Scary Stories For A Rainy Night - Ep. 329 “Shivers”

Podcast: Scary Stories and Rain
Host: Being Scared
Date: March 5, 2026

Overview

This episode of Scary Stories and Rain invites listeners into a haunting space with a collection of chilling real-life accounts. Set against a backdrop of gentle rain, the calm narration contrasts with increasingly unsettling tales of abandoned buildings, sleep paralysis, near-brushes with dangerous people, paranormal childhoods, and eerie apparitions. The episode’s central thread is the enduring shiver of encountering the unknown—whether human, supernatural, or the boundaries of one’s own subconscious.

Key Stories & Insights

1. Abandoned Apartment Horror (00:38–10:51)

• Exploration Gone Wrong (00:38):
  • A group of young adults, fueled by alcohol and curiosity, sneaks into an abandoned 20-story apartment building in suburban Australia.
  • Don leads the group; Kate keeps watch outside. The group explores dirty, repetitious rooms and maneuvers between blocked-off stairwells.
• Escalation and Terror (03:02):
  • On the 15th floor, a failed attempt to kick a glass door causes a commotion, catching security’s attention.
  • Jill notices noises above, prompting panic.
  • The group hears shuffling from a nearby room; Don, Connor, and the narrator investigate, despite pleas to leave.
• Chilling Confrontation (06:11):
  • They find an older, disheveled man with cuts, a shard of glass/knife, and a “crooked and twisted smile,” standing by a blood-soaked carpet.
  • “What we saw next is permanently ingrained in my mind… the most crooked and twisted smile on his face.” (Narrator, 07:00)
  • They flee and are apprehended by security, who, seeing their distress, contacts police.
• Aftermath (08:50):
  • Police apprehend the man; a cop warns, “His intentions were very clearly awful.”
  • The next day, news breaks: a homeless man’s body was found in the building—the same night.
  • “This sent chills down my spine as I recalled that image of him and the amount of blood pooled on the ground…” (Narrator, 09:35)
  • The group decides to never explore abandoned places again.

2. Sleep Paralysis: Triple Terror (10:51–13:55)

• Recurring Sleep Paralysis:
  • The narrator recounts three episodes, each increasing in intensity:
    1. 2018: Wakes on an inflatable mattress, barely able to move. Escapes paralysis quickly.
    2. 2020: More severe; completely immobilized, attempts to scream but can only groan. Fears shadow figures.
    3. 2021: Under academic stress, dreams of a Gumball-style house, sees a strange Victorian woman in a family photo. In the dream, she appears in person; narrator wakes into paralysis, sees the woman again across the room.
  • "Words cannot describe the level of pure fear and terror I experienced at that moment." (Narrator, 13:10)
  • The woman hushes him, approaches as spectral forms swirl on the ceiling. He breaks free at last.
  • “I hope I never need to give an update with a fourth experience of this horrible phenomenon.” (13:48)

3. Sketchy Encounter in Small Town Ontario (13:55–16:40)

• An Odd Plea for Help:
  • Two 14-year-olds traverse a crime-ridden small town. They pass a mechanic before encountering an old man sprawled oddly in a lawn chair.
  • He demands help in an increasingly aggressive tone, setting off the girls' instincts.
  • "My heart starts racing and I look around frantically because I want to help him, but my gut feeling says this situation is very off." (14:55)
  • They fetch the mechanic for help; when they return, the man and chair have vanished.
  • "Even if he did get help in that time, they wouldn't have had time to disappear so quickly." (15:50)
  • The mystery of the vanished man haunts the narrator for years.

4. Dreams, Lucidity, and Sleep Terrors (16:40–17:15; 20:46–23:55)

• On Lucid Dreaming:
  • Narrator explains their vivid dreaming but fears lucid dreaming due to potential sleep paralysis.
  • Night terrors, anxiety dreams, and episodes of sleep talking described.
• Daytime Intruder (20:46):
  • After husband leaves for work, narrator in a sleep-haze hears footsteps—assumes husband is home, but feels a mounting dread.
  • Realizes the steps may not be her husband’s. An unseen man, heavy boots, enters, looms over her in bed, breath on her ear.
  • “I can feel my weight being pressed down as he leans over me as if to whisper in my ear… I know now that I do not want to know what he is about to tell me.” (21:40)
  • She disrupts the moment by straining her ears until the presence leaves; she wakes, alone but shaken.
  • Her sister-in-law later says, “It’s a really good thing that you didn’t let it put things in your head.” (22:38)
  • The implications of what the presence might have said remain a chilling mystery.

