Scary Stories For A Rainy Night – Ep. 251 – Dead Fields
Host: Being Scared
Date: October 7, 2025
Podcast: Scary Stories and Rain
Episode Overview
Episode 251, "Dead Fields," delivers unsettling, true horror stories told in calm narration against a backdrop of soothing rain. Aimed at listeners seeking a chilling ambience for sleepless nights or stormy weather, the episode features tales of childhood terror, haunted artifacts, near misses with natural disasters, and a gripping personal account of real-world danger.
Story Breakdown & Key Insights
1. The Tornado at School
[02:40 – 10:00]
- Premise: A narrator recalls a harrowing day from their childhood when a tornado struck their North Carolina elementary school.
- Atmosphere: A normal rainy day quickly turns menacing as weather worsens; the tension escalates when students are ushered into hallways for safety.
- Sensory Detail: The storm "pounding against the window," creating fear and confusion.
- Classroom panic: A mysterious crash from the library heightens the sense of impending doom, leaving both children and teachers terrified.
- Aftermath: Relief only arrives when parents come to collect the children, revealing the building had indeed been hit by a tornado.
Notable Quotes:
"It honestly sounded like a big monster had just come crashing its way through the glass and was tearing around the library, knocking things over as it went."
— Main Storyteller, [06:25]
"It was without a doubt the single most pant-weddingly scary thing that ever happened to me during my entire childhood."
— Main Storyteller, [09:25]
- Takeaway: Even moderate natural disasters can become formative and deeply traumatic events for children, instilling lifelong respect for nature’s power.
2. The Creepy Doll’s Head – "Bob"
[10:00 – 28:35]
- Premise: As teenagers, the narrator and their friend Nathan explore a desolate creek and an abandoned golf course, encounter inexplicable eeriness, and recover an unsettling doll’s head from the depths.
- Haunted Object: The doll’s head ("Bob") exhibits strange behavior—e.g., not moving when the kayak jolts and seeming to return on its own after being discarded.
- Escalation: Touching the doll's head results in disturbing sensations (heat), and Bob repeatedly reappears on the narrator’s bookshelf, even after being thrown out multiple times.
- Finale: Years later, the missing hatchet (used during the original trip) is found at the exact spot they remember, untouched by floods or time, intensifying the sense of something supernatural.
- Atmosphere: The entire setting is steeped in decay (abandoned fields, animal skeletons, floating cow corpse), mirroring the story’s unsettling tone.
Notable Quotes:
"I stopped immediately when I saw Bob staring straight back at me. I had not placed him like that."
— Main Storyteller, [14:02]
"My pocket started to feel very warm ... not burning, more like the feeling of deep heat as it gets left on."
— Main Storyteller, [17:45]
"Bob was back, staring at me again from the spot on the bookshelf that I had placed him on years earlier. This time, though, a small smirk was obvious on his features."
— Main Storyteller, [22:24]
"We both turned to look at the wide berth of still water at the mouth of the creek. In the center, the bloated and rotting corpse of a cow floated innocuously, drifting lazily in a clockwise direction."
— Main Storyteller, [28:20]
- Memorable Moment: The narrator and Nathan ultimately decide, silently, that they will never return to the creek.
- Takeaway: The story plays with classic “haunted artifact” motifs—objects that refuse to stay gone—and leaves open the possibility of the supernatural embedded in forgotten, liminal places.
3. Lewis and the Playground Trauma
[29:34 – 33:36]
- Premise: The narrator recounts the scariest memory from junior school in the UK: witnessing a classmate, Lewis, suffer a grisly playground injury.
- Impact: Graphic details of Lewis, unconscious and bleeding, create shared panic among the children; the teacher’s reaction compounds the chaos.
- Closure: Lewis recovers and returns to school with a scar and missing teeth, much to everyone's relief, but the narrator remains haunted by the visual memory decades later.
Notable Quotes:
"His eyes had just rolled up into their sockets so you could only see the whites ... it's just burned into my memory. Those eyes ... I'll never, ever forget."
— Main Storyteller, [33:04]
- Takeaway: Childhood trauma, especially when involving injury or apparent death, creates lasting impressions.
4. The Man With the Mannequin Legs
[33:36 – End]
- Premise: A female journeyman electrician shares her most unsettling real-life experience: an emergency call to a decrepit apartment occupied by a recently released felon.
- Rising Threat: Narrator’s growing apprehension is fueled by the resident’s appearance, the unsanitary state of the apartment, and, most disturbing, the presence of a mutilated mannequin’s legs with disturbing modifications.
- Danger Realized: The man wears a Department of Corrections ankle monitor—the narrator later discovers he was imprisoned for the violent stalking and attempted abduction of a stranger.
- Defensive Measures: The narrator is hyper-vigilant, prepares weapons, and coordinates safety check-ins throughout the visit.
- Aftermath: For weeks after, she suspects the client is attempting to follow her; only coordinated company protocols prevent further direct contact.
- Theme: The story is a chilling testament to trusting one’s instincts, the unknown dangers of service professions, and the persistent risk posed by those with violent histories.
Notable Quotes:
"I'll be honest with you, no person in their right mind sleeps without at least a fitted sheet on their bed ... one of the signs something is off with a resident is a bare mattress."
— Electrician Narrator, [34:45]
"Here I was, a small woman in the service industry. Just like that waitress ... him setting up the appointment. Overpriced. It was all so wrong."
— Electrician Narrator, [46:30]
"I ended up with nothing more than a story—a story that shows no matter how prepared you might be for a situation, you never know exactly who you're dealing with ... you should be prepared for anything."
— Electrician Narrator, [~end]
- Takeaway: The real world is often as frightening as any ghost story, and preparedness and intuition can be literal life-savers.
Timestamps for Key Segments
| Segment Title | Start | Notable Events | |-------------------------------|---------|----------------------------------------------------------------| | Tornado at School | 02:40 | Childhood disaster, classroom panic, aftermath | | The Doll's Head (“Bob”) | 10:00 | Object retrieved, strange occurrences, final return to creek | | Lewis’ Playground Injury | 29:34 | Traumatic accident, schoolchildren's response | | Man with the Mannequin Legs | 33:36 | Dreadful service call, horror discovery, post-story tension |
Overall Episode Tone and Style
- Language: Calm, detailed storytelling mixed with matter-of-fact horror and personal reflection.
- Ambience: The soothing rain undercurrent contrasts with unsettling narratives, enhancing the eerie but hypnotic mood.
- Purpose: To underscore the randomness and unpredictability of fear—be it natural, supernatural, or all too human.
For fans of true horror and atmospheric narration, this episode exemplifies how real-life events can be every bit as haunting as fiction. The blend of well-paced suspense, relatable vulnerability, and understated delivery makes "Dead Fields" an especially chilling listen for stormy nights.