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People Share The Scariest Thing That's Ever Happened To Them While Home Alone

Whether you're nine years old or a full blown adult, finding yourself home alone brings a heightened intensity.


Silence is heavier and interruptions seem more sudden, and louder.

Unexpected creaks around the house and shadows in the periphery all seem gravely dangerous. The stakes are simply higher when no backup exists.

In those circumstances, even the most trivial occurrences feel like the end of the world, or at least the end of your life.

Sometimes, though, legitimately horrifying things go down when your home alone and defenseless.

joeym2009 asked, "What is the scariest thing to happen to you when you've been home alone?"

A Horrifying Tator Blast

"I was home alone at my dad's while he was working nights, making my dinner and everything. I was probably about 14 or 15 at the time."

"I was watching TV while my potatoes were cooking when I head something slam into the front door. I grab my pocket knife and check it out, nothing."

"About 10 minutes later I hear another bang on the front door, repeat and still nothing. Really freaked me out cause we'd had a few houses get broken into on my street."

"Turns out I didn't put enough holes into my baked potatoes and they exploded in the oven."

-- theniemeyer95

It’s All Fun and Games U tim Someone Knicks an Artery

"I was probably 9 years old, my sister was 6. We had a babysitter who was 12, so alone in the sense that no adults were around."

"Jackass that I was, I squirted bug spray on my sister and she chased me in retaliation. I ran through some French glass doors to get away from her. She went for the knob and missed. Her arm went through one of the glass panes."

"She cut herself so deep, you could see muscle, tendons, and bone. It looked like a shi**ily cut piece of raw meat, since that's basically what it was. The babysitter held a piece of cloth on my sister's arm until my mom came home (called her right away) and took my sister to the ER."

"Got 60 stitches out of it."

-- Overly_Cloverly

Some Spooky Fowl

"I was watching some sort of ghost TV show about demons or something in my basement, home alone when I was probably 14 or 15..."

"A fu**ing turkey walked up to the sliding door and started tapping on the glass. I noped the f*ck out of that basement so fast. I don't think I ever watched that show again either."

-- Evani33

Not What it Looks Like

"When I was younger my mom left me and my little brother home alone while she ran to the store."

"Mom leaves and me and my brother are watching TV in the living room and we see a bunch of smoke from the big bay window facing the front yard shortly after she leaves. We look, and a car has crashed into the ditch that is next to our driveway."

"My mom rounds the corner of the side road to pull onto [our road] and sees a ton of cop cars in out driveway and shutting down the road, 2 fire trucks, at least 2 ambulances, and, as any mom seeing this, freaks out."

"They allow her to park in the neighbor's driveway since ours is currently occupied. And we see her sprinting across the yards. The cops intercept her, she sees that me and my brother are okay and is able to calm down enough to talk to the cops."

-- whatinyourwhat

Bringing in the Big Guns (Dad)

"I was 15 and I used to baby sit for my neighbors down the block. They had a really nice house, 3 floors with a built-in garage under the house, that connected to the basement."

"They also had the type of security system where anytime a door opens you heard 'beep beep beep.' After the parents left one night I was putting the kids to bed and I heard the "beep beep beep.' "


"I yelled out, thinking it was the parents coming back for something but no one answered. I was freaked out so I called my Dad and asked him to come by since he was only a few houses away."

"When he arrived, he told me to stay in the kitchen while he checked the house but before he could, we heard the 'beep beep beep' again and then the garage door opened - when we ran to the window to see if the parents were pulling into the driveway, they weren't."

"Instead someone in a hoodie was running out of the garage door and into the woods behind the house."

-- [deleted]

Not Creepy, Just Real and Intense 

"Just me and my mom. She got drunk and fell down the stairs. She knocked herself out cold and I had to administer CPR while the paramedics came."

"She has no recollection of this incident, denies it, and no one else in my family can relate to how scary it is seeing someone almost die and having their life in your hands."

"I don't know how first responders do it."

-- miaomiao1025

“Helped Him”

"It was a hot summer and my parents went to a wedding. I had a project to do and it was like 1am and silent until a random drunk dude crawled in through my window with a bottle and blush face."

"I was 20ft away at my desk from the window and we both just stared at each other. He was flustered and said 'oh sorry there kid wrong house' and attempts to leave the way he came."

"He was drunk n dizzy so I helped him by pushing him out the window. I thoroughly shut it and stared at it for 2 hours until my parents came home."

-- Shardeel

Can’t Blame Him. Gotta Close a Sale.

"Once while I was home alone, I had been warned not to answer the door, for anyone, or I might get taken away."

