People Describe The Absolute Scariest Thing That's Ever Happened To Them

Life is a giant mystery. Not everything is happiness and rainbows in there, either.
Sometimes, it's scary. Sometimes, life is more like a horror movie than a sitcom. Wild animals, unsurvivable situations, car accidents, awful awful things surround us on a daily basis.
They leave lasting scars.
u/kookiekutterklub asked:
What was the scariest thing that has happened to you?
Almost The End
I was driving to school one winter morning. It was winter, so it was still dark in the morning. I saw a trash bin in the middle of the road. I drive a crappy Saturn with plastic panels so I figured I'd take one for the nice cars and hit it to push it to the side of the road.
Also, I was a kid so it seemed like a fun idea. But last minute I chickened out, but still drove very close to it. That's when I saw it was actually a kid tying his shoe in the middle of the road. Doesn't paralyze me with fear, but it never fails to scare me with I think about how close I was to a different much worse life.
Way Too Close A Call
When I was 19 I was VERY blatantly followed by a man.
I was backpacking in Europe for my gap year and one of my last stops was Lisbon, Portugal. It took me a little while to notice but after about 10 minutes, there was no mistaking it.
I was wandering around, taking in the city and stopping at some little shops on the way back to my hostel when I realised a man (mid 40s at least and fit/strong looking) walking parallel on the other side of the street was stopping at the exact same time as I was and just kind of resting against the wall whilst I was inside the shops. I made a point of abruptly turning around and going back the way I came and he did the same.
I took AGES in one shop thinking he'd give up but when I emerged 20 minutes later, there he was across the street staring at me. I stopped, stared back and yelled "What the f**k do you want?!" He looked away as though he was looking at the clouds. I walked back towards my hostel again, more quickly and he crossed the street and was getting closer to me. I panicked and stopped at a small restaurant and asked the man behind the counter for help.
Thank god his English was excellent because my Portuguese was (still is) utterly atrocious. I explained what was happening and he told me to sit and he would keep an eye on me. I sat and ate and read my book for more than 90 minutes before deciding it was safe to leave.
As I went to say goodbye to the shop keeper, I had a horrible feeling in my gut. The street was on a big hill so the restaurant was the lower level and a small skatepark/street performance area was above. I looked up and there he was.
Standing there staring at me like he'd been there watching the whole time. I FREAKED out! I yelled for the nice man who'd been helping me and screamed that he was right there, watching me! My hostel was no more than 400m up the road and I was terrified that he'd follow me all the way and then who knows what would happen next?! I was terrified!
That shop keeper, a genuine guardian angel, waved down a taxi and (I assume) explained the situation. He then gave the driver €20 out of his own pocket and looked at me and said "it is ok now". I was almost in tears, I wanted to hug him. The taxi took me on a big twisting route to get back to the hostel and stayed to watch that I got inside safely. I didn't leave the hostel for 2 days after this, I was just so paranoid. I'm so incredibly grateful to the man who's name I never got. I think it's safe to say he saved my life.
The Kindness Of Strangers
Got roofied. Woke up on the floor of a strip club at 5 am with the bartender and DJ sitting beside me. They told me that I had passed out on the floor right in front of everyone and a customer kept insisting that he was "my friend" and was going to drive me home.
The bartender and the DJ didn't buy it, and stuck around after closing until I woke up. I didn't remember anything at all.
Some of these people are lucky to be alive today.
A Temporary Scare
Had a car crash with my mom when I was eight. Direct collision with a truck. Good Samaritans took us in their car and drove us to the hospital.
On the way there my eyes got filled with blood and I went temporarily blind. All I could see was a light blue colour with a sort of tingling that I can't explain otherwise.
Started panicking very much and the two strangers were trying to soothe me while my mom was crying next to me. Their voices slowly faded away. I thought that I had died. F**k, it still gets to me..
Earthquake!
I was thrown out of bed at 4:30AM on 1/13/94 by an earthquake in Northridge California.
I was bounced up and down on the floor like a rag doll and had no ability to stand up to run or get in a doorway which would have been structurally sounder.
