairs: “But it wasn’t just Chrissy laughing. That voice that came from below me…it was heavy. Gutter hole and it was coming up the stairs.” – Nicole [20:25]
• Nicole escapes with supernatural help—the door opening only when icy fingers assist her.

Reality Fractures

• Nicole’s traumatic shock upon returning home: “The memory is wired with so much fear that I swear I was screaming…But according to my parents, I was catatonic.” [22:00]
• Chrissy is now missing; police and parents are baffled.

6. The Unsettling Conclusion

[24:30 - 26:01]

• No evidence of Chrissy or the sun painting remains.
• Nicole, haunted and ostracized, believes Chrissy “is still down there, still in that basement. …Only moving when no one’s watching.” [25:45]

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• “What mom didn’t know is evil, awful things can take place in just two hours.”
  – Nicole [06:43]

• “You can only move in the dark. You can only move when no one is watching. Got it?”
  – Chrissy [10:34]

• “I’m not sure what to say, so I smiled instead. Chrissy grinned. ‘I come down here a lot…Almost every day. It’s my favorite place.’”
  – Nicole and Chrissy [09:32-09:42]

• “I had red burn marks on both my palms. Just then, Chrissy said, ‘you weren’t supposed to touch it.’ Touch it? Touch what?”
  – Nicole and Chrissy [18:03-18:33]

• “It wasn’t just Chrissy laughing. That voice that came below me behind me. It was heavy. Gutter hole and it was coming up the stairs.”
  – Nicole [20:25]

• “While I’m too afraid to check, I think Chrissy’s still down there, still in that basement. I think Chrissy’s hiding between the shadows and waiting in the dark. And I think she’s only moving when no one’s watching.”
  – Nicole [25:40]

Important Timestamps

• [01:22] – Story Introduction
• [06:00] – Dread while approaching Chrissy’s house
• [08:18] – The disturbing sun painting
• [10:34] – Rules of the game explained
• [13:43] – Chrissy’s frightening proximity
• [17:10] – Nicole is grabbed by something cold in the dark
• [18:03] – Real injury: red burn marks
• [20:25] – Unnatural laughter and the terrifying presence
• [25:40] – Final chilling reflection by Nicole

Tone & Atmosphere

• The storytelling blends an innocent sleepover vibe with mounting supernatural horror.
• Nicole’s hesitant, increasingly frightened narration draws the listener into her spiraling fear and self-doubt.
• Chrissy’s unnerving behavior and the shifting rules of her game build a sense of inevitable doom and ambiguity.

Final Thoughts

This episode of Full Body Chills is a quintessentially creepy tale that captures the unease of childhood, isolation, and the unknown. The simple premise—a game that can only be played "when no one’s watching"—becomes a terrifying metaphor for things that lurk just outside perception, and for the stories children tell themselves to understand the unexplainable.

If you want a story that lingers uncomfortably after the lights are out, this episode delivers.