As The Raven Dreams Podcast - ATRD Ep. 082 - Scary Summer Festival And Bonfire Horror Stories - 7 True Scary Stories

Episode Date: July 8, 2023

Welcome to the chilling 82nd episode of The ATRD Podcast! Today, we will step into the shadowy corners of reality, where everyday life takes an eerie twist & ordinary people experience the extraordinary. Today we will be diving into stories about horrifying things that happened at Summer Festivals, as well as the fears and frights that take place around a bonfire. So, turn down the lights, tune in, and let the haunting tales of everyday people take you down that dark and creepy road. Remember, these aren't just stories... these are true experiences that remind us that our world can truly be scarier than fiction. Have a Story To Submit? ➤ https://www.astheravendreams.com Or Post to the Subreddit ➤ https://reddit.com/r/TheRavensDream Support the channel for Early Access AND more! Patreon ➤ https://patreon.com/AsTheRavenDreams Join ➤ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkW0ihdMHfBUjQrMKjRto6g/join Or Check out the Merch Store! ➤ https://teechip.com/stores/astheravendreams Thank you to all of the authors that have stories in today's Video... UselessRobot IStillLikeSand, ElodieSpring, KindlyImperturbable, MaxChar, Todd, F.R. 'As The Raven Dreams' is a community where we explore the darker parts of human existence through true and harrowing stories. From sinister encounters with strangers and stalkers, to terrifying experiences that defy explanation and unsettling mysteries that linger in the shadows, I am here to tell you the most haunting narratives ever whispered. Much Love, and Sleep Well... ----- #TrueScaryStories #AsTheRavenDreams #RedditStories ➤ Stories include a content warning for language and sensitive/disturbing content. Viewer discretion is always advised. ➤ ALL Audio of this Podcast are copyright of AS THE RAVEN DREAMS / RAVEN ADAMS and may not be duplicated, in any format, without explicit permission ➤ If you like any of the following stories, consider subscribing! - Dark Web horror stories, creepy lets not meet stories, stalker stories, Glitch In The Matrix Stories, Unexplained Horror stories, Paranormal stories, cryptid encounter stories, Crazy ex lover stories, creepy neighbor stories, quantum immortality, true scary stories from reddit, or any other True horror Stories! ➤ And Remember; You are loved, you are important, and you are valid. Never let anyone tell you otherwise. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/astheravendreams/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/astheravendreams/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let's talk groceries, specifically your groceries. With Instacart, you want your groceries just the way you like them, right? Well, the Instacart app lets you do just that. They have a new preference picker that lets you pick how ripe or unripe you want your bananas. Shoppers can see your preferences up front, helping guide their choices. Instacart, get groceries just how you like. Reese's peanut butter cups are the greatest, but let me play devil's advocate here. Let's eat.

So, no, that's a good thing. That's definitely not a problem. Reises, you did it. You stumped this charming devil. I was just a young, curious child at the time of this event. My parents were going to be taking us five kids to a fair of sorts. They held it in our county every summer. I remember going there the previous years,

and I remember it just being a time where we could run around and play games, ride the rides, and eat sugar until we crashed. And this year wasn't going to be any different. As we got our tickets and went through the gate, the smell of funnel cakes and popcorn hit my nose. I looked around to take in all the activities and could hear others screaming and laughing and excitement, and I couldn't wait to dive in and try everything.

Since there were five of us to two adults, We all had to go together around all the stalls, games, and rides. We took turns on the games, trying out the ones that we wanted. I typically sat out the smaller, child-oriented ones, like the tiny fishing game, or the one where you just picked up a rubber duck. I wanted to play the ones where I threw the ball at the bottles, or even used the hammer to hit the bell. I may have been a little girl, but I also thought that I was a lot of,

stronger than I actually was. There was also one activity that they had every year that I always enjoyed, and that was the sand art. My poor parents probably had a full shelf of just my little jars of sand, but they always encouraged our creative side, so I was thankful for that. I had just celebrated my birthday a few weeks prior to this fair, so I also had my own spending money, and was hoping to make a special art for my parents. They gave me permission to go to it, as I was within their sight and ran over to it. I picked out the perfect glass vase, shaped like a heart, and I began to fill it with what I thought were my parents' favorite colors. While I was waiting for a different color, I would look around at all the movements surrounding me when a man caught my eye.

He was standing near a trash can, smoking, and just staring right at me, too. When we made eye contact, he smiled and winked at me. I don't know why, and I couldn't explain it as a kid, but something about him made me feel overwhelmed. At first, it was like when I hear my dad call my name in a stern voice, and you know you're in trouble at that point. but this was fear. I wasn't afraid of my dad,

so I quickly looked back down at my art and tried to just rush through finishing it. When I got close to being done, now just waiting for the cork to close it, I looked around for my parents and saw them nearby at another stall. I grabbed my vase and hurried over to show them my work. While they were complimenting me,

I sighed in relief when I looked around for the man and couldn't see him. I just shook it off, thinking it was just me being paranoid. And I continued to have fun with my family. After walking around some more and trying out the other games and crafts, we stopped for a brief moment so that my mom could take my baby sister to the restroom to change her. I started looking around all the stalls, and I saw one that I wanted to check out.

