Irrational childhood fears

[Martha]

Tracy:

> Since it's Halloween season and time to talk of all things scary, 
> here's a topic.  What basically harmless things scared you as a 
child 
> (for example, a certain toy or household item)?  

Martha:

When I was really small (three or four) I was terrified, to the point 
of hysteria, of Thomas the Tank Engine. (I was also scared of Ringo 
Starr's voice, although I don't think that's at all irrational. 
*grin*) I was scared of lions behind the sofa who would eat me. I was 
scared of ghosts who would take me out of my bed and throw me down 
the stairs. I slept in the bottom of two bunkbeds and I was scared of 
the wooden slats of the bed above, possibly because they looked 
slightly like railway sleepers and I thought that the aformentioned 
Tank Engine might come along them in the night. I was scared of all 
insects and other such creatures. I wasn't scared of clowns or 
dressed-up people in general, but I was scared of this guy I once saw 
when out shopping with my mother - he was dressed as a teddy bear but 
he wasn't wearing gloves or anything, so he had normal human hands 
and that really, really freaked me out. I was scared of the Queen of 
Hearts in the Disney (Is it Disney? I can't remember) cartoon 
of "Alice in Wonderland". I was scared of Country and Western/roots-
type music that my parents listened to, because all the songs were 
sad. I was scared that if I disobeyed my teacher at school, God would 
kill my little brother (and my teacher was happy to foster such 
beliefs in us, so I was kind of scared of her too. Once, she set the 
bin on fire and claimed it wasn't happening). When I was a bit older -
 11 or 12 - I had a teacher at school who gave us a lesson on out-of-
body experiences. I misunderstood somehow and basically got the idea 
that I had to cling on to the sides of my bed at night or I would 
float away.

Now, of course, I'm not scared of anything. Except heights, moths, 
medium-sized spiders, china dolls, the possibility of there being 
anything icky in my hair, crickets and grasshoppers and things, 
crowds that push you around and you can't get out of them, having 
someone walk behind you at night.

Still, could be worse, at least I don't suffer from pentheraphobia*, 
lachanophobia** or arachibutyrophobia***.

~ Martha (who needs a nice hot sweet strong cup of tea after reliving 
all those childhood traumas)

* Fear of one's mother-in law
** Fear of vegetables
*** Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth