Scary Stories and Rain – Episode 236: “The Thing In The Field”

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode of Scary Stories and Rain, hosted by Being Scared, immerses listeners in a series of true, unsettling accounts meant to evoke chills, provoke thought, and accompany relaxation with a gentle rainfall backdrop. The stories revolve around harrowing encounters with predatory strangers, brushes with inexplicable danger, and moments where creepy “things” emerge on the edge of mundane life – all told in calm, measured narration ideal for a rainy night.

1. A Security Guard’s Close Call – [01:13]

Summary:
A female overnight security guard in a parking ramp recounts a terrifying experience with a homeless woman who, after being asked to leave, waits by the guard’s shack, apparently armed with a shard of a broken mirror.

Key Discussion Points:

• Protocols & Compassion: The job’s routine — checking for unauthorized people, dealing with the vulnerable, and doing her best to be kind.
• Incident Details: After calling the police to remove a woman, the guard is glared at through the window, then later notices the woman hiding behind the security shack.
• Escalation: The woman becomes verbally aggressive, kicks objects, and disappears into the building after police intervention.
• Discovery: The guard later finds a broken mirror, realizing the woman had possibly taken a large, sharp piece.

Memorable Quote:

“She had taken a large sharp object, hid behind my shack, and waited for me to walk up.” – Host [05:21]

2. The Impersonator At The Door – [06:10]

Summary:
A cat owner describes an unnerving nighttime encounter: someone imitates her cat’s meows to lure her to open the apartment door, only to discover a man standing there, meowing and scratching.

Key Discussion Points:

• Familiarity Breeds Danger: The owner knows her cat’s cries intimately and senses something is “off.”
• Escalating Fear: Scratching and a suspicious, guttural meow prompt a rare peephole check.
• Terrifying Reveal: A man is discovered mimicking the cat’s behavior, attempting to lure her out.
• Outcome: The police are called, but the man disappears without a trace.

Memorable Quote:

“A man standing there. He was meowing in front of my door. To say that I was terrified is really an understatement.” – Host [10:17]

3. Menace at the Walking Path – [13:00]

Summary:
A young woman narrates her close encounter with a predatory stranger while walking alone on a public path, culminating in a chilling near-miss with a potential killer.

Key Discussion Points:

• False Sense of Safety: Confidence walking alone in daylight, despite area reputation.
• Silent Pursuer: Notices a man repeatedly maintaining distance, then following closely on a bike.
• Gut Instinct: The man’s attempts at conversation, sudden proximity, and an ominous, “Hey girl, it’s your lucky day” remark.
• Chilling News: The next day, she hears of a murder on the same path, the victim’s body bearing bike tire marks.

Memorable Quote:

“My heart fell to my stomach as I listened to the story of the grisly assault and murder of a young woman found dead on a walking path… police had no suspects at this time, but believed the woman had wounds and impressions of a bicycle tire on her face and neck.” – Host [19:45]

4. Stalked for a Bouquet – [22:04]

Summary:
A teenager recalls being followed by a suspicious car after purchasing flowers for her family on Valentine’s Day, barely escaping potential abduction thanks to quick thinking.

Key Discussion Points:

• Background: Walks alone through a near-deserted business area; car suspiciously trails her.
• Intuition & Escape: Sprints into a parking lot, car corners her but she escapes over rubble into a visible area.
• Aftermath: Doesn’t report the incident, but is haunted by what-ifs.

Memorable Quote:

“They passed every available parking space to corner me against a pile of debris and rubble from the construction, coming to a diagonal stop less than three feet away.” – Host [24:30]

5. The Man with the Cast in the Lot – [26:54]

Summary:
A late-night errand nearly ends in disaster for a young woman when a man with a cast tries to lure her, scratches her car, and pursues her after she narrowly escapes.

Key Discussion Points:

• Premonition: Unease and unusual paranoia inside a deserted drugstore.
• Ambush: The man’s approach, odd requests, and the telltale “Ted Bundy” cast trick.
• Escape: She flees in her car just as the man damages her vehicle with what she believes was a knife.

