Maybe there was a situation where a waiter had to deal with a large group that got rowdy and started breaking things in the restaurant. It was a nightmare for the waiter to try and control the situation and also clean up the mess.
Well, a waiter might have had a customer who had some really strange and inappropriate demands. For example, asking the waiter to do things that were not part of their job description at all.
Thought Catalog stories can vary. Some might be completely true, sharing genuine personal accounts. Others could be partly fictionalized or embellished to make a point or be more engaging.
I was home alone and heard a knock on the door. I opened it, and no one was there, but the doorknob was cold as ice, as if something had just been holding it.
Another is when the date turns out to be overly possessive right from the start. For example, they start asking really personal questions about your past relationships and then get angry or moody if you don't answer to their satisfaction. It makes the whole dating experience feel suffocating.
One interesting short horror story could be about a haunted house. A family moves in, and at night, they hear strange whispers and footsteps. Every time they try to follow the source, it disappears. It turns out the house was built on an old burial ground, and the spirits are restless. Another could be a story of a cursed object. A girl finds an old locket in an antique store. After wearing it, she starts having vivid nightmares of a tragic past and strange things start happening around her. The third might be a story of a doppelganger. A man keeps seeing his exact double in the mirror, but when he turns around, there's no one there. And then, one day, the double steps out of the mirror and starts to take over his life.
There was a cat that always tried to steal the dog's food. The dog was really big and the cat was small but very brave. One day, the cat managed to drag the dog's food bowl away while the dog was sleeping. When the dog woke up and saw the cat with its food, it just stared in confusion for a while before chasing the cat, but the cat was too quick and hid under the sofa with the food. It was really funny to watch.
Trust your gut feeling. If during the date you feel uncomfortable for any reason, don't be afraid to end it early. Don't feel pressured to stay just because you don't want to be rude. Your safety and well - being should come first in the dating world.
You can start by looking at the reader reviews and ratings. If a lot of people mention a particular story as being really scary, it's a good sign. Also, search for tags like 'extremely scary' or 'nightmare - inducing' on the Thought Catalog website.