by Simon Collinson
Of course I am, because I’m afraid of everything, especially at night.
People ask, what do you fear and I reply everything, I’m afraid of everything
This fear of fear is like a phobia.
Is there a phobia for fear? There must be because there are names for all the other things I’m afraid of like clowns, heights, spiders, needles and confined spaces or, coulrophobia, Acrophobia, Arachophobia, Tyrpanophobia and Claustophobia.
You name it, I’m afraid of it. I’m even Elvisophobic of Elvis – it was all them posters and pictures that mother had of Elvis on display at home.
Then there’s mirrors. Mirrors are the worst of phobias, the devil of phobia (and yes I’m petrified of him, that’s Daemonophobia). With Mirrors I get three phobias for the price of one. For starters there’s the actual fear of the mirror’s surface itself, Catotrophobia. Then there’s Eisoptrophobia, the fear of seeing my own reflection and finally I also have Spectrophobia, a fear of what exists inside the mirror.
I was too afraid to finish a book at school called, “The boy who was afraid”. I was scared witless finding out what it was he was scared of.
They say you develop phobias in childhood, like being alone, Monophobia, or balloons, Globophobia. I’ve added more as I get older like the fear of knives – Aichmophobia.
I’m not alone. Up to 10% of the population has these intense fears.
I’m even terrified of long words. I hope you’ll forgive me for not mentioning that one’s proper name as it’s a very long word and frightening for me.
They’re trying to cure me of Phobophobia. I’m down for extreme exposure treatment.
That’s why I’m locked in a tiny room that’s on the top floor of a block of flats in the middle of the night. It’s filled with colourful balloons, all the walls are covered in massive mirrors with spiders dangling down. There are needles scattered all over the floor. On the walls someone’s written, “HIPPOPOTMONSTROSESQUIPEDALIOPHOBIA” and in the corner there’s a clown brandishing two knives and they’re about to switch off the lights.
Oh the clown is now slowly advancing towards me, swinging his knives and singing softly and soulfully, “Are you lonesome tonight…
It all left me with a rapid heart beat, sweats and shortness of breath,
Soon I’ll be all shook up.
Simon is a ND writer from England. He is a member of All Seasons writing group. He will be publishing, “Deadlands”, a collection of contemporary Gothic poetry later this year. He seeks stillness and solitude;