They had some large stuffed animals, one of those being an elephant, which was my favorite. My dad told us that we could go shortly, so I impatiently waited. Once I spotted my mom, I walked up to her and told her about the stall as well. Again, I was a very excited child, and as soon as I heard the word, okay, I darted over to it to see what I needed to do. While standing in line, I looked back at my family, and I saw that they were still there. there trying to get my sister back in her stroller. So I turned back to wait.

I finally reached the front, and I learned that the elephant I saw was a prize for the game where you had to shoot the targets. I don't think I even got close to winning the elephant, but I did get something else, equally as fun. I turned back ready to show my parents my winnings when I realized that they were not by the restrooms anymore. I thought to myself that it wasn't a problem, that they were probably just nearby at another stall. But as I continued to look around and not see any familiar faces, a slight bit of panic started to set in.

So I walked back over to the restrooms, and I began shouting for my parents and older siblings, inside and out. However, my efforts seemed meaningless, because I still could not, locate them. I walked around the nearby stalls and even stood on one of the benches, but the fear had already set in. I was officially lost, and I didn't know what to do or who to turn to. As I stood by the bench, watching all these other people carrying on with their evening, I finally did spot a face that I recognized, but it was not one that I wanted to see again. It was the smoking man. He was, again, standing, or more so leaning, against a hand-washing station, but still staring right at me.

At that moment, the sense of dread washed over me, and I realized how vulnerable I was. He started walking towards me, and something in my ten-year-old brain told me, do not let him get close to you. So I immediately started walking away as quickly as possible. and hopefully without alerting him. Desperate to lose him in this maze of people and festival attractions, I ducked under people as I passed them, cut through lines and went behind stalls. But every time I looked back, he always seemed to be close by.

He may not have been looking directly at me every time, but knowing that he was so close was overwhelming. I couldn't seem to lose this guy. I stood by one stall trying to figure out my best course of action. I remember telling myself that I needed to either find the entrance or find an adult that looked like they were in charge. I then recalled the ticket booth near the entrance, and when I spotted the same neon light,

I knew I needed to get back there. I didn't immediately see the man, so I ran out of the stall in the direction of the light. I was proud of myself, thinking that I was going to finally lose this guy. I was going to get to the front and tell the ticket booth people that I was being followed, and then they would track down my family. Problem solved.

But then I ran into another person, which caused me to get turned around and slowed me down. While I was regaining my thoughts and figuring out where to go, I felt a yank on my arm. To my horror, it was the same smoking man. At that moment, fear consumed me, paralyzing my body and clouding my thoughts. I felt defeated, and I didn't know what else to do. What else could I do? But then he smiled at me, the most sinister smile I think I've ever seen, and said,

I'll help you find your mommy and daddy. I was never more terrified in my life, and as I stood there with him tugging, on my arm to follow him. Something finally kicked on in me. My fight or flight triggered as a last attempt to get away. I threw myself to the ground, almost like a rag doll, and started screaming as loud as I could. I threw the biggest tantrum than I possibly could. I screamed, I kicked, I flailed until everybody was looking at us.

The whole time this guy still had a tight grip of. my arm. So I added to it. I started screaming that I wanted my mom and dad. I screamed to let go of me. I screamed, I don't know you until he finally let go. Of course, when he did let go, he backed away from me a few steps and said that he was going to help me find my parents. But almost everyone around was now staring at this guy. So he just threw his hands up and nonchalance. walked away. Being older now, it actually frustrates me that no one ever questioned this man or thought to stop him. After he was completely out of view, swallowed by the crowd of people, I stood up and started walking the opposite way of him. Someone approached me who was wearing

one of the vests for the staff, and asked me if I was lost. She at least looked kinder, and she didn't scare me. She led me right to one of the ticket booths I was looking for, and I helped give a description of my parents. However, my parents actually heard my tantrum and immediately started trying to find where it was coming from. I later learned that while I was at the game, my family had started walking to a different stall,

the one that they thought I was talking about. And within the time of me finishing the game, game, I had walked the opposite direction of them while they were just circling back. It was kind of silly and crazy that we never ran into each other. In the end, I did shortly meet back up with my family, but that guy was long gone. They never saw him or caught him. My parents said that I was very brave and smart for doing what I did, and it definitely could have gone a lot worse.

We still joke about how my tantrums, even though. then got me what I wanted. But I also can't help but think about that awful smile and why he chose me. And even worse, what his plans were if I would have gone with him. I have a strange story to share that has bothered me for quite a while. But I really don't think I'll ever get any answers for it. I've been a police officer for around 12 years now, and I've seen some pretty strange things. But this one incident has always stuck with me.

