Scary Stories and Rain — Ep. 325 — Cornfields

Hosted by Being Scared
Date: February 24, 2026

Episode Overview

Episode 325 of "Scary Stories and Rain" explores a collection of unsettling, true accounts that brush the edges of the paranormal and the all-too-real dangers lurking in everyday life. Told in the podcast’s signature calm, soothing tone and accompanied by rain ambience, the stories span childhood encounters with intruders, late-night stalkers, small-town disappearances, chilling home invasions, and the aftermath of organized crime. This episode leans deeply into rural anxiety—cornfields, empty roads, and lonely houses—with the most frightening moments often coming not from ghosts, but from real people and the unknown intentions they carry.

Key Stories and Discussion Points

1. The Basement Intruder (00:30–03:40)

• Setting: Rural Pennsylvania, 8- or 9-year-old narrator.
• Premise: The narrator, responsible for locking the house after their family leaves, repeatedly finds the basement light on and door open, despite locking up each morning.
• Climax: One afternoon, they see a “big shadowy figure standing at the bottom” of the basement stairs (01:52).
• Aftermath: Only months later do the family realize a real person—not a ghost—had been living under their home and sneaking in through a crawlspace.
• Memorable Reflection (02:56):

  “Recognizing I’d been alone in that house with him on at least one occasion was one of the worst, most terrifying realizations I’ve ever had in my life. Needless to say, I don’t believe in ghosts anymore.”

• Theme: The dangers we attribute to the supernatural are sometimes much more tangible.

2. The Game of "Mop" Gone Wrong (03:40–10:24)

• Setting: Suburban area, narrator and "Kit" (age 11).
• Premise: Kids play a game yelling "mop" at passersby. After a spell of boredom, they target a disheveled man, prompting a terrifying chase into the woods.
• Key Sequence (06:54–10:24):
  • The man reacts with fury after a hurtful slur is shouted, and the boys impulsively decide to follow him into the brush.
  • The man chases them, nearly catching the narrator; both escape, traumatized.
• Moment of Reflection (10:26):

  “My deepest apologies to that man who my friend and I mistreated... But I would say he got his revenge simply because of how scared we were.”

• Theme: Childhood dares can have real, frightening consequences.

3. Unwelcome Visitor at Grandma’s (10:24–18:30)

• Setting: Isolated farm in East Texas, late at night.
• Premise: The storyteller recounts a night at their grandmother’s, ending with a late encounter involving a strange man snooping around the property.
• Brother’s Account (15:15–18:28):
  • After the narrator leaves, the brother hears banging, sees a flashlight, and confronts a tall, silent man emerging from the boat shed at 3am.
  • After warnings go ignored, the brother fires a warning shot, causing the man to flee.
• Haunting Questions (18:01):

  “How many times has this happened after my grandma and brother went to bed and we just didn’t know? ... Was he watching me as I walked out to my car?”

• Theme: The vulnerability of isolation; sometimes, the scariest things lurking outside are people, not creatures.

4. The Discord Home Intruder Story (19:00–26:48)

• Setting: Urban apartment, 1990s, as retold from an online scary stories forum.
• Premise: As a child, the storyteller is left alone watching Yu-Gi-Oh!, hears a tap at the window, and sees a stranger’s face before the glass breaks. They escape to a neighbor’s.
• Major Revelation (24:12):
  • Police find a photograph in the attempted intruder’s belongings—it's of the narrator, asleep in bed.
  • The realization: the predator had been inside their home, taking photos, long before the break-in attempt.
• Chilling Reflection (26:07):

  “The idea that the intruder had taken this perverse liking to them, one that was strong enough ... for them to be unable to resist their urges...”

• Theme: The horrifying reality of targeted, predatory crime and its lifelong psychological residue.

5. Search and Rescue: The Wolf Whistle in the Woods (27:30–35:14)

• Setting: Dense forest in the northwest US, 1992, told from a sheriff’s deputy’s perspective.
• Premise: Deputies and volunteers search for a missing camper and his grandson. The search becomes eerie as scent trails jump illogically, and unexplained “wolf whistles” ring out from different directions.
• Creepiest Details:
  • At night, unnerving wolf whistles echo from the trees (31:47, 32:25). In the morning, two extremely tall silhouettes are spotted, but they don’t match the missing campers.
• Critical Dialogue (34:02):
  • Host: “We’re looking for two people and there they are.”
  • Partner: “Stop and think for a second. We are looking for one male adult and one male child. Unless this kid is the next Randy Brewer, there’s no way that he’s that tall at age 11.”
• Aftermath: The missing remain unfound. The unexplained whistles and uncanny figures haunt the storyteller years later.
• Theme: Not all mysteries in the wild are supernatural, but some remain impossible to explain.

6. From the Archives: The River Discovery (35:47–41:41)

• Setting: Post-Soviet town, 1990s, as recounted by a soon-to-be detective.
• Premise: Three boys fishing by the river hook not a fish, but a severed human head—later found to be the victim of the local mob.
• Distinct Moment (39:40):

  “Instead, as he was reeling, their faces went pale. There was no fish on the line. Instead, the fishing hook got stuck in flesh. Human flesh. The boy ... had caught a human head. Yes, a rotting human head.”

• Reflection on Trauma (41:41):

  “Some cases and witness statements who are crying their souls out ... gets me crying also. That just gives me ... strength to fight these horrible people.”

• Theme: Real horror is often found in human cruelty and its effect on the innocent.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On being alone with danger:

  “Recognizing I’d been alone in that house with him on at least one occasion was one of the worst, most terrifying realizations I’ve ever had...” [02:56]

• Facing real consequences from childish games:

  “He let out an angry growl. I turned and continued running...” [09:34]

• True horror in suburbia:

  “What was in that plastic bag was a photograph. A photograph of a young boy curled up in bed, sleeping soundly. And that boy was our storyteller.” [24:30]

• Wilderness unease:

  “Somewhere to my left, past the tree line, came a loud wolf whistle...” [31:47]

• From detective to empath:

  “Some cases ... get me to tears. How terrible it must have been for the boys to discover the head and for the man’s family to hear that their son had been discovered in pieces...” [41:41]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:30 – First Story: The Shadow in the Basement
• 03:40 – Second Story: The Game of Mop
• 10:24 – Third Story: Night Stalker at Grandma's
• 19:00 – Fourth Story: Home Invasion and the Chilling Photograph
• 27:30 – Fifth Story: Search and Rescue, Wolf Whistles
• 35:47 – Sixth Story: The Mob Head Discovery

Tone and Language

Throughout, the narration flows with a calm, almost hypnotic quality. The speakers recount these stories without embellishment or dramatic flourish, letting the terror of ordinary life—waking up to a stalker, hearing unexplained sounds in the woods, stumbling on crime—speak for itself. The overall effect is quiet, chilling, and deeply human.

Final Thoughts

This episode stands out for how it draws fear from both supernatural suggestion and painfully real, human threats. The recurring motif: what’s truly frightening often isn’t the ghost stories, but the moments when ordinary life is ruptured by something utterly, viscerally wrong. Whether alone in the basement, lost in cornfields, or fishing by the river, these are the tales that linger long after the rain sound fades.