AI Summary
5 min readThe narrator, an overnight shelf stocker and self-described adrenaline junkie, never believed in shadow people. They were just creepy stories to pass the time. But when a group of friends—including the reckless "Speed Bump" Steve—decide to explore an abandoned asylum built in the early 1800s and closed since the 1920s, the narrator goes along for the thrill. What begins as a routine exploration of a decaying building turns into a harrowing encounter with a living shadow that stalks, consumes, and disappears people one by one.
The Asylum as a Character
The building itself is described with gothic menace. Its sharp peaks and pointed arches "pierced the dimming sky," and vines crawl up its sides "like the tentacles of the great god Cthulhu, drawing the asylum into the depths of the mountain." The narrator feels a chill that has nothing to do with the temperature, wondering how many lives ended there and how much suffering the walls have kept secret. The windows seem like eyes, and the narrator asks: "What would I see by peering through them and into the soul of that long forgotten asylum? Or what would it see by peering out at us four insignificant people?" This personification of the building sets the stage for the supernatural threat within.
The Shadow Reveals Itself
Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.
Read Full Summary →Free • No credit card required
Never miss an episode of Scary Stories
Get every new episode summarized in your inbox — free, ~5 minutes to read.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
What you'll learn
- 1 (02:18) **The Skeptic's Setup** - The narrator, an overnight shelf stocker and adrenaline junkie, admits he dismissed shadow people stories as "fun creepy reads" until a group trip changes his mind.
- 2 (04:38) **Introducing the Crew and the Asylum** - The five-person group is described: the narrator, Johnny, Susan, Tim, and "Speed Bump Steve," a reckless daredevil who once crashed his car after a headlight-less midnight race.
- 3 (08:35) **First Signs of Unease** - As the group approaches the asylum, the narrator feels a chill unrelated to temperature and begins to sense the building's dark history.
- 4 (11:20) **Exploring the First Two Floors** - Inside, the group navigates decaying rooms, with the narrator catching glimpses of stealthy movements in the shadows that vanish when he turns.
- 5 (13:22) **Speed Bump's Reckless Dash** - Steve runs past the narrator and leaps over a hole in the floor, laughing like a lunatic, and the narrator briefly thinks he sees two shadows following his movement.
- 6 (14:27) **The First Direct Encounter** - At the top of the stairs, the narrator sees two red eyes peeking over his reflection in a filthy window, but when he spins around, nothing is there.
- 7 (15:45) **The Shadow Person Reveals Itself** - The extra shadow pulls away from the wall and becomes a fully formed figure blocking Susan and Johnny's escape to the stairs.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
I used to look through abandoned buildings, NOT ANYMORE..
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
More from this podcast
Scary Stories →