It still haunts my mind when I'm out on the night shifts and just driving through the silent streets. It was a call that seemed pretty routine, but quickly turned into an eerie enigma that's left me with more questions than answers. I was working the afternoon shift one summer, back when I had just started on the force. It was a fairly slow day. I don't live in a part of the night. country where big events happen frequently. It's normally pretty relaxed here. I remember that the air was really heavy and languid that day.

The weather was hot and humid, and there weren't any clouds, which really doled down the whole routine. Nobody wants to do anything, much less commit crimes, on days where you can barely breathe, which is something I actually appreciate. I don't want to run and chase people, they don't want to do anything bad. It's like a mutual agreement that those days are not for us. Anyways, I was cruising along, and I got a call from dispatch saying that they needed me to go to one of the rental cabins on the outskirts of town. These cabins were owned by a real estate company, and they basically rented them out for few weeks to a few months at a time.

And we never got calls to go out there. So this was even more shocking to me. The call explained that there was a man that was claiming someone had broken into his cabin. He reported that he was on a day trip, and when he got back, he found a fire in the bonfire pit burning in his front yard of the cabin, the cabin that he had left secured and vacant the entire day. They mentioned that he hadn't gone into the cabin since returning. So somebody could still be inside the cabin.

And he needed someone there to clear the scene. It was a peculiar call, but it definitely warranted our attention. When my partner and I arrived, we found the man standing outside behind a minivan in the driveway. He looked nervous, frantic. His eyes were kind of darting around, and he was pacing behind the car, visibly agitated. When we stepped out, I could see the bonfire still burning, though it was mostly just embers at this point. There was this acrid smell of burning materials hanging in the air. What materials, I have no idea, but it wasn't pleasant, that much I remember.

We approached the man cautiously, and he explained everything to us, second time, but then mentioned that he thought someone was still in the cabin because the door was open. We approached cautiously, hands over our holsters, and every step I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. We entered slowly, cleared room by room, but there was no one inside, though it had absolutely been ransacked. Furniture was overturned, drawers were opened, and items were randomly scattered all over the place. We came back outside and told him that it was clear, but that it was a mess. We asked him if he had left it like that, which may sound like a dumb question, but you'd be surprised.

He told us that he hadn't, that he'd kept it clean in good order so that he could get his deposit back. After a bit of investigating, we determined that there was definitely remnants of things, from the cabin in the fire. Photos, clothing, documents, all charred beyond recognition. It was really bizarre, as if someone was destroying personal belongings, but why?

We tried to piece together some of the puzzle, asking the man if he had any enemies or if he'd been in any disputes. He said no. We asked him if he'd been involved in any illegal activity. mentioning that his honesty was important for his own protection at this point, and he was adamant that he hadn't done anything.

He mentioned that he'd literally only been there for three days at this point, and that his clothing was still in his bag because he hadn't been there long enough to even really unpack most of his stuff. The incident was perplexing, to say the least. Looking at the possibilities, none of them really really. fit. If the man had started the fire to destroy something himself, why would he call us? Fires were not restricted at that point in time, so we wouldn't have had to cover for it or anything. I supposed that he could have been trying to do some sort of obscure insurance fraud claim, and he needed

the police report, but there was nothing in the fire that we saw that was worth anything. Just clothing and paper. But then, if it wasn't him, who was it? What was the purpose of burning things from the cabin? We did our investigation on the cabin, fingerprinting, interviewing some of the residents of the next-door cabins, and did everything that we could to get more information. But there was nothing. It was as if the fire starter had vanished without a trace, and no one knew why I had.

it had happened. In the end, we had to just let it go, and to let it go cold. The mystery of who broke into the cabin and started the fire remained unsolved. There was no evidence that this guy had done anything to deserve it. He hadn't made anyone mad. He hadn't even been in the cabin more than a few days. As mentioned, it's still one of those things that pops up in my mind now and again, because it just made no sense, and there were no answers.

Odds are, we're never going to have an answer for it, because it was such a small, isolated and weird incident that happened in a very cut-off part of the town. Lazzang sur-gillet, puissance-moleaned for 15 minutes. We'd say that's their dojo. Pre-to-joo? Vive the pleasure with Leo Jo.

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but let me play devil's advocate here. Let's see, so... No, that's a good thing. That's definitely not a problem. Reces, you did it. You stumped this charming devil. My friends and I loved going to this local festival

that our county held every year in July. They had live music on an open field where you could bring your own blankets, chairs, and drinks. They had some fair games and food, drink and craft booths set up for you to shop till your heart's content.

They were never really a bad time. Between the single people, the groups of friends like us, and even the families with kids and older couples perusing the crafts, everyone always seemed to be in high spirits and looked after one another. That's exactly what we were expecting when we went there this time.

