Most people have fears, some are obvious such as heights, spiders, panda bears. Others are not so 'every day'.
When I was younger I used to love watching scary movies, talking about the occult, unknown, UFO's, creatures of the night, nothing would scare me. I would happily walk through woods or fields with derelict barns and buildings in late at night with not a care in the world.
And now?!?!I am nearly 30 and suffer from many MANY fears, fears I did not have as a child. Why? I do not know!
Clowns - I remember walking around the Chequers Centre in Maidstone as a little scrote of around 6 and this clown walking up to me on stilts. I cried and hid behind my mums legs and wouldn't come out at all. I have no idea where my fear of clowns come from but I know that I still have it to this day. That said, one of my favourite books and even films of all time is Stephen King's 'IT' an absolutely fantastic read and not a bad watch either. The sound of fairground music sends shivers down my spine and makes me want to crawl in to a ball somewhat reminiscent of a cheesey-bug! I recently worked at the Dreamland site in Margate and prior to commencement of the contract I have to carry out some investigatory site surveys....alone! I would have been in my element should I have been 15 again, but as a 28 year old....too much. The wandering around long empty corridors, countless rooms that seemed to procreate and just appear, the knowledge that it is an abandoned amusement park/funfair playing on my mind. I just waited to hear some carousel music start up....too much for me at times. Just to add, the whole place was pitch black and I only had a flashlight!.
One of our painter was painting in one of the rooms and swore a waft of perfume passed by him, EEEEK!
Spiders - I hate spiders. I will tread on them - if they are small, spray them with polish/bleach/deodorant/napalm/boiling water - if they are medium, and if they are large I will run the f**k away from them as quickly as my little hobbit like feet will take me. I know why I hate spiders too. I was at a party celebrating my Nan & Grandpa's anniversary (or it could have been my grandpa's retirement) There was a Black Forest Gateau, that is how long ago this was, sitting on a fridge in the outer kitchen area defrosting. It came to the time when we could eat said gateau. I was given a piece and felt something stick to my lips, and whatever it was was moving. I spat it out into my hand, it was a bloody great house spider that had burrowed into the gateau. I cried and have hated spiders ever since. Strangely though I like Daddy Long Legs and can just about bear tarantulas. House spiders or anything in the house that just appear out of the blue around the house.
Sound - Since I bust my left ear drum I have tinnitus making it hard to hear things in a conversational environment, but also if I am alone in the sitting room, working on the iMac, walking in the dark or just laying in the dark my hearing on my left side shuts down and only comes on when something is close enough or loud enough to make a noise, this then makes me jump. I maintain that I could sit in the world's most haunted place and, as long as I could not hear anything I would be happy. In addition to the problem of sound scaring me some music I listen to makes me jump. I hate music that has a pause of around 10 seconds as my issue of not being able to hear correctly makes my brain work hard to adjust to not hearing anything, so if a song seems to have ended then kicks in again, I will jump out of my skin.
Being alone - I hate being alone but at the same time love going to France, speak nothing but French and be by myself.
Big Bird - I used to have nightmares about Big Bird from Sesame Street. I used to think that he was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs at my old house ready to get me. This happened until I was about 10 years old! I am not ashamed to admit this as my fear was real!
Sooty & Leo the Cats - We had an old family cat called Sooty, she was also known as Fat Cat, we also had a cat called Leo. They both used to sit on the window board of the window at the top of the stairs. I used to think that they were going to grab my head with their claws as I walked down the stairs. This coupled with Big Bird waiting to ambush me made for colourful ways of getting downstairs unnoticed by my fears.
Thundercats - I used to love watching Thundercats as a little chap, so much so that I asked to have my bedroom decorated in Thundercats wallpaper. My mum and dad did this for me. I could not wait for it to be finished, but when it was I slept in it for one night and had nightmares so let my kid sister have the bigger room. I then slept in the smaller room because I was too scared to stay in my newly decorated room.
Minks - This one I am kind of embarrassed to say about but will any way. When I was a lot younger (26....jokes) I was told by Terri Cuddington and Hayley Lambert that Minks were little angry people that would try and eat your legs and fishing bait when you ere fishing and that minks would fight dogs and cats. I lived a stones throw from the River Medway and went fishing with my dad a lot of the time, sometimes by myself. I have no idea why I believed them as they are/were common and I am not. But I really did believe that Minks were little people who ere incredibly violent and wanted to eat people.
Pikes - As I fished a lot with my dad I always prayed I never caught a Pike. They scare me. Even to this day if I go fishing I hope I do not catch on as, to me and probably me only, they are very human-like. If you ever see one swimming whilst you are walking along a river they look like they are stalking you and want to eat you. I have been sat at a fishing swim and had a Pike swim past my keep net eyeing up my fish. I hit the water with my landing net only for the pike to look at me as if to say..."what are YOU going to do about it, I will eat you next!" I have never, and will never want to catch a pike, although I have nearly caught on accidentally, luckily it was foul hooked and got away. Phew!
I am a big baby, frightened of so much, I am a lover, not a fighter, Put me in the coward category if you will!
