Scary Stories and Rain – Ep. 270 – “Night Scratching”

Host: Being Scared (Dane)
Date: October 26, 2025

Episode Overview

In this rain-soaked episode, the host shares four deeply unsettling, atmospheric stories – all "true" or close-to-true accounts – that capture the feeling of a rainy, restless night. From a tragic accident at Disney World, to supernatural encounters in the deep South, to the terror of sleep paralysis, and real-life horror from a relentless stalker, each tale is narrated in a calm voice, punctuated by the steady sound of rainfall, perfect for those seeking chilling stories to distract or induce sleep.

Key Stories & Discussion Points

1. The Skyway Tragedy at Disney World

[02:38 – 14:41]

• The host recounts his time as a custodian at Disney World in 1999, describing camaraderie among cast members and the unique experiences of working behind the scenes.
• The central event is the fatal accident of Ray, an older, beloved co-worker, who was struck by the gondolas of the Skyway ride, leading to a traumatic fall (about 60 feet) after being accidentally left on the platform during testing.
• The host details the frantic realization and helplessness of witnessing the accident, Ray's desperate attempt to cling to the gondola, and the aftermath as emergency services tried to save him.
• Ray's death deeply affects the team; the Skyway operator who started the ride is inconsolable and later quits.
• A memorial is set up backstage for Ray, remembered fondly as someone who brightened everyone's days.

Notable Quote:
"It was just a horrible twist of fate. Everyone that could get time off attended Ray's funeral. We all wanted to be there for his family... Ray made all of our days just that little bit brighter and it would be impossible to really replace him." — Host (13:00)

Memorable Moment:
The host's vivid description of Ray struggling to hang onto the gondola, with the listeners sharing his shock and grief.
[08:15]: "I just had to watch him struggle to hold on to that gondola as it moved along the skyway, knowing that it was only a matter of time before he lost his grip and fell."

2. Bayou Superstition: The Human Jawbone Knife

[14:41 – 23:26]

• From the perspective of a long-haul trucker, the story captures the unnerving side of rural Louisiana with its unique blend of hospitality and mystery.
• Stopping at a run-down crawfish shack, the protagonist encounters a disturbingly thin man who produces a knife with a human jawbone handle and asks him to carve his name into a piece of cypress wood.
• The old man performs a strange ritual, burying the wood to "ensure the trucker reaches Dallas safely" – a ritual that unsettles the narrator far more than any threat of highway mishap.
• The trucker gets to Dallas without issue, partially attributing this to his own fear-driven focus spurred by the creepy encounter.

Notable Quote:
"When a guy has handed you a knife that you strongly suspect is made from a human jawbone, you ain't nothing but poison polite to this guy." — Truck Driver (18:53)

Memorable Moment:
Realization of the true nature of the knife’s handle and the underlying threat in the stranger’s ritual.
[18:30]: "It was with terror in my heart that I finally realized what I was looking at. It was human."

3. Home Alone: A Night of Darkness and a Child’s Voice

[24:49 – 33:10]

• The narrator, living alone, describes a night unnerved by repeated power outages while listening to creepy audio on YouTube.
• Each blackout increases the sense of being watched; the tape placed over the fuse box is found missing in the final blackout.
• A terrifying, unplaceable screech fills the house, followed by ominous footsteps in the absolute darkness.
• The segment ends with a little girl’s voice whispering "Wanna play?" right behind the narrator, leaving the outcome unresolved.

Notable Quote:
"I had a gnawing feeling that someone was watching me. Mocking me from the corner of my eye. I turned to look. Nothing there." — Narrator (28:06)

Memorable Moment:
The sudden, eerie climax:
[32:02]: "I suddenly heard footsteps coming towards me in the dark. And a little girl's voice said, 'wanna play?'"

4. Sleep Paralysis Demon: The Smiling Shadow

[33:45 – 43:11]

• A lifelong sufferer of sleep paralysis recounts a vivid, horrifying episode from age 15 during a cold winter night.
• The classic features of sleep paralysis — feeling awake but unable to move — evolve into full-nightmare territory as a monstrous, inhuman shadow-man slips through the window.
• The narrator is forced to witness the entity’s grotesque movements and terrifying smile, culminating in the sensation of being swallowed whole, before finally awakening.
• The trauma lingers: the entity appears repeatedly in the narrator's nightmares ever since.

Notable Quote:
"All it had on that dark canvas that is supposed to be its head was a malevolent and deeply disturbing smile that was entirely disproportionate to the rest." — Narrator (40:52)

Memorable Moment:
The viscerally described supernatural intruder stepping onto the bed, leering with a gaping mouth, and the moment of waking terror.
[41:57]: "Slowly, the rows of teeth started to come apart... and what I can only describe as black glue tore apart as he opened his mouth wider and wider until it was big enough to fit my entire body inside."

5. The Peeping Handyman

[43:11 – 50:32]

• In a real-world account, a woman describes how a seemingly ordinary apartment handyman begins to call her incessantly after an initial professional encounter.
• The situation escalates from workplace awkwardness to deeply troubling, with late-night calls, disturbing texts, and, eventually, evidence of stalking — footprints around her home and caught-on-camera appearances.
• The narrator installs security cameras to catch the stalker in the act and ultimately involves the police after a break-in.
• The harassment ceases only after the handyman is fired; the narrator reflects on the need for vigilance, especially for single women living alone.

Notable Quote:
"If I learned even one thing from that whole scary experience, it was that you should always watch who you invite out to your house, especially if you're a single female." — Narrator (50:10)

Memorable Moment:
Discovering the man captured on her night vision camera, silently lingering outside her window.
[46:59]: "I watched on my TV as a man in a dark hoodie walked right past my camera. I instantly froze, not knowing what to do."

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “He just lay there among the flowers, all glassy eyed, and he wheezed and groaned in agony. And in the moments before I ran off to get help, I saw him spit up blood onto his bottom lip and chin.” — Host (11:29)
• “It was only when I take the knife from his hand do I see what the handle is made of... it was human.” — Trucker (18:20)
• “I had to check the fuse box. I went out of my room and the whole house was dark.” — Home Alone Story (25:01)
• “All it had on that dark canvas that is supposed to be its head was a malevolent and deeply disturbing smile…” — Sleep Paralysis Victim (40:52)
• “I was horrified to find several human man sized 13 inch outsole boot brush prints all around my house and field.” — Handyman Story (45:24)

Episode Flow & Atmosphere

• The episode balances supernatural horror and real-life terror using intimate, first-person narratives delivered in a soft, measured voice paired with immersive rain ambience.
• The stories are bookended by advertising and gentle reminders from the host, but the content threads together with a focus on vulnerability—whether to fate, strangers, supernatural forces, or obsessive stalkers.
• The tone remains somber, reflective, and unhurried — ideal for nighttime listening with an undercurrent of rainy isolation.

Final Thoughts

"Night Scratching" delivers a blend of tragic, suspenseful, and terrifying tales, tied together by the theme of ordinary life brushed by moments of horror — both human and supernatural. The host’s empathy and unadorned storytelling allow listeners to sit with the unease of each account, perfect for a haunted, stormy night.