It was the most terrifying 2 minutes of my life and I have been thru some scary things, but this took fear to a whole new level.
Car Crash And A Sandwich
I was going to a community college and I had a break between classes, so I decided to drive to the mall and do some shopping. On my way to the mall, traffic got stopped by a train going through.
I decided to pull out the sandwich I had packed for lunch and eat it. I took a few bites and started choking... like legitimately choking.
I started to panic, not knowing what to do. I tried to cough it up, but there was no coughing. I immediately thought that I needed to run out into stopped traffic and frantically wave my hands for help, or else I was going to die slumped over my steering wheel.
I unbuckled my seat belt and threw open my car door. As I twisted to the left and went to stand up out of my car in the middle of stopped traffic, I dislodged the sandwich from my throat. Scary times.
The Strangers
Being followed home from work by a stranger who then tried to get into my house (thankfully I locked the door right behind me). Once he quietly jiggled the doorknob and realized it was locked he started banging and saying "I know you're in there b*tch".
I hid in the shower and called 911. He tried to get in a window as well, then I shouted the police were on their way. He laughed and said "don't worry, I'll be back". I was on a work assignment, living alone 3000 miles from anyone I knew.
He was gone by time the police came. I never found out who it was but spent my last month of that assignment in a hotel. I didn't dare stay in the apartment my job provided out of fear he really would come back, like he said.
And all of these people carry those mental scars.
Sister Sister
I had just moved to a new city and was living alone with my dog in an apartment complex. It wasn't in the safest part of town. I got up to get ready for work one morning and opened my microwave. There was a note inside. It said "Your dog is barking."
I've never felt such a sense of dread. I called my parents who were about an hour's drive away. My dog wasn't reacting like someone was in the apartment so I just sat on my couch and silently waited for them to get there. We had the locks changed and my dad looked all over but it was just the note. Nothing else seemed out of place. My dog goes to work with me and so she's never just home barking alone. The whole thing was surreal and terrifying.
A few days later I'm talking on the phone with my sister, who had visited me a few weeks before I found the note, telling her about it and she casually says, "Oh, I found that note on your door when we got back from the store and put it in your microwave. I thought you would find it and laugh."
She had brought her dog when she came to visit and apparently she was barking when we left to get food. I just don't use my microwave very often so I didn't end up finding it until days after anyone else was in my apartment. Mystery solved!
The Sad Truth Of Schools
In the late '80s, we were sitting in our grade 2 classroom and they announced a strange code on the PA system. The teacher said we all had to be very quiet and go lay down between the bookshelves at the back of the classroom. I remember making jokes with my friend Jamil and the teacher gave us a look and held his finger to his lips - I knew then something was very wrong.
The classroom phone rang and the teacher crouched low and ran to get the phone. Shortly thereafter, someone quietly knocked on the door, was let in by our teacher and asked us all to line up.
We were told we were going to play a game to see who could run the quickest and quietest down the hallway and out the doors to the playground. Once we were out of the school we had to race to see who could run the fastest across the field to a neighbouring Catholic school.
Turns out, one of the dads had just had a domestic with his wife and broke into our school with a gun demanding to see his kids. After we were all evacuated, the police cornered the gunman in a teacher's washroom and he ended up taking his own life.
Mother Nature Takes No Prisoners
My pregnant wife and I were passengers on a "luxury" yacht that got caught in a serious storm off the west coast of Iceland. 2 huge waves smashed through the backdoors of the yacht filling the entire lounge area in 2 feet of ice cold water. Most of the 60 passengers and crew were being sick, crying etc.
Electric shorted out, plates and glasses were constantly smashing. Wife and I managed to get back to our room, but all we could do was cling on to the bed for dear life. How the boat didn't tip right over I don't know.
This went on from 8pm to 5am. I can still hear the demonic sound of the wind and the huge bangs underneath the boat when it left the water. We left the boat when it docked the next day and didn't return. Got all our money back from the travel agency and did our own thing for the next 7 days.
The scary moments in our lives are all too common of an experience.