There were five of us that went there together, Ashton, Navia, Tanner, Page, and myself. We brought a couple of blankets in a small cooler with our beverages of choice. We just lounged around talking and enjoying the electric atmosphere that surrounded us. The band was full of energy and everyone in the crowd was cheering them on for more, and after the band was done, there was going to be an intermission before the finale. The finale was going to be fire jugglers, so they had set up an area in front of the stage where there was a small fire pit. While they were setting up, my friends and I walked around the booths, got ourselves something to eat, and even played a couple of games, betting on who would do the best and which of us would fail miserably.

Once it started getting darker, we heard someone talking through the audio system from the stage and decided to start making our way back to the field to settle down again with more drinks and entertainment. When we got back there, we danced to the music and waited for the show to start. It was nearing the end of the main event, so there were already a lot of people that were drunk, or should I just say, under some kind of influence. We all laughed as we watched other people being silly with their friends, too. Then the lights on the stage dimmed, telling us that they were ready to start. But it wasn't dark for long.

The stage came alive with swirling flames and dancers going to the rhythm of the song. It was very impressive and quite beautiful. We all watched an awe and the crowd cheered them on as they landed each successful stunt, one after another. There was one particular guy that I noticed on several occasions that was absolutely enthralled by the entertainers. He was whistling, clapping for them, he would holler out wanting them to do more,

all while dancing and pretty much head-banging to their music. He was pretty obviously drunk, but enjoying himself, and he wasn't being a nuisance to anyone around him either, so no one was bothering him. Of course. Then the show came to an end, and many people started packing up, mostly the ones with the kids. My friends and I were all still sitting on our blankets, talking, and deciding on if we wanted to stick around longer, or if we should go too. We started gathering up our stuff, but a few of us still wanted to go check out some of the booths.

While we were waiting for Tanner and Paige to finish getting their stuff packed up, I was looking around. taking in the atmosphere. They had the music playing again, and there were some people laying on the grass together. I saw the families leaving with the kids excitedly talking about the day, and I even spotted the man from earlier that was next to us. He was spinning around and dancing, slowly making his way towards the stage.

The fire pit up front was still going, and I assumed, since they weren't the ones to set it up, they weren't going to be putting it out either. But it was contained and people were taking notice of it to either avoid it, or they were using it as a backdrop for their selfies. I even thought that it would be nice to get a picture of all of us with it as well. But then the happy and euphoric moment would be brutally ended. I watched the drunk man climb up onto the stage as he continued dancing and singing.

I instantly knew that this was not going to end well, and I looked around for anyone that I had seen him with. There was a girl and a guy that were standing with him during the show, but now I didn't see them anywhere, not even by the stage. I thought to myself, I need to find someone in charge to let them know so that they could get him down. But I was out of time.

I turned to mention it to my friends, and the man yelled out something and jumped right into the fire. The air filled with screams and gasps as we watched him land in it, and the flames engulfed him. Ashton, Tanner, and I ran towards the man, hoping to be able to help somehow as we yelled at our other friends to get help. Before we reached him, he'd stood up and started screaming. He managed to get out of the pit, but,

he was still on fire. Knowing how intoxicated he was and how he danced around with a bottle, I'm sure he had spilled it on himself as well, making this so much worse. The man ran around screaming for help and flailing his arms. The crowd of people that was forming recoiled in horror. They were all desperate to keep him away from them, but no one was doing anything to help him.

As he ran towards people, they would shove him away, or he would run into a piece of the building, causing it to begin a new flame that people were trying to put out. Tanner and I were trying to catch him to make him drop on the ground, but he wouldn't stop moving, as one might expect. Your mind is already altered by the alcohol, and now you're in pain and don't know what to do. I thought about it afterwards, and, God, I can't even imagine how you would handle that kind of situation. Tanner actually ran after the guy, tackling him, which also caused him to get burned, but we at least got him to the ground. That's when a few of us patted him down and tried to get him to respond to us while we waited for help. We were in the middle of a field.

We didn't have much that we could really help with or do. I could only pray that he was still alive as he wasn't responding. I was frozen with fear, as everything around. me started moving slowly. People were screaming all around, and the once lively festival grounds now looked a bit like a hellish landscape, with small fires starting everywhere. Those agonizing screams from the man replayed in my mind until the wails of the sirens finally drowned out my own thoughts. They started checking his vitals, at least confirming that he was still alive, as they got him on the stretcher to wheel him off.

We watched as they loaded him up and left, leaving the rest of us with these haunting memories of what had just unfolded in front of us. We all tried to move on and shake off the event that we had just witnessed, but I don't think anyone could really move on from that. Tanner especially. He probably saved that man's life by tackling him to the ground and patting out the fire. He wasn't talking much, so we all thought it was best to. leave. I know it was a pretty restless night for me, but I felt bad for Tanner as well. I wanted to add that the accident was covered on the news. The man had third-degree burns all over his body, and it also affected his eyesight. I was thankful to hear that he had survived and told

Tanner about it, too, but that night still makes me sick to think about. That festival was always a lot of fun for me and my friends. And now that will always be a memory of how an innocent night of fun can quickly turn to chaos and change lives forever. Okay. So, this is the story of the weirdest, most surreal event of my life. It happened during a camping trip that my girlfriend at the time, now wife, went on while we were still a pretty fresh couple.

