Scary Stories For A Rainy Night – Ep. 266 – "Broken"

Podcast: Scary Stories and Rain
Host: Being Scared (Dane)
Release Date: October 22, 2025

Overview

This episode features a chilling collection of true, unsettling stories, told in the host’s signature calm narrative style layered over soothing rain soundscapes. Each story, submitted by listeners or pulled from personal experience, revolves around ordinary moments that turn eerie and sometimes life-threatening—experiences that “broke” the sense of safety. The atmosphere is introspective, intimate, and laced with unease, perfect for listeners craving a blend of comfort and genuine creepiness.

Key Stories, Insights, & Discussion Points

1. The Sailboat Invitation

• Story (02:24 – 08:45):
  The storyteller recalls a university acquaintance inviting them for a weekend sail on his boat. Initially excited (even bringing along their roommate), atmospheres quickly sour as the host seems visibly bothered by the extra guest. After several awkward exchanges and a cryptic admission—"Because you're here, I can't kill him" [07:30]—the story takes a truly disturbing turn when the narrator discovers a cinderblock, rope, and recording device hidden below deck. Gut instinct suggests a near-miss with real danger, with the narrator concluding their roommate may have inadvertently saved their life.
  • Notable Moment:
    • “Well, because you’re here, I can't kill him.” – Sailboat Owner [07:30]
  • Insight:
    • Sometimes a seemingly harmless invitation, clouded by social pressure, can take a terrifyingly real turn.

2. Strange Phone Events and a Break-In

• Story (08:46 – 12:18):
  A routine late-night phone call with a girlfriend turns ominous when the narrator discovers phones mysteriously hung up or moved around the house. The situation escalates when a voice on the phone chillingly says, "I came in through your bedroom window" [10:00]. The narrator discovers an extension ladder at the second-floor window and flees to their parents’ room, ultimately finding the missing phone lying in the middle of the backyard grass.
  • Notable Moment:
    • “I came in through your bedroom window.” – Unknown intruder [10:00]
  • Insight:
    • Real-life events can echo horror tropes in uncanny, unexplained ways that leave lasting psychological scars.

3. The Staring Nurse

• Story (12:19 – 14:38):
  At age 10, while hospitalized with pneumonia, the narrator becomes fixated on a "nurse" outside their room. The woman paces rapidly by the window, always turning her head in an unnatural, exaggerated way to lock eyes with the child—smiling widely with eerie, wild eyes, then suddenly vanishing.
  • Notable Quote:
    • "She was walking by but had her head turned completely to the right side as she did. Not able to see in front of her as she walked, just staring at me." [13:00]
  • Memorable Detail:
    • The sheer realism affirms for the storyteller that this was not a dream [14:18].

4. The Diner Off the Highway

• Story (14:39 – 19:40):
  While driving across Ohio, the narrator’s car dies and he stumbles upon an apparently abandoned diner. Greeted by a seemingly kind but unsettlingly odd woman, he becomes increasingly uncomfortable when the establishment seems physically decayed and deserted—except for her. When he finally investigates the kitchen, the woman has disappeared, but her cackling laugh echoes through the diner. Fleeing, he looks back to find her standing ominously in the road as he escapes.
  • Notable Description:
    • "It was obvious to me at that moment this diner was not a running establishment and I felt sick to my stomach." [18:49]
  • Memorable Image:
    • The woman standing in the middle of the desolate road as the narrator flees [19:35].

5. Creepy Encounter on the Beach

• Story (23:16 – 26:24):
  On an anniversary beach outing, a couple is interrupted by a silent, disheveled man who sits just feet behind them, smiling maniacally, then revealing a knife. The situation escalates as he approaches, refuses any offer, and finally backs away uttering, "I don't drink," before vanishing into the night.
  • Notable Quote:
    • “You can have a beer.” — “I don’t drink.” [25:58]
  • Insight:
    • Sometimes survival hinges on staying calm, acting “normal,” and seizing fleeting chances to escape.

