Urban Legends

The Smiling Man in the Storm Drain

Origin: Pacific Northwest, USA

In the rainy suburbs outside Seattle, there's a quiet tale shared only in hushed voices by longtime residents, especially those who grew up there in the '80s. The story centers on a strange figure known as The Smiling Man in the Storm Drain.

According to legend, children walking home during heavy rains would sometimes hear a soft chuckle echoing from the storm drains that ran beneath their neighborhoods. If they peered inside, they'd occasionally spot a man crouched just out of reach of the light. He was always clean-shaven, wearing a dark suit, and smiling broadly, too broadly. His mouth was said to stretch unnaturally wide, as if pulled by invisible hooks at the corners.

He never spoke, just smiled.

The older kids dared one another to talk to him. One boy allegedly dropped his flashlight into the grate, only for it to be tossed back up, turned off, but warm, as if it had been held.

Reports stopped in the early 2000s, but some locals believe it's not because the Smiling Man disappeared. Instead, they say the city expanded the drainage system, making it harder to find him. Even now, during heavy storms, some claim you can still hear laughter gurgling up from below if you listen closely.

No official records ever mention disappearances linked to the legend, but a few curious details remain: local utility workers have privately admitted to finding children's toys deep in the tunnels, far from where stormwater would normally carry them.