I think at the time we had only been together for about a year. That summer, my girlfriend and I decided to go out into the woods and just have a lovely little camping trip. We found our perfect spot, an open section of the woods with a huge open section of sky, and we set up our tents. As the sun started to set, we lit a cozy campfire, and we were sitting there just enjoying the gorgeous night. and cuddling up, sitting on our plush blanket and loving this romantic evening.

Out of seemingly nowhere, a man wearing a ski mask and holding a gun stepped into the light of our campfire. He approached slowly, and I think that we both didn't realize that he was there at first, but when we noticed him, we both jumped up and entered into a state of panic. We both froze in fear, me saying, whoa, please, we don't have anything, thinking that this guy was just here to rob us. The man quickly tried to diffuse the situation, saying, Hey, hey, settle down. I'm not going to hurt either one of you if you just do what I ask.

Okay? You then motioned for us to sit back down, and we both kind of looked at each other like, do we do what he wants? He actually answered that question for us, saying, Look, just sit down, relax, let's just enjoy the night, and everything will be okay. I just need you to sit down and relax. I looked over and nodded at my girlfriend, and we went to sit back down on the blanket, and I pulled her down with me.

He nodded, and then took a seat in one of our cloth laundering. chairs, sitting across from us by the fire. After a few seconds, he motioned towards the cooler by me and asked if we had any beer. I said that we did, and he asked for one. I cautiously handed him one, and the three of us just kind of sat there in this really, awkward silence. He broke the silence after a bit, asking me my name. I told him that my name was Todd, which it is.

and he responded with, It's very nice to meet you, Todd. And he then asked me what I did for a living. I mentioned that I was a desktop support guy for a company. He asked what that meant, and I explained that I was basically the guy that set up all the computers for the company's employees. He nodded and smiled, saying that it sounded kind of boring.

I actually chuckled at this and said, Yeah, it kind of is, but... but hey, it pays our rent. He nodded again and then said, Here's to that. And then took a drink. Then he looked at my girlfriend and asked her the same question. She told him her name

and mentioned that she was going to school to be a nurse. He almost looked excited to hear this and then said, My mom was a nurse. It's stressful, but she loved it. You'll do great. We sat there for about half an hour just engaging in this bizarre small talk, with this masked stranger holding a gun in his right hand, and a half-empty beer in his left.

After talking a bit more about what we did for work, our hobbies and all that, he starts to laugh and then shares a story about his brother. He tells us that this one time his brother was trying to light a bonfire, like ours, and he ended up setting himself on fire. He said that he ran around screaming like an idiot and that he had to dump a cooler that they had full of chunks of ice and beer cans on him to put out the fire. It was surreal.

This guy was sitting there, laughing, sharing this story as if we were best friends at a little reunion, acting as if he wasn't masked and basically holding us hostage. After about an hour had passed, he ended up standing up and thanking us for the beer. We were both stunned at how, I guess, friendly is the right word, how friendly he was to us. He mentioned that it was getting late and that we should probably get to sleep,

and then casually started just strolling away. Before he left the campsite, he stopped and turned back toward us, waving his gun in our direction, and said, Oh, and I don't know if it's obvious, but I was never here, right? We nodded, too shocked to really say anything, and he just said, good, have a good night, guys. Just like that, he was gone, leaving us in the glow of our little fire, shaking and thinking, what the hell was that? I still have no idea what actually happened that night.

Was he on the run? Had he just committed a crime and was just hiding out for a while? Was this just some kind of messed up prank, possibly? We can really only speculate, but what I did know is that this experience is certainly one for the books. It's a story that she and I share with new friends, mostly because of how absurd it is. and how much it sounds like a small scene from some kind of horror movie. I will say that he was a very nice guy, minus the obvious, and that I'm more than grateful that he kept his word.

He could have shot us. He could have attacked us. He could have done so many things, but he seemed like he just needed a spot to stop for a while. And if he was going to be there, he figured he may as well have a drink and make some small talk. Now, despite how polite he may have been, I really hope that we never meet again.

For as long as I can remember, my grandparents' cabin has been a real haven for the family. I spent a number of summers up there. We had small parties and get-togethers there, and it was one of my favorite places all throughout my childhood. It was nestled in the woods and was pretty much perfect for a group of kids looking for some innocent fun. Well, and some not-so-innocent fun as we got a bit older. It was one of those rare weekends where my brother and I decided that we were going to stay up at my grandparents' cabin.