6. The White Elephant Game Confession

• Story (26:25 – 28:59):
  During a Christmas party game, a woman opens a note claiming, "I have killed six people. This is not a joke" [28:42]. The note, typed and impersonal, needles through the party's lighthearted spirit, leaving everyone disturbed and the party ruined. Identity of the confessing guest remains a mystery.
  • Notable Moment:
    • The room falling silent as the confessional note is finally read aloud [28:49].

7. Alone In The Woods

• Story (32:27 – 39:50): After moving from California to rural Maine, the storyteller’s first night alone in their uncurtained, glass-walled home turns into a nightmare: they awaken to discover a man silently standing in the corner. Freezing with fear but determined to survive, they escape through a bathroom window while the intruder tries to break in, slashing the narrator’s ankle. Later, the body of a neighbor is found in similar circumstances.
  • Notable Description:
    • "You could not see anything in those woods looking out those windows at night, but I'm sure if you were standing outside, you could quite easily see in." [34:02]
  • Memorable Image:
    • Crawling out a window, ankle bleeding, knowing the man is hunting in the woods [37:50].
  • Impact:
    • The trauma of this night eventually causes a move back to California.

8. The Man Under the Trampoline

• Story (39:51 – 51:18): While home alone with his young son, the narrator dozes off, only to be jolted awake by a sense of dread. After learning his son left without permission (or so he thought), the father spots a man watching the house from under a trampoline. Moments later, the man appears at the daughter's window, cackling with madness, confirming he was inside earlier, possibly impersonating the father to lure the child out.
  • Notable Quote:
    • “You knocked and I said, come in, and you giggled. You were playing. I asked if I could go to Brandon's and you said yes.” – Son [46:29]
  • Memorable Moment:
    • The family barricading themselves as police search for the intruder.

9. Craigslist Gig Gone Wrong

• Story (51:51 – 57:36): Desperate for work, the narrator accepts an overnight cleaning job from Craigslist. Alone in a windowless, abandoned bar with a single stranger, he works for hours before realizing the man is missing, the exits are pitch black, and he’s being silently stalked. In the sudden darkness, he brushes against a stranger’s face, then flees into the night, vowing never to take anonymous internet gigs again.
  • Notable Description:
    • "I hit something. Not a door. I hit someone's face." [56:32]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Because you’re here, I can't kill him.” – Sailboat Owner, laughter laced with dread [07:30]
• “I came in through your bedroom window.” – Unknown voice on the phone [10:00]
• “She was walking by but had her head turned completely to the right side as she did. Not able to see in front of her as she walked, just staring at me.” – Hospital experience [13:00]
• “I don't drink.” – Knife-wielding beach stalker [25:58]
• “I have killed six people. This is not a joke.” – Note uncovered at Christmas party [28:42]
• “You could not see anything in those woods looking out those windows at night, but I'm sure if you were standing outside, you could quite easily see in.” – Maine story [34:02]
• “You knocked and I said, come in, and you giggled... I asked if I could go to Brandon's and you said yes.” – Son recalling the impostor [46:29]
• “I hit something. Not a door. I hit someone's face.” – Craigslist gig [56:32]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Sailboat Story: 02:24 – 08:45
• Strange Phone Incident: 08:46 – 12:18
• The Staring Nurse: 12:19 – 14:38
• Diner in Ohio: 14:39 – 19:40
• Creepy Beach Encounter: 23:16 – 26:24
• White Elephant Confession: 26:25 – 28:59
• Alone in the Woods, Maine: 32:27 – 39:50
• Man Under the Trampoline: 39:51 – 51:18
• Craigslist Gig: 51:51 – 57:36

Language & Tone

• Calm, intimate narration
• Poignant, introspective, and deeply personal
• First-person vernacular with vivid descriptions; the host maintains a sincere, almost soothing delivery even at the height of terror

Summary

Episode 266 of Scary Stories and Rain offers a haunting mix of firsthand encounters that transform the mundane into terrifying. Through tales of trust betrayed, unexplainable intrusions, encounters with strangers who feel out of place (and time), and the ever-present threat lurking just outside our windows, listeners are reminded that, sometimes, real life is far scarier than fiction. Each story is told with the host’s signature calmness, contrasting beautifully with the escalating tension, ensuring you’ll be left glancing over your shoulder—or perhaps, peering more closely into the shadows as you listen, rain gently falling in the background.