Hopefully you, reader, have not experienced anything to this magnitude, but if you have, please share your stories with us.
Sometimes you only need to experience something once, to know it's a never again situation.
I always say, try everything once.
Well, now that I'm older, a caveat to that is... try it all within reason.
How many things have we all walked away from saying the one time experience will suffice?
In fact, knowing when to say no is one of life's wisest choices.
Redditor Croakied wanted to discuss the times we've all said... "once was enough!" They asked:
"What is one thing that you will NEVER do again?"
Love. Did it. A few times. Moving on.
Stay Still
"Jump off a moving train."
DenseDriver6477
"My dad used to jump on a train when he was little to go to school. He broke his nose like twice doing it. He also would not recommend."
Darphon
“vaportini”
"Smoke alcohol. Me and my friends bought something called a 'vaportini' in college where you could pour alcohol into a bulb and after low heat separated the alcohol from the liquid, you could inhale it thru the glass straw you inserted into the bulb. Basically you got drunk directly into your bloodstream/brain and it never hit your stomach."
"If you did too much, your body wouldn’t make you vomit or something, there wouldn’t be a simple self regulation/safety measure. You’d just get alcohol poisoning. Felt very dangerous, the drunk wasn’t a regular drunk feeling. We used it once and were like okay, never again. I’d be surprised if you could still buy it, although it would be incredibly easy to replicate at home."
michelangelho
It’s heartbreaking...
"Fall in love with a drug addict."
Rains_Lee
"Good call, don’t do it. The drugs will always come first. Can’t go out unless their 'ok' with how much drugs they have and money left over if any, cant make love unless they have their fix for the night and even still it never feels normal, can’t trust them after the lies to get drugs and the manipulation they put you through, and you can’t change them no matter how much you try and wish they would. It’s heartbreaking."
Cvilla411
More me time...
"Give up my life for work. F**k going the extra mile for a place that doesn't value you and pays you crap even though you go the extra mile for them. You have 1 life with only so much precious time to enjoy it and slaving away at some job is not worth it. Do what you can to reduce your workload and find better employment, or hell try to change the working conditions at your current job to improve things for everyone if you can."
Mrhappytrigers
Well Obvi...
"Donate a kidney."
ToffieMonster
"Well, you could donate the remaining one. You just won’t be around to say anything about it."
shavemejesus
This is definitely list I can relate to. No thank you on a lot of this!
I Quit
"Smoke cigarettes, it's been two years since I quit."
SuvenPan
Forget It
"Climb mount Kilimanjaro. Toughest thing I've done and it's not worth it. I'm all about tough treks and camping but to put yourself under tough conditions and suspectable to altitude sickness only to get to the top for 10 minutes for a picture. No thank you."
Monks_
"I agree, it was memorable. Once was enough for my husband and I. Thankfully we stayed at American style hotel run by the US Navy with a hot tub and bar. Alcohol was definitely needed after all that."
Whatsherface112
I'm living alone!
"Sign a lease with a stranger without hanging out with them a few times beforehand. My past roommate experiences in college were terrible. Roommates either ignored me, hosted parties til 3 AM on weeknights, made the house the hangout and drug-den for them and their buddies. Meet up once and they'll put on an act for you. If you can, try to see how they act drunk or frustrated."
"Try to hang out with their buddies too so you can see the type of people who could be coming into your future place of residence. As soon as I can afford it, I'm living alone! Now, I investigate a potential roommate's social media and hang out at least twice before signing a lease with them."
fleursdefer
Stay Away
"Take back a cheater. Know your worth my brothers and sisters."
santichrist
"Ughhhhh going back and forth on this one. My boyfriend of 5 years has cheated on me. Several times, actually but says he’s really changed and is ready to settle down and wants me to move in with him. I’m on the fence. So they never change???"
madlecroy
Sleeptime
"Take a laxative and sleeping pill at the same time."
karmaredemption
Once, twice, three times... I'm out. Bye.
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People Imagine How They'd React If Their Significant Other Wanted To Sleep With Other People
There is an age old question that has been getting more traction surrounding sex for partners the last decade or so.