"One sales guy had been banging on the door repeatedly for the last 6 minutes. I guess I hadn't muted the TV fast enough. He screamed, 'I know you're home alone in there!' I about died."

-- HatGuyProductions

Solo Emergencies

"I started choking on a clump of Mike/Ikes. Only survived because I tripped and fell on the couch in such a way that it dislodged the candy. I was nearly killed then saved by being a klutz." -- RQ-0430

"Got a hot dog stuck in my throat. I chopped myself in the Adam's Apple and it flew out." -- deadheadjim

In the Deep End

"I was actually at a friends house when her parents weren't home. We were maybe 10. It was her, my sister, her sisters and me. We decided to go swimming."

"There had been a rash of burglaries lately but mostly garages being broke into. Anyway, we were in the pool when we noticed the kitchen light turn on (it was evening)."

"We assumed her parents so looked in the window to do something stupid to get their attention when we realized we do not know the individual in the house."

"We hid behind the wall of the pool (above ground) terrified until her parents finally came home. It appeared as though he got spooked as he only ransacked the kitchen and left the garage door wide open when fleeing."

-- atjmoulder

Covering It’s Eyes, At Least

"For me, I was 12 years old and my dad was at his girlfriend's house. I went into my room to take a shower. I always put a chair under the door handle in my room because it didn't have a lock."

"My Grandma loved giving me porcelain dolls and she decorated my room with shelves that had porcelain dolls on them. All of the dolls were on their shelves before I got into the shower. When I exited my bathroom, one of the porcelain dolls was 10 feet across the room, face down on the ground."

-- Ibelieveindinosaurs2

Retroactive Horror

"The scariest thing that happened to me I didn't know actually happened until the following day."

"One day our friend came over and called me to let him in our building in a hurry. Turns out this guy had been crouched by my car in the parking lot and had approached our friend and closed in on him."

"Upstairs I noticed that the guy had left a green bundle near my car and assumed he would be back for it."

"Turns out the guy had escaped from county the night before with two other guys. He was in jail for assault with a deadly weapon and repeated domestic violence offenses."

"He had climbed the fence in the yard behind our building where our landlord kept his camper, broken into the camper, and stayed there the night before."

"I had been alone the night before and had taken my dog down to the yard to go to the bathroom. I noticed that the barbed wire on the top of the fence had fallen down, and my dog was nervous. But I brushed it off. The guy had been in the camper watching me the whole time and I never knew it."

-- lunazeus

2 Hours, An Eternity

"I was a young kid home alone and my mom called the phone and said a tornado was coming and I had to go shelter in the basement...The basement was incredibly creepy, especially as a child. I NEVER went down there on my own."

"So little old me grabs my toy lantern to descend into the basement all alone with rain hitting the windows, with only the flicker of my toy lamp to light up my surroundings while I make my way to the boiler room and shelter in place until someone comes to get me...."

"Imagine that, just sitting there in the darkness listening to all of the sounds for something like two hours. F*cking freaky."

-- yourotheraccount124

This is How it Begins

"Early teen years. Power went out while I was taking a shower late at night. I got out of the shower already freaked out and looked outside through the window. My house was the only one without power."

"Stupid teenage brain: this is clearly an attempt on my life"

"Reality: house had a weird problem where the power would cut out if the water heater and air conditioner happened to turn on the same time."

-- OMG_STAAAHHP

Block Reaffirmed!

"This just happened last week, I woke up to someone in my house, walking up the stairs to my bedroom. It was about 1 pm and I work third shift, so I was sleeping."

"In my haste, I didn't grab my bat. I whip open my door and it's my ex best friend, whom I've blocked on every social media site... she starts yelling at me for not responding to her and how she misses me..."

-- hanahmontana1

We're on TV!

"Police were chasing a guy and he ran into into our backyard and over the fence to another house. It felt like the helicopter was going to land on the house." -- JahLife68

"This happened inherent I was like 4 or 5 except he ran straight through our apartment." -- PC_nodnarb

With No Knowledge of Science That Must've Been Downright Biblical 

"First time I was ever home alone an earthquake hit and being a 10 year old who had never experienced an earthquake I had no idea what was happening and lost my sh*t."

-- garrett77


Do you have something to confess to George? Text "Secrets" or "🤐" to +1 (310) 299-9390 to talk to him about it.

Men Who've Gotten A Vasectomy Share Their Experiences

Reddit user GaleNotTheWind asked: 'Men of Reddit who have gotten a vasectomy, what was your experience?'