I was 19, and still at home, Ben was 17, and while we were both pretty much adults, we still had to have permission to stay. just in case. Thankfully, everyone was okay with it, and we were told that we just needed to not get too rowdy or destroy anything. We agreed, and then immediately invited a few friends over that had access to alcohol. We figured as long as we just stayed at and in the cabin, everything would be fine, and we weren't likely to cause too much damage to anything. Of course, as the night grew on,

Some of the guys got a bit stupid, and after a while an idea hit Ben, which is never a good thing, not for Ben. He stood up and loudly proclaimed, Let's have a bonfire! I could tell by the fact that he slurred the first half of this sentence into one word, that it was going to be a terrible idea. Ben always was a lightweight, and at 17, he was already loopy after two beers.

He looked at me with that mischievous little twinkle in his eye, and then pointed at me saying, You, go get some firewood. To which I responded, Ben, that is a terrible idea. He frowned and asked why, an emotion to the fact that we were sitting outside on dead grass and logs, and basically said that the woods around us were just a potential tinderbox. Ben scoffed and waved me off, trying to tell me that I was being a wimp. But I put my foot down on this one. I was okay with stupidity, but I wasn't okay with him burning the cabin down.

I told him no fires and that if he started one, I would kick his ass. He grumbled, but eventually agreed and sat back down. We had a bit more back and forth before it started to get too late for me, and I decided to call it a night. I told the guys that I was headed in and pointed to Ben saying, Don't do it. He laughed and said that he wouldn't, and I thought that was that. I went in, threw myself on the couch, and passed out pretty hard.

After a little while, I started hearing someone screaming. But half drunk, I thought that I was just having a dream. until I heard someone scream my name and the sound of distant sirens wailing through the woods. Panic surged through me as I jumped off the couch and ran outside. My heart skipped as my worst fears were confirmed, and I took in the chaos in front of me. There, a few feet from our gathering spot,

a bonfire was raging out of control. The fire had danced its way from the small pit, where it had started, and was spreading rapidly into the dense woods. The wind, just as I had feared, was carrying the small embers away, and it had pretty clearly spread this bonfire into what could become a catastrophic forest fire, and, amidst the chaos in front of me, was Ben, his face pale, and his eyes wide with terror. Thankfully, the local fire department was there quickly. and they worked like crazy to control the blaze as it grew.

It took them a couple of hours to completely douse the fire, preventing a disaster that could have easily consumed the cabin, and destroyed a lot of the land. Even after all was said and done, the only thing that you could smell was that stench of burnt wood. Ben later told me that he'd waited all of 30 minutes before he started the fire, thinking that he could control it. He honestly could not have been more wrong.

We surveyed the area to see how much damage it had done and to see where the fire had spread, and it hit Ben pretty quickly that, had the fire gone on for literally a couple more minutes, the cabin would have been completely consumed. There was a section that was actually charred, that I would say was less than five feet from the rear wall, it would have caught, and it would have gone up like nothing.

This place wasn't built like a house. It was just a small wooden cabin. There was nothing to stop it from burning like a pile of cheap wood because that's what it was. After that day, we weren't allowed back at the cabin, like at all. My grandparents still hold this against us, and rightfully so. and we haven't been back up there since. Unless our mom or dad are with us or they are there. Nothing like being in your late 20s and having to be escorted by your parents

because they can't trust you to be on their property alone. So the lesson from this incident? Well, first off, my dear brother learned that he should listen to me when I tell him that his ideas are stupid. And dry summers are bad when it comes to fire. and for anyone out there that thinks that things like this can't happen to them, I have a short but effective word of warning for you. Disaster doesn't knock before it kicks in your door.

Don't be like Ben. Take your surroundings into consideration and don't think that you can control things like fire. Nature does not like pain controlled. I guess some people have to learn the hard way like my brother did. Even today, Whenever I smell wood burning, I think of that scene with Ben standing in the woods staring at me like, I messed up, while the fire just rages behind him. It's a stark reminder for me how a moment's stupidity can lead to a potential disaster.

I've always been an outdoorsy person, the wide-open sky, the rustling of leaves and the winds, the chirping of crickets. All of it makes me feel alive and free. My friends share the same sentiment, and thus our group excursions to remote areas for camping and bonfire parties were quite frequent. We would typically set a date in the early autumn for the first one, and get together to spend the entire weekend just living life. But there was one trip that was unlike the others, and it was not for good reasons.

It was that time of year when the leaves started to turn golden, right as the weather starts to shift slightly in the direction of winter. We decided to venture out into the forests of Northern Maine, where our friend's family owned a small cabin. The cabin was rustic and cozy, and we all called it Harmony Hollow, a cheesy, a cheesy name that our DM had made up for a town in our D&D campaign. The cabin had a good amount of land attached to it. and it was definitely our go-to for autumn parties. We arrived at the cabin late in the afternoon, just as the sun was starting to set. The air was crisp and cool,

the leaves were blowing around in the wind. We could hear the sound of a nearby stream and the smell of wood smoke filled the air. The first night was pretty normal. We'd set up a pit for the fire, but had decided against actually having one, Mostly because by the time we were all comfortable in the cabin, it was already pretty late. Plus, it just wasn't quite there temperature-wise to sit around a fire.