And that is... "is just one enough?"
Were we really meant to only be with one person forever?
There are so many flavors to taste.
What if your partner wants more cookie dough with your strawberry?
Redditor Pineapple-Status wanted to hear everyone's thoughts on opening the bedroom to others. They asked:
"What would you do if your long term SO suddenly wants to have sex with other people?"
I say I'd be ok with it, but I'm remembering my last relationship and I feel like I'm not a "put my $ where my mouth is type" on this issue.
Bye
"Wish her well and spend the next 2 years getting myself back to a place where I am ready to get hurt again."
wickedblight
It's Time to Roll On...
"Personally I would leave them."
"I think they're the ones leaving you. I don't think the relationship changes at that point; I think it ends. If you have a monogamous relationship, they are telling you they want to end that. They might be suggesting starting a new, non-monogamous relationship, but that is a separate thing. The original relationship is over."
octopoddle
ethical non-monogamy...
"OP, it's no different than anything else they want: you either agree and stay together, disagree but stay together, disagree and break up, or even agree and break up. What you're talking about is called 'ethical non-monogamy.'" The seminal book to read is called The Ethical Sl*t."
"It basically boils down to be whatever you want, just don't lie about it. The tricky thing is that this is something that was not present before, but is present now. So it's a potential fork in your road. If you're against it, it's up to your SO to decide if sex with other people is more important to them than a life with you."
Tokugawa
a different story...
"I think it depends too how intently they're interested. If it's a thing they bring up because they're curious but it's not a dealbreaker for them, I'm fine with that even if I don't want to proceed. A solid relationship involves open communication, and it'd make me happy if my partner trusted us and our bond enough to voice that curiosity with me."
"If it's something their heart's absolutely set on, then it's a different story. Either way, it's kind of strange to me how these posts always assume simply asking your partner how they feel about opening the relationship means they're now wholey invested in the poly lifestyle and they'll resent you or cheat if you say no."
donkeynique
Others
"Happy that we have common interest, sad that it's different 'other people."
i_lick_icicles
Sex is always an issue. Remember when it was just fun?
Mine
"Leave her. I’m far too possessive and jealous to be able to mentally accept polyamory. If she has a desire to be with other people I’m not going to stand in her way but I’m not going to be there when she gets home either."
Thiek
Not Me...
"Break up. My parents were poly and it's just not for me. I've been honest with every relationship I've been in that I'm not interested in any type of open relationship. If they want to be with someone else that's fine but we'll be over. My husband is aware of this and on board (and has been for over twenty years!). So if he came to me with this yes I would be heartbroken but I'm not willing to budge on this and it would be the end of our relationship."
GoldDustWitchQueen
Let's Talk
"Counseling time! We're married. I'm chronically ill (stage 4 breast cancer) and have no libido. We try to make intimacy work, and obviously in that case it wouldn't be working. So. Time for a pro to sort out the marriage, and possibly a sex therapist for me."
insertcaffeine
Awkward Positions
"I’ll put myself hypothetically in this position. My partner and I only want each other. We’ve made this abundantly clear to each other. However, if she came to me with desire to open our bedroom and she wanted to sleep with people outside our marriage."
"I would simply express how I vehemently do not an open bedroom and that it would kill any desire I have to want her, be with her, love her, etc. Our couple dynamic has been working well through our ups and downs. Involving some stranger in the ONE thing I find most sacred with my partner is the best way for me to lose any interest or passion for the relationship."
RedFlaim
Farewell
"Break it off, because they definitely already have someone in mind and you telling them no won't change the fact that they were only one step away from following through with it."
Caressticles
Well it feels like a lot of people still believe in one partner, happily ever after. Good for y'all. But big props to these couples who have open and honest conversations about their wants and needs.
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Many of us sometimes fantasize about what we would do to our worst enemies, especially in the moments when they're actively making our lives worse.
While most of us would never actually do any of the things that we contemplate instead of screaming at that super annoying person at the office, we do get pretty creative with the ideas.