Pair of scissors
Markus Winkler/Unsplash

According to the Cleveland Clinic, over 50 million men have had a vasectomy.

Although avoiding sexual intercourse is the only effective way to avoid pregnancy, the male birth control procedure still has a low failure rate.

Those who are apprehensive about having a vasectomy fear the following: pain, impact on sex life, effectiveness, and side effects like cancer. (The National Cancer Institute and the American Urological Association have found that the procedure does not increase the risk of prostate cancer).

To seek some reassurance, Redditor GaleNotTheWind asked:

"Men of Reddit who have gotten a vasectomy, what was your experience?"

Guys discuss what happened after the snipping.

Making Sure

"For the love of God, do the follow-up appointment. The last thing you want is to be accidentally playing with a loaded gun."

– sleepypanda59

Wise To Wait

"The paper work I got for mine which was done less than 2 weeks ago said that you could have sex 2-3 days after but... definitely said to wait another few days."

– SisterPhister666

Follow Post-Surgical Procedures Or Else

"Had it done twice while living in Japan no less. Why twice? The first one failed."

"... apparently, so did the second (says my now 6 year old daughter)."

– shoelessmarcelshell

These men found that the procedure itself wasn't a big deal.

Assurance

"I was super anxious, but I had a great procedure. I was more freaked out about the shot of numbing agent to the balls, but it was legit nothing to worry about."

– Reddit

Normal In No Time

"Little operation, blue balls and no wanking for a week, then back to normal but without getting anyone pregnant."

– Bright_Composer_3901

"Made the mistake of having a pop after a couple of days. Jesus, the regret."

– Alante

Best Money Ever Spent

"When I woke up after the anesthesia - yes I asked to be put under, best $55 (after insurance) I ever spent - the caffeine headache I had upon waking was the most painful part. The preoperative instructions were nothing but water the evening before, no water for 4 hours before going under. The Safeway brand cola that the angel aftercare nurse brought me was pure refreshment."

– HarrumphingDuck

Cherry On Top

"Local anesthesia stings for a second or two then all you can feel is tugging after all is done the pain I would describe is like blue balls for like 2 days tops. I took a week off work recommend by doctor since I’m a construction worker and the heavy lifting but I felt like after day 3 I was good to go. Cons: minor pain discomfort, no hanky panky until last semen sample came out clear. Pros: , no unplanned pregnancies(it’s still possible very rarely)."

– Secure_Requirement84

Some final thoughts.

Only Pros

"To me, the only bad part was the smell of the cauterization of my vas deferens.. the procedure was fine. Local anesthesia before and during just felt slight tugging no pain. Recovery was easy. No pain. No cons. Only pros. And if absolutely need be it’s reversible. Much easier and less invasive than a woman getting her tubes tied and significantly less harmful than birth control. I’m an advocate. Get it done!"

– PunchARacist

One Unsettling Thing

"For me, it wasn’t the smell but watching the little puffs of smoke during the cauterization. That was truly and deeply unsettling."

"Otherwise, yeah, nothing major to report. Stayed in bed for a day watching old horror movies and assembling a Lego plant. Pretty much business as usual after that."

– GuestCartographer

The One Constant

"Got a vasectomy, it worked. Got it reversed, that worked.... twice Got another vasectomy...17 years later, all good. Just go to a legit great Dr. I mean top of the field Dr. For ANY messsin around down there. Vasectomy is WAY easier now than 25-30 years ago. In/out in an hour... The only thing that hasn't changed? ... The bag of frozen peas ..😂"

– richwat00

Vasectomies are performed via two methods, the incision vasectomy or a no-scalpel vasectomy, and both use local anesthesia to numb the scrotum.

Always consult a healthcare provider before undergoing the procedure and–most importantly–make sure you don't want to have children or that you and your spouse don't want to add additional family members.

Based on the anecdotes above, there's nothing to fear, so feel free to man up and get to snipping.

gray conveyor between glass frames at nighttime
Tomasz Frankowski on Unsplash

I've always enjoyed a good scare on film and my Mother indulged my preferences as she also loved a good horror film.

While we thoroughly enjoyed a good Disney movie together, I was also allowed to watch Jaws, The Exorcist and The Omen before I was 10 years old.

Slashers and sci-fi frights were good, but to me the most effective scares involved nightmarish scenarios that might easily happen in the not so distant future.

For me, growing up Roman Catholic meant demonic possession and the AntiChrist were on the list of plausible fears.

But what films offered possible Hellscapes for others?

Keep reading...Show less
wedding bands on dictionary
Sandy Millar on Unsplash

Infidelity in marriages isn't as widespread as people think. While some cynics would have us believe faithful partners are scarce, they account for over 4 out of 5 spouses.

Still, 16% of married couples in the United States admitted to being unfaithful at some point in their marriage.

And 57% of divorces were due to cheating.

In marriages where infidelity occurs, but doesn't result in divorce, the loss of trust is still a problem. It can make emotional and physical intimacy challenging.

So why do people cheat instead of ending their relationship before moving on?

Keep reading...Show less
shallow photography of man hugging woman outdoors
Photo by freestocks on Unsplash

When it comes to flirting, everyone has their preferences of how they like to be flirted with. Some people like cleverly crafted pickup lines.

I always thought pickup lines were a cheap way to get someone's attention. That being said, there are some good ones out there. I've been on the receiving end of both. "On a scale from one to America, how free are you tonight?" and, "You must be the square root of two because I feel irrational around you."

Both got me to engage in conversation, and I even dated the guy who used the first one for a while.

I'm not the only one that knows some good pickup lines. Redditors have both heard and used some pickup lines and are eager to share their favorites.

It all started when Redditor Sauce_Dealer420 asked:

"What's the best pickup line of all time?"

Read It And See

"You put the sexy in dyslexic."

– koookyko

"This made me laugh so hard."

"Because I can read properly."

– TappedIn2111

I'm Hooked

"This girl I used to work with and I went to a bar after work and we’re having fun, and she leans over to tell me a joke. And she says:"

"Three boy mice and a girl mouse were all stuck in a room with no doors and no windows. One of the boy mice asked the girl mouse how to get out and she said, “Sleep with me tonight, and I’ll tell you in the morning.""

"The next day, he is gone. The second boy mouse asks the girl mouse how he got out and she says, “Sleep with me tonight, and I’ll tell you in the morning.""

"Next day, he’s gone too."

"So now the girl telling me this joke says to me, “Do you want to know how the last mouse gets out of the box?”

"And I say “yes.""

"And she says, “Sleep with ME tonight, and I’ll tell you in the morning”. All this while staring me in the eyes and smiling."

"I said, “Check please bartender!!""

"I forgot to ask her in the morning, but that was the best pickup line I’ve ever heard."

– reb678

Statistics

"The odds we sleep together are 50% because half of us agree so far."

– AlfheimKitteh

"Math is always super sexy."

– Acceptable-News-6811

Money, Money, Money

"Hey girl, are you the English financial system? Because I'm about to give you a weak pound."

– onemanwolfpack21

"Yo girl, do you know exchange rates? Because Euro 10."

– kkirchhoff

Winner, Winner

""Are you a magician? Cuz every time I look at you, everyone else disappears.""

"This line got me a wife and three kids. 😊"

– PRSHZ

One Liners

"Are you a beaver? Cuz damn."

– Starry_Night-

"If you were a fruit you'd be a fineapple."

– Slainna

"Hi, do you want to go for a ride on a Harley?"

"(My name is Harley) 😁"

– OMNIxvTRIX

No Losers

"If I asked you for a date would the answer to that question be the same as the answer to this question?"

– SchemePale6222

"I got blue screen in my head."

"Explain please."

– TastyToothpasta

"You can't lose. Say no, the answer is yes. Say yes, the answer is also yes."

"Dang sounds kinda creepy writing it out like that. Still clever wordplay though."

– Steeze_Schralper6968

Clever

"My go-to was always:"

"I used to be a history teacher, so I know lots of important dates. Want to help me make another one?"

"A little corny, but it usually worked."

– StuffToday

Refreshing

"That one actually worked with my ex on the first try."

"-Hey, do you like water?"

"-Yes."

"-Then you like me in 70% already."

– azurskyy

Sneaky

"Would you date a complete stranger?"

"If she says “yes” you’re in."

If she says “no.”

“Then allow me to introduce myself.”"

– Blastspark01

Playing Coy

"Once a girl came to me and told there was somebody who thought I was cute."

"I asked her who and she said “Me.""

– evil_boy4life

Prop Lines

"You have to have a handful of limes available to do this:"

"Hold the limes, drop the limes in front of the lucky person. Then say 'Sorry, I'm not very good at pick up limes.'"

– cannibalcats

Egg-cellent

"Best one that worked for me was:"

"Me: How do you like your eggs?"

"Her: Over easy, why?"

"Me: Just making sure I have things right for when I make you breakfast in the morning."

– Radiant_Boss4342

The Best Line

"How you doin?"

– 2x4x93

"There was a time when this was the ONLY line you could use!"

– JohnsLong_Silver

That line would definitely work on me!