Wes Mantooth

I'm sure we all had at least one, those irrational fears we look back on now and laugh at but at the time messed with our heads so badly it sent us running to hide under the bed, or in my case the tiny crawl space behind the furnace. When I was really young I was terrified of manhole covers and sewer drains, I was convinced if I stepped on one I'd fall in and...well I guess get swallowed up in some abyss of childhood sadness and things that made my nightmares look like a joke. I remember being so terrified of them that I wouldn't just go around them but try to drag my parents to the other side of the street if I saw one coming...pretty silly but as a youngin' the fear was pretty real.

Another one I recall when I was very young was riding with my father in his pickup on our weekly trek to the town dump (yeah my town didn't like the idea of picking up peoples trash), I drove out with him every weekend because as a child raging tire fires and mountains of mud and garbage were pretty f'n cool. One Saturday morning while making the usual trip I recall stopping at an intersection next to a swampy area off in the woods (as I kid I loved looking at it for some reason) when I giant Moose came clompping through the water and out in front of the truck. It stopped, turned and looked right at me before running off, I completely fell apart and hid on the floor under the seat I even remember refusing to get out of the truck when we got to the dump. It was weeks before I'd dare go back out there and when I finally did I'd slip down to the floor and hide when ever we went past the old swamp. It was horrible, I had nightmares about that thing...goddamn moose.

So anybody else want to share? I'd love to hear what kind of silly things horrified you as young children, it might make for a pretty fun thread.

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