Redditor take_me_there_ asked:
"What WOULD you wish on your worst enemy?"
This One Would Hurt
"A conscience. Let her realize the horrific things she’s done."
- Jenny010137
"Seriously. Introspection, self awareness, and empathy are traits that would improve a lot of sh*tty people."
- el_muerte17
"Oh I wish I had thought of this one. If my enemy had a conscience, wow life would be much different."
- Shelbysouth43
No Pearly Whites For You
"I’d like all their teeth to turn really yellow and stay yellow no matter what they do."
- toothfixingfiend
"What did I ever do to you?"
- Spideredd
"I don't even know you! Give me back my enamel!"
- AngryMustache9
Everything You Own Is Orange Now
"Permanent Cheeto fingers. Just orange cheese dust getting on everything."
- cocoapuff1721
"This has to be one of the most evil things I ever heard, yet absolutely hilarious."
-Merk0411
"The Midas Touch: Snack Edition"
- MaryVenetia
Ouch, But Forever
"Stubbing and breaking their toe and right as it’s about to be done healing it happens again over and over for the rest of their pitiful time on this hell we call earth."
- No-Bee-2971
"Sisyphoot"
- Alpha_6
"More of a Toemetheus imo"
- PykeTheDrowned
Self Reflection
"For them to realize how big of an a-hole they are."
- mayhemanaged
"Same for me. The trouble is mine probably knows what a tremendous a-hole he is, and just doesn't care (it's what defines him, is his outlook more than likely), so, give mine a conscience as well, he undeniably lacks one."
- RhoadsOfRock
"a crushing moment of self realization is something that can destroy you mentally. I wish that on them."
- chancetodream
Bury Them Under A Mountain Of Minor Inconveniences
"Always being hungry two hours after eating no matter how large the meal. Slow internet. Traffic jams no matter the location. Self doubt. Allergies. Favorite shows spoiled."
"Nothing major enough to be life altering but constant, low grade inconveniences that wear on your soul every day."
- I_Love_Small_Br**sts
"Every bite of food they eat/drink they drink being slightly the wrong temperature."
"Coffee? Warm but not hot. Cola? Cool, but not cold. Muffin? Ever so slightly frozen."
"Not enough to ruin their life, but just enough to not quite have full enjoyment of anything.."
- HappiHappiHappi
They'll Never Be Able To Use Their Computer Again
"Quick scan with McAfee on their computer."
- halflife_3
"You f**king monster."
- Orion_2kTC
"The constant pop-ups from McAfee is too far."
- _Land_Rover_Series_3
That's A New Level Of Evil
"Bed bugs."
- thrawn1825
"Currently dealing with bed bugs, and I can absolutely confirm this is the kind of thing I would wish upon my worst enemy. It is miserable and painful, and I've tried everything to get rid of them at this point."
"I would easily wish this upon my worst enemy, x10."
- ArbitrarilyStagnant
"Oh hell no, you went there... Hopefully they aren't living in an apartment complex or you've cursed everyone in the building."
- expect_less
Well of course I know him. He’s me.
"$100,000. I sure could use it."
- Sparklesperson
"'It’s no surprise to me I am my own worst enemy'"
- FishyVonFishenHymer
"Lol I thought this was that deep sh*t like 'pray for those you resent to have all the things you want in life….' Then I realized."
- No-Chipmunk9527
Forever Constipated
"That they can never have a satisfying poop. They always feel like they have to go to the bathroom and when they do nothing comes."
- [User Deleted]
"Wow. That's evil. Always feeling the need to pee would be good (as in horrific) too."
- ipakookapi
We definitely don't recommend implementing any of these plans (not that most would actually be possible), but here's some new ideas for the next time you're stuck in a meeting with your most annoying coworker and need a little fantastical escape.
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I grew up poor, and I remember the little things that made me smile when we just happened to have enough that week.
The little things that a truly rich person would not think twice about.
Ah, the luxury of it.
What spells luxury for you?
Redditor ConAir161057 wanted to compare notes about the things in life that feel like items only money can buy. They asked:
"For people who grew up with little money, what always felt like a luxury?"
