What are you afraid of?

One of Mama Kat’s Writing Prompts this week is “something that scared you when you were young….are you still afraid?”  This one was SO easy! 

One thing that has always scared me is realistic dolls.  I had one when I was small that scared the crap out of me!  I would dream that she’d come to life and stalk me and, if I let so much as a hand out of the covers, she would get me.  I’m not sure what happened to her.  I think that I buried her in the back of my closet at some point and my mother got rid of her when we moved since I wasn’t playing with her.  There aren’t a lot of things that I genuinely thank my mother for but that’s one of them. 

There is something about dolls that often leaves me feeling totally creeped out.  The more life-like they are the more “fun” my imagination has with them.  I can actually feel goose bumps on my arms as I think about it. 

Some people love them though.  I was watching a program once about collectibles and somebody had a doll collection.  You know, the ones in the fancy old fashioned dresses and the porcelain heads.  I tell you, I couldn’t change that channel fast enough!  I had to find a comedy to be able to forget that room full of eyes looking out of the screen at me. 

This fear is also connects (in my mind anyway) to another one…….. 

I was reminded of it last week when I was watching the new comedy The Goldbergs.  This is a show about a family in the 80’s; go ahead and Google it if you haven’t heard of it yet and are interested; I’ll still be here when you get back……..  Anyway, in this episode, the youngest child got it into his head that he absolutely had to see Poltergeist.  Those of you who are about my age and saw this in their teen/preteen years know exactly where I am heading with this one.   

Yep, the clown. 

Good old Pennywise

I have never looked at clowns the same way since.  That was some scary shit!  Needless to say, the kid on the sitcom was terrified too and his mother, who enjoyed the snuggles she was getting out of this fear, took full advantage.   

Of course, since I’m such a masochist, about six years later I just had to read Stephen King’s IT.  Naw, that didn’t freak me out at all  (I wish somebody would invent a sarcastic font). 

So, dolls and clowns.  How about you? 

Kat