However, on the second night of our stay there at Harmony Hollow, we decided that it was cool enough to have that bonfire. The chill was just starting to settle in, and there's something that's incredibly appealing about just sitting around a contained fire. throughout the night. We got all the firewood and branches that we could, and we set up a decent-sized bonfire. Nothing too crazy, but large enough that it would burn for probably a couple of hours, at least until we all hit a wall and wanted to go to bed.

We sat around the fire, roasting marshmallows and telling stories. We talked about how things were going for us, how things had been since last year when we met up like this. It must have been around midnight when our laughter and merriment was cut short by a really harsh and cold wind sweeping across our little setup. I started to shiver despite the fact that I was wearing a jacket sitting by the fire. Brian made a comment that it was really quiet out that night, other than us, and we all kind of paused to listen. He was right. It was nearly silent out in the woods. There weren't any real crickets chirping, no owls hooting. It had gotten to the point where it was completely silent out.

I started to say that it was getting late and that we should probably get to bed when Jen made a comment. Something like, wait, who's that? The entire group quickly looked over to the woods in the direction that she was staring, and we all saw what she saw. There was a dimly lit silhouette of a man, just slowly taking steps out of the tree line in our direction. We all froze as we watched the sky walk our way, each step crunching leaves under his feet in an almost unnaturally loud way.

He paused somewhere around 15 feet from us and just stared at us, the fire barely illuminating his face. He was, to say it politely, rather grizzled, looking. His hair was unkempt, and he had a beard that was very overgrown. His clothes looked dirty and torn, and his eyes were sunken sockets that were barely visible in the light of the flames. He didn't say anything at first, just standing there staring at us, and the fire. There was a very uncomfortable pause before Brian stood up and asked if this guy was okay. The man didn't respond. He just continued to stare. His unsettling presence and the unnerving silence of the forest

made this whole scene feel more isolating than ever. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the man pointed toward our fire and uttered one word. He literally just said, danger, in a raspy and deep tone, and then turned and started walking back into the forest. We all just sat there and watched as this guy disappeared back into the woods. Now, I'm pretty sure that I've seen every horror movie that's been made in the last decade. And I know for a fact that when a creepy homeless-looking guy comes out of the woods and tells you something as a danger, you listen. I immediately stood up and started putting out the fire, much to the disappointment of my friends. Jen asked why I was putting it out, and I said,

Because he said that it was dangerous. Besides, we should all go to bed anyways. After some annoyance and grumbling, they all agreed that we should probably call it. That next morning, we woke up to the sound of sirens and went outside to see what was going on. When we got outside, we saw fire trucks and forestry service racing down the road. come to find out a small wildfire had broken out in the early hours of the morning a little further north from our cabin it had spread into the deep underbrush but they were able to quickly get it under control and thankfully not much damage was done we were all safe our cabin was untouched but i couldn't help but think that if we had left our fire burning would we have started a fire like that was he somehow warning us? Did he set the fire?

And he was telling us to put ours out so that we didn't look guilty? Or was this more likely just some weird and chilling coincidence? We never saw that man again. And all of our questions remained unanswered. We still go up to the cabin to have our parties, but we've set a hard rule since that night

to have the fire out by midnight, just in case. We've decided that we don't want to see that man, whoever he was, ever again. I am and always have been a very creative person. I enjoy being able to find something, anything, and see potential to turn it into something better or renew it to good use again. I make jewelry, clothing pieces, hair accessories, and art pieces. My roommate slash partner and I even started our own business selling our products, as well as other items such as gems, minerals, and tarot cards, all that fun, witchy stuff.

One thing we like to do is buy a booth spot at our local summer fest that we have in our state. It's a celebration of our county specifically. I also make sure to make an excessive item to buy in our own. and bring even more supplies to customize items, and make more on demand if needed. The event that I would like to share with you took place one of those days that I was at my booth. My partner was working the last day of the festival,

so I had to handle it myself. I teased that it was planned to get out of not having to break down our stuff, but that's neither here nor there. So the last night of the event was always a grabback. You could spot the people that practically lived here through all three days that it was there. You saw people that were just trying to catch a glimpse of the festival joys, and those people that were just there because someone dragged them to it. I sat behind my booth displaying an array of handmade treasures while I was working on another piece,

just taking in the energetic atmosphere and the aroma of various homemade sweets. I've always been very social, so it was easy for me to strike up a conversation with anyone, and it seemed to draw people towards me, too. So, when I saw a couple approach my booth, I thought it was just business as usual, at first. They both walked up, smiling at first, but the woman quickly looked disinterested, with her eyes wandering elsewhere. The man greeted me and I started to go into the different. items that I offered.