New clothes. I had so many hand me downs and thrift store clothes... new seemed like a dream.
Anxiety
"After growing up in a home where every unexpected problem was a financial emergency, my idea of wealthy became 'I just want enough money that if something breaks I don't get anxiety about how to deal with it.'"
Obiwan_ca_bl**me
Literature
"Getting to buy something from the scholastic book fair."
Rich*itch3232
"My school, at the end of it a bunch of books were 'donated' and then spread out on a table in the library. We all got to go pick one book. So even if kids didn’t get to purchase a book, in the end they had a chance to still get a book. It’s actually how I got my first Harry Potter book. Was a cool idea for any school staff or parents active in their kids’ schools."
glass_pillow
Christmas
"Getting new clothes at Christmas from relatives. I don't know if that is exactly a luxury or the kind of answer you are looking for, but we never had a lot of money when I was in middle school. I went an entire year wearing the same pants everyday. The funny thing was my parents didn't even buy them for me."
"I got them for Christmas from my Grandparents. All the kids use to give me so much sh*t for wearing the same pants everyday. I always told them that I had 5 of the same pair which made me feel good inside and kind of made them ease off even though I know they didn't believe me."
"I remember I fell on the school bus one day and the jagged floor cut a hole right in the knee cap and the panic that went over me was just insane. It was one of the worst feelings of my whole life because I knew that I didn't have any other pants to wear and that now all of the kids in my school were going to know that I only had 1 pair. Needless to say I could not wait for the last month of school to end."
themagicman_1231
I'm Away
"Summer camp, or basically any school trips that had to be paid for. At my school the kids who couldn't afford to go on trips that happened during school hours still had to come to the school, we just sat in a room and did extra work like it was detention."
Helpful_Yams
"I was lucky. If you taught at the day camp your kid could go for free. That was just day camp though not sleepaway camp. My mom found a camp teacher who had no kids of his own and he signed me up as his kid so I could get free day camp. Did that all through elementary school."
randtcouple
Big Deals
"Going out for pizza was a big deal. Those free mini pizzas for reading books were huge."
Shroom4Yoshi
Food is always an issue when you're broke.
Damage
"Being able to turn on the heat in the cold and pay a professional to fix damaged appliances, plumbing, and other issues."
Liggettef
Spoiled
"When my grandma would come pick me up and spoil me. My parents didn't have much money and were addicts so when my grandma would come get me I would come back with new clothes, video games, toys, etc. I used to think my grandma was rich but she actually just had a stable income."
nawlepen
"I was in this position when I was younger. I always thought my grandma had SO much money… but all she did was go to work everyday. Always made sure I had clothes and all my school supplies. I miss her pretty bad."
Keywork29
Water
"I am from a small island in the Pacific. While I mostly still take cold showers, I have always felt that a hot shower is the finest luxury one can experience. I had my first hot shower when I was 22 years old and I can never forget it."
FSMPIO
"This is the kind of luxury I think people take for granted, I always avoided showers in the winter as a kid since most of the time they where cold showers and the temperature here was around 12c° during those times."
PowerfullDio
Showerware
"Towels. Honestly, I was almost 10 When I realized people didn’t just put back on their dirty clothes after a shower because my family was so large (12 kids total including myself) and extremely poor. I thought towels were just for hotels or were maybe a prop on television. I went to a friends house and she asked for my help folding her towels. I remember laughing and thinking she must be rich."
"Long story short, I wasn’t sure which way to fold the towels, and begged my mom to buy them after I revealed that my friend, Simone, had them. She bought a box of used ones from a local auction and I walked around with them on my head feeling like a frigging empress after that, even though—-let’s be clear… these were second hand towels!"
shakezula1025
Or BK...
"Grew up poor and when I was a kid I used to think you were rich if you had a dishwasher and a millionaire if you had one of those refrigerators that have a button for ice. McDonalds was also a luxury, a couple times a year on our birthdays."
chinderellab*tch
Everyone should have access to all of these things. Why is life unfair?
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