Scary Stories For A Rainy Night - Ep. 319 - Abandoned Farm

Podcast: Scary Stories and Rain
Host: Being Scared
Date: February 11, 2026

Overview

This episode of Scary Stories and Rain delivers a chilling lineup of real-life accounts of unsettling encounters, mysterious discoveries, and home invasions, all told with the calming backdrop of rain. The main theme circles around the eerie sense of violation—places once felt to be safe become scenes of horror and trauma. Each story is recounted with vivid memory, layered with a sense of nostalgia, disbelief, and lingering dread.
Episode mood: Quiet tension, reflective, tinged with dark nostalgia and fear.

Story 1: The River Cave & the Body (02:04 - 24:46)

Childhood Adventure Turns Grim

• Setting: July 1982; rural riverside area, a group of 13-year-old boys driven by the spirit of adventure after seeing Conan the Barbarian.
• Activity: The boys construct a secret “temple” cave dug into the bank by a river to emulate their fantasy heroes.
  • Fun details about improvising swords, creating imaginative spaces, and turning mischief into camaraderie.
• Intrusion: Evidence of older teens using their cave—beer cans, cigarette butts, keys—introduces low-level unease and territorial anxiety.

The Encounter with Bullies

• Characters Introduced: Bubba Hain, Henry (notorious local bullies, early 20s, described as “terrifying”).

• The boys hide, witnessing Bubba and his friends noodling for catfish—gritty details about the hazards and rituals of river life.

  “Noodling is one of those activities that can be both exciting and dangerous. …I am not too proud to admit that I am too chicken to go noodling.” —Narrator (09:01)

Discovery of the Body (16:15)

• After a run-in, the boys help the bullies recover their floating boat, discovering them in a terrified state:

  “Gerald turned around, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and spit. ‘They ain't no thinking to it. I had my hand around its damn ankle,’ he said.” (19:09)

• Details of the Horror:

  • The body is described in clinical, distressing terms: swollen, missing eyes and ears, mottled skin, just one sock and shoe, parts reduced to bone, rubber-like limbs.

    “The thing that made me have bad dreams was his head. No eyes, no ears. His mouth open and full of who knows what. His facial skin swollen to an almost comical size.” (22:47)

  • The police arrive, retrieve the body, and ask the traumatized group for statements.

  • The narrator reflects on the impact:

    “This was the first time I had ever seen an actual dead person… The gruesome discovery had killed the magic of the place for us.” (23:58)

• Aftermath:

  • Rain causes the secret cave to collapse; the adventure is over, and the place becomes a symbol of lost innocence.

Story 2: The Ex-Boyfriend (24:46 - 33:20)

Family Distress Becomes Deadly

• Setting: August 2002; a newly separated mother and daughter adjusting to life away from a problematic ex-boyfriend.

• Early Signs:

  • The mother’s ex-boyfriend, previously violent (notably smashing a TV with his fist), visits the daughter without permission, manipulating her into secrecy.

    "I cannot believe I seriously believed that. At some point... he made me promise not to tell my mom that he came by before he left." (27:04)

• Breaking Point:

  • Days after the visit, the mother stops answering her phone. The family is left in suspense while police procedures delay entry.

• Discovery and Loss:

  • The mother’s body is found in the building’s attic, murdered by her ex. Devastation and guilt ripple through the family.

  • The narrator recounts court trial, minimal justice (a nine-year manslaughter sentence, only seven served).

    “Over the years, people have told me that I was lucky. He could have killed me, too. I know I won't be able to change the past, but I am sure glad I can control my future.” (33:12)

• Tone: Somber, quietly heartbroken, but laced with survivor’s resolve.

Story 3: The Home Intruder in Essex (33:59 - 41:11)

Stalked and Confronted

• Setting: 2014, Essex (UK); a Canadian woman with three roommates, each with their own eccentricities and frictions.

• Incident:

  • The narrator, home alone, is surprised in her bedroom by a man she at first mistakes for a friend’s guest—but swiftly realizes is an intruder, holding a bottle of prosecco and a knife.

    “He is about 5'10, wild, muddy brown hair and black eyes... a distinct Manchester accent. Once I focused in I realized his eyes were black because his pupils were completely dilated. Crap. I was in trouble.” (36:37)

  • She cleverly feigns composure, manipulates him into going downstairs, and makes a desperate escape out the front door. Two men assist her; she calls police.