He asked me how I made the pendulums, and as I explained the process, he actually seemed interested. I would glance over at the woman while speaking, and notice that she was not paying much attention to our conversation, if any at all. She was looking at some of the things on my table, but also seemed to be looking around at the other nearby booths. I tried to involve her in the conversation, but... I would barely get a side-eye from her. Then, the guy asked me about one of my crocheted brawits that I had out,

motioned to his partner about how she had one like it, and she just gave a half-assed fake smile and said, Yeah, cool. I could see where this was going, or so I thought. I tried complimenting her saying that the color would look really good with her complexion, and even offered an earring and necklace set that would match it. She still wasn't interested, but the guy was, so I started showing him the pieces. While he was looking them over, he would hold them up to her and ask if she liked them,

and she would give very abrupt answers. However, I did notice that she was looking at my hair sticks, so I tried asking if she used them or if she wanted to try them at that time. I didn't mind giving away some items, especially if it meant getting my name out there or making a potential purchase in the future. Not to mention, if I could get her to loosen up or be in a better mood, it would be a win for everyone. But she immediately made a comment about how the idea seemed odd. The man quickly apologized and asked what was wrong with her, but she didn't answer.

Part of me was beginning to think maybe this wasn't about me, and something had happened. prior to them approaching my booth. I gave a light-hearted laugh and said that it was fine, joking about how it took me some time to figure them out myself. The guy decided on a purchase and handed me a card, so I went to grab my card reader from my tub behind me, as well as a freebie. I like to give the little stuff away as a thank you.

As I went to stand back up and turn back towards them, I suddenly felt a very sharp pain and pressure in my arm. I looked over at it, and I saw one of my hair sticks protruding from it. And that's about when things started going in slow motion. I heard the man yelling, What did you do?

And then the two began arguing. The woman made a hand gesture and started walking away, as the guy seemed conflicted on what to do. Then, the last thing that I remember, was all the sound around me slowly getting muffled, my vision tunneling until I blacked out. I was never good with blood, especially my own. When I finally came to,

there was a different man at my side wearing a reflective vest, talking on a walkie. I immediately looked over at my arm and saw the stick still protruding from my flesh, and my first instinct was to pull it out. The man stopped me, telling me that I needed to wait. I still wasn't fully conscious, so I let my head fall back down until I was awoken again. This time it was an EMT who was working on my arm, holding pressure, but the stick was now gone.

I was awake at this point, as there was no blood, but the pain was pretty excruciating. I called my dad since he lived nearby to grab my stuff, because the guy said that I was was going to need to get stitches. They allowed me to stay there since it wasn't life-threatening, and that way I didn't have to take an ambulance, but the police were more than willing to stay by my side. They took a lot of information from me. They asked me what happened, how it happened,

and I gave them a description of the couple. When my dad arrived, he helped me pick up my items and was going to take me to the hospital, but before we left, I noticed the same guy looking at me from a distance. I immediately pointed him out to my dad and the officer that was still standing nearby. I didn't think anything else would happen, but one of the officers said that they would stay with me until we left since they hadn't found the girl. They immediately called it in and began looking for the guy. I guess he had a conscience and felt he needed to do the right thing.

He didn't run or try to lose the cops, and when confronted, he explained what happened. He even gave a description of the woman, her name and which car she was driving. She'd actually left without him. He never approached me about any of this, but explained this to the cops and asked them to tell me that he was sorry about the incident. I got to the hospital and left with a few stitches. and now I have this cool-looking circular scar on my arm. I didn't press charges, because I feel like even if she was that angry at him,

or jealous even, she needed a different kind of help. But it did happen out in a public place, so the state took care of the charges, I guess. Overall, I guess I learned a few things from this. I learned that my sticks are, probably too sharp. So now, I've rounded them off a lot better, and they're coded better to prevent such a point.

And I don't make metal ones at all anymore. Just wood or glass. But I also learned that while you can look for the good or the best in other people, try not to turn your back to someone who's exhibiting erratic behavior or just radiating hostility. But also, don't let that ruin a good time, friends. May your encounters be filled with light rather than shadows, or crazy jealous people. Hey there, friends.

I hope that you enjoyed this collection of scary stories on this episode of the As the Raven Dreams podcast. If you did, make sure that you follow the podcast on whatever platform that you're utilizing. And if the platform you are on has a rate the podcast option, please consider doing so. Those ratings push the podcast into the algorithm, and we all know how the algorithm controls everything, so yeah. I also do have a Patreon if you go to patreon.com slash as the Raven Dreams. You can support the channel further.

For as little as a dollar a month, you can get early access to all of my content in audio format. The content's a little different, as it's based on. what I upload to my YouTube side, but it's the same stories, just in different collections of stories than how they're presented here. Speaking of stories, if you have one you would like to submit to me, please go to as the ravendreams.com and click the button in the middle of the screen that says submit your story. These stories are mostly sourced by listeners, so let's keep the podcast alive. If you've got one, I'd love to read it. Anyways, friends, I hope you're all having a beautiful day and a lovely week, and I hope I see you again very soon.

But until then, remember you're loved, you're valid, you're important. You're the best you that you can be, never forget it. And until next time, much love and sleep well.