Lots of things scared me when I was young. The witch in Snow White haunted my sleep for months after seeing that movie. Locomotives with all their noise and size, terrified me, and I was the son of a railroad man! There was something in my bedroom closet at night, I just knew it and nothing mom or dad could say would change that. I had to go to bed with the hall light on. The hall light repelled whatever it was like garlic repelled Dracula. I did not like Halloween much at first, because hey, we're celebrating what scares the bejeezus out of us! Amusement rides; roller coasters, forget it man. They still scare me.
It was dark at night where we lived. Really dark. Egg harbor Road didn't get a lot of traffic at night back then, but when I awoke in the middle of the night and my parents had turned off the hall light, I would pray that cars would come by so their lights would illuminate the room.
The Headless Horseman-why did they let me watch that? Just what a kid needs before they go to sleep, a headless body on a horse with a sword chasing you down for your head. Sweet dreams-I don't think so.
Later on, the nuclear threat scared everybody. You could tell the grownups were scared, so you were scared even more.
As a young boy girls were always my playmates, so I wasn't afraid of them then. High school changed all that. I considered myself awkward and goofy looking, so I never dated because I just knew I'd be laughed at.
I realize now that most fear back then was just my imagination getting the better of me, or just fear of the unknown.
But I know there was something in the closet.
1 comment:
For me, it was something under the bed. Didn't dare get out of bed while it was dark and keep feet on the bed and covered. After the Belber Trunk fire, it was fire that freaked me out at night, or the fear of the house catching fire.
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