• The Stalker Returns:

  • As she’s on the line with the dispatcher, the man comes back, banging on the door.

    “‘I absolutely freaked out. The dispatcher attempted to calm me down but I am losing my mind. She then said, they are pulling onto your street now. You should hear their sirens.’” (39:05)

  • Police apprehend him; he had been watching her for months and stolen her belongings.

• Aftermath:

  • The sense of personal violation, gratitude for bystander intervention, and lingering anxiety.

    “The officer informed me that the intruder had been stalking me for some time now. ...This summer I decided to pick up some graveyard shifts at my current full time job... About two weeks ago, on the rare occasion that I get to sleep ... I was suddenly awoken by a loud sound.” (Post 40:20, transitions to next story)

Story 4: The Knocking at the Basement Window (41:11 - 44:20)

Fear in Solitude

• Setting: Student living alone in a basement suite, late at night.

• Event:

  • The narrator hears knocking at her window, which is flush with the sidewalk. She panics as it escalates with slashing at the screen, fearing either a break-in or intimidation.

  • Finds evidence outside: beer bottle, ripped blanket; landlord is dismissive.

    “He says to ignore it and that this has happened before, which is creepy anyway.” (43:21)

• Reflection:

  • Critiques herself for not calling police, underscores just how easily safety can be threatened and normalized.

Story 5: The Persistent Stranger in the Yard (44:25 - End)

The Feeling of Being Watched

• Setting: Small, rural town—isolated, with few neighbors.

• Escalating Incidents:

  • The narrator repeatedly sees a shadowy figure at her window at night, and finds patio furniture inexplicably moved beneath it by morning—her mother's dismisses as the work of "stray cats."

  • Evidence mounts: sliced screen, moved patio furniture, tools found on the doorstep, eventual sighting of a man creeping around—the tension slowly boils over weeks.

    “At night I would see the figure, complain to my mom and we would find a chair moved back every single morning. This went on for a few weeks.” (45:12)

• Climax:

  • One night, both narrator and her mother witness someone in the garage. Dad is roused, attempts confrontation:

    “We heard my dad screaming and someone dropping tools. Then a shot rang out twice. The frantic footsteps pounding out of the garage felt like they were coming from my chest.” (48:37)

  • Police response is underwhelming ("you should install cameras"). The intruder is never caught, leaving the family with long-term fear and unanswered questions.

Lingering Trauma

• The story closes with a sense of unresolved dread, unease whenever returning home, and vivid nightmares.

  “I still have nightmares about the incident years later when I sleep in my own bed. I don't know what he was looking for or why he did the things he did.” (End)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On lost innocence:

  • “The gruesome discovery had killed the magic of the place for us.” (Temple cave story, 23:58)

• Teen wisdom:

  • “If we did anything to protect our cave, it would probably result in someone destroying it.” (07:15)

• After trauma:

  • “I know I won't be able to change the past, but I am sure glad I can control my future.” (Mom’s murder, 33:12)

• The chilling home invasion:

  • “He has the back of my nightie bunched up in one hand and I could feel the point of the knife graze my back with his other.” (Essex stalker, 37:41)

• Parent’s neglect:

  • “My mother stopped caring about my concerns until one morning we saw where the outside screen of my window had been sliced open. I still remember her shaking her head and complaining about those dang stray cats that we had still yet to see.” (Repeated night visits, 45:44)

Important Timestamps

• 02:04 — Start of the River Cave/Body story
• 16:15 — The group discovers the body
• 24:46 — Start of the Ex-Boyfriend/Mother’s Death story
• 33:59 — Start of the Essex Intruder/Stalker story
• 41:11 — Start of the Basement Window Knocking story
• 44:25 — Start of the Persistent Stranger in the Yard story

Episode Tone & Takeaways

The episode is mesmerizingly atmospheric. Childhood nostalgia and innocent fun are contaminated by grim reality or genuine horror. There’s an undercurrent of loss—of trust, safety, and childhood—and a sobering reminder of how thin the line can be between ordinary and terrifying. The rain ambiance, usually a comfort, stands in contrast to the stories’ tension, deepening the unease. Listeners are left with the sense that even the safest spaces carry hidden shadows, and vigilance is never misplaced.