Memorable Quote:

“I feel like he was trying to get me before I got in my car, but I got in too fast. Thankfully, this happened a few years ago and sometimes I still have nightmares where I didn’t manage to get away.” – Host [29:45]

6. The Dangerous Cab Ride – [31:27]

Summary:
A night of bar-hopping with friends ends in terror as a possibly drugged cab ride devolves into abduction-like behavior by the driver.

Key Discussion Points:

• Trust Shattered: Friends pass out, fare meter is off, driver acts intimately.
• Powerless: The narrator frequently blacks out, is taken to an isolated, “romantic” location.
• Escape: Ultimately outsmarts the driver by yielding to his demands until she can flee at a stoplight. A passing woman helps her home.
• Aftermath: Has persistent trauma and nightmares.

Memorable Quote:

“He said, ‘I will take you home if you pretend you are my girlfriend for a little while.’ … I said okay. He smiled, put my wallet back in the cup holder.” – Host [34:53]

7. Creep at the College Dorm – [41:07]

Summary:
A young woman working overnight at a dorm details an encounter with a man attempting to lure her into a supposedly vacant room with pretexts and touching.

Key Discussion Points:

• Suspicion Builds: Man tries to get her to enter a back room, offers a fake story, and attempts unwanted touch.
• Escape by Instinct: She manages to keep the door open, ignores his pleas to enter further, and later discovers the room was meant to be empty.
• Security Procedures: Man cannot prove residency, gives false information, and is asked to leave.

Memorable Quote:

“He once again tried to get me to follow him into the bedroom, saying the bed was broken…and when I realized he had nothing in his room — no dishes, no shower curtain, no sheets — this wasn’t his room.” – Host [44:12]

8. Armed Robbery Outside a Friend’s House – [47:58]

Summary:
While waiting in her car outside a friend’s house, a woman’s momentary lapse in vigilance almost leads to disaster as a man attempts a robbery at gunpoint.

Key Discussion Points:

• Routine Disrupted: Momentarily forgets to lock doors; man attempts to force entry.
• Robbery: Threatened with a weapon, she hands over what little cash she has.
• Escape: The robber calmly walks away, points the weapon at her again, and vanishes.
• Aftermath: She’s left shaken but unharmed, later grateful her young son slept through the incident.

Memorable Quote:

“All I could think to do is yell, ‘No, no. Not here for you. Wrong car, man.’ …He motioned for me to roll the window down. In this situation, we all think how heroic we would be. I, frightened, froze, but had the mind to barely crack the window.” – Host [50:35]

9. Notes on the Floor – [54:40]

Summary:
A woman recalls, at age eight, a night when mysterious and threatening notes were left around her home, culminating in an attempted abduction thwarted by her father’s dramatic intervention.

Key Discussion Points:

• Sinister Messages: Notes like “I see you,” “Run,” “Hide,” “Die” scattered on the floor, increasing her terror.
• Assault and Abduction: A man breaks in, assaults her father, and kidnaps her.
• Rescue: Her father, bloodied, chases down the vehicle, rams it, and rescues her.
• Vivid Memory: The incident ended with the abductor vanishing and their home left behind.

Memorable Quote:

“The man threw me into a van and took off. …I started screaming for my dad.” – Host [59:10]
“My dad scooped me up and told me that he loved me. … Smoke was coming from under the hood but we were able to drive away.” – Host [1:02:30]

Standout Themes & Overall Tone

• Uncanny Human Predators: Many stories feature assailants who prey on routines, mimic normalcy, or exploit small lapses in vigilance.
• Survival Instincts: Quick thinking, trust of instinct, and sometimes sheer luck or an unlikely savior avert tragedy.
• Lingering Trauma: Most narrators are left with lasting unease—questions about what might have happened had a single detail changed.

Notable Quotes

• “This isn’t my cat outside the door, and he’s the only cat around that knows that he has to wait by the door and scream to be let inside.” [09:20]
• “Hey, girl, it’s your lucky day.” [18:40]
• "He started to cry and tell him, ‘please take me home… I want to see my boyfriend. I won’t tell anyone, please.’" [36:12]
• "Had I been a split second slower, the door would have opened." [49:15]

Episode Tone:
Calm, haunting, and deeply immersive, with the persistent sound of rain amplifying each unsettling twist. The host’s measured, empathetic narration provides both comfort and undeniable chills.