When you were a kid, what scared you? Was it your closet door being cracked open and being sure monsters were in there? Were you sure something would get you in the shower when you closed your eyes to wash your hair? I was a big fraidy cat as a kid. I had a vivid imagination which helps me greatly as a writer but as a kid could be detrimental to my sleep cycle.
My parents caught on quickly and never let me watch anything scary. I was not allowed to see scary movies in the theater. No Jaws, Exorcist or Rosemary’s Baby. I know I am aging myself here but I remember being sent to bed because the rest of the family was going to watch Night Gallery with Rod Serling and they did not want to be woken up in the middle of the night by my screaming nightmares. I was furious. I loved scary movies and television shows but they didn’t love me.
I was afraid of the dark, monsters under my bed, of the creaks in the house, the sound the tree made on the window when the wind blew, and of course having to turn out the lights and get to my room in the dark. One of my friends had an elaborate routine she went through if she was home alone or the last one to bed. She would shut off the lamp, run across the couch, leap to the first step, slap the light switch off and run up the stairs as if someone was chasing her. I can relate.
What I want to know is what scared you? Going into a basement at the grandparents, the garage, the attic? I want to hear your “I was always afraid of” stories. I know I wasn’t the only one. Leave it in the comments below.
Elena
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