5. Snakes—Venom, Brushes, and Survival (23:55–29:20)

• Four Snake Encounters:
  • Childhood chicken coop: Bitten by a rattlesnake, nearly dies.
  • Fishing trip: Water moccasin tries to board her boat; uncle’s quick action saves her.
  • Teenage years, carpet work: Trapped in a dark closet with a rattler; eventually rescued by a less-phobic friend.
  • Adulthood, woodcutting: Sits unknowingly beside a copperhead for 10–15 minutes; escapes only by shielding the snake with her jacket in a desperate dash.
  • “If I ever die suddenly, at least you folks will know how and why.” (Narrator, 29:15)

6. Luba & Happy: Imaginary (Ghost) Friends? (29:20–33:40)

• Early Childhood in Haunted House:
  • Frequent visits to aunt’s supposedly haunted house in Florida.
  • Befriends Luba and Happy, two neighbor kids who play pranks; memories are vivid and recurring.
• Decade Later – A Chilling Realization:
  • As a teen, brings up Luba and Happy to her mother and aunt; discovers no such children ever lived nearby—only she and cousins ever in the house.
  • “I was absolutely certain that these friends were not imaginary…” (31:20)
  • The family discussion reveals multiple cousins, independently, had seen and played with Luba and Happy—across different years.
  • “I always wondered how they could go in and out through the walls of the playroom.” (33:10) — Cousin, on realizing the “friends” could be ghosts.
  • Story leaves both family and listener shivering with the possibility of shared ghostly companions.

7. A Second Chance—Premonition at the Pub? (33:40–End)

• A Disturbing Timeline Loop:
  • 26-year-old narrator out drinking with best friend Tanner and his girlfriend Sarah.
  • After many drinks, Sarah calls in a panicked fit: Tanner isn’t waking up after a car accident.
  • “She was yelling into the phone, crying, saying something I couldn't make out… 'he’s not waking up. I think he’s dead.'” (36:10)
  • Devastated, narrator runs to the bathroom—only to exit and discover Tanner and Sarah alive, still at the bar, repeating earlier moments exactly.
  • This time, narrator insists they take a cab home; Tanner acquiesces.
  • Later, Tanner texts that he’s home safe.
  • “I feel like for some reason something gave me another chance to save my friend… I just pray something like this never happens again.” (39:36)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “What we saw next is permanently ingrained in my mind… the most crooked and twisted smile on his face.” — Narrator, [07:00]
• “Words cannot describe the level of pure fear and terror I experienced at that moment.” — Narrator, [13:10] (Sleep paralysis apparition)
• “My heart starts racing… my gut feeling says this situation is very off.” — Narrator, [14:55] (Sketchy encounter)
• “I can feel my weight being pressed down as he leans over me as if to whisper in my ear… I know now that I do not want to know what he is about to tell me.” — Narrator, [21:40] (Sleep paralysis intruder)
• “If I ever die suddenly, at least you folks will know how and why.” — Narrator, [29:15] (Surviving snakes)
• “I was absolutely certain that these friends were not imaginary… Those kids were there. They moved the dog bowl and played all the pranks. I saw it with my own eyes.” — Narrator, [31:20]
• “I feel like for some reason something gave me another chance to save my friend.” — Narrator, [39:36] (Pub premonition)

Episode Flow & Segment Highlights

• 00:00–00:38 – Host’s introduction, confidentiality note.
• 00:38–10:51 – Abandoned apartment horror story.
• 10:51–13:55 – Three sleep paralysis experiences.
• 13:55–16:40 – Childhood encounter with suspicious old man in Ontario.
• 16:40–17:15; 20:46–23:55 – Reflections on dreaming, lucid dreams, and daytime sleep paralysis home invasion apparition.
• 23:55–29:20 – Multiple near-death snake encounters.
• 29:20–33:40 – Realization that “imaginary friends” Luba and Happy were ghostly entities recognized by multiple family members.
• 33:40–42:00 – The timeline loop/premonition at the pub leading to a possible intervention in fate.

Tone & Atmosphere

True to the Scary Stories and Rain format, the narration is unhurried, calm, and almost soothing in tone—making the growing discomfort from each story even more profound. Personal anecdotes are delivered with reflective honesty and hindsight, often mixed with a dash of dark humor or disbelief. The stories move from the mundane to the otherworldly, all animated by the sense that terror can intrude into ordinary life, unbidden.

Conclusion

Episode 329, “Shivers,” is a memorably unsettling entry in the podcast’s catalogue—an atmospheric meditation on what it means to truly feel fear and the uncanny, rendered all the more potent by the soft sound of falling rain. From brushes with violence, predatory strangers, and the paranormal, to brushes with fate and glimpses of possible alternate realities, the episode reminds listeners: the world’s scariest corners are often closer than we think.