Were you ever afraid of monsters in your closet or under your bed?

I was convinced that there was something, most likely a monster, in my brother’s closet. I usually napped in his room, and sometimes sleep walked out of my room, and got in bed with him in the middle of the night. He was 5 years older than me, and was a good older brother. So I don’t know why I thought that. I would insist that he get up and close the closet door.

I also thought that a werewolf lived in the canyon behind our back yard, and would peer in my window at night. That was very scary to me. My friend who lived across the street from us put that thought in my head. Only she said he was a good werewolf, but it still scared me.

I used to have auditory hallucinations as a child. I would sometimes hear a voice say meaningless words like “vacant’ ‘empty’ and ‘hollow.’ Scared me to death and I’d always run into my parent’s room, screaming. Even though I knew nothing was really there, I heard it anyway—sometimes even when my parent(s) were present.

When I was a young adult, I learned to produce some of these sounds on a good-quality keyboard synthizer using mainly the women’s choir I played it over the intercom system in the church where I worked at night for some friends and co-workers, who were terrified and said it sounded like ghosts in the basement or far-off areas.

Oh and year—I too had a werewolf I frequently had nightmares about. Two double doors in our den / family room had gold-colored doorknobs that reflected in the window. The werewolf in my nightmares had those for eyes, and I was terrified every time I saw that reflection in the window, even though I knew it was a reflection. I kept the curtains drawn at night, always afraid I’d see that ‘werewolf’ in the back yard, staring with those piercing, gold eyes ,,,

When I was a small child, I had a cute little room in the attic of our house, and I was afraid of a monster or demon in the storage room next to my bedroom. I called out to my parents, and eventually they came to comfort me. Later they gave me a room downstairs where I felt safe. Much later the storage room became a TV room, anf I would go there late at night hoping to watch monster movies like Wolfman meets Frankenstein. I wanted to see monsters, just not have them in my bedroom. So my fear of the room disappeared as I grew up. Now some other family owns the house, and I am sure they have never found my demons or monsters.

When I was about 3 or 4 my two older sisters warned me about “the boogie man” who lurked about in the darkness. Inside the house I was afraid of dark hallways and any dark area at night. Also they told me to stay away from the barn birds because they will peck my eyes out.

No.

I used to be afraid there was something scary under the bed. I also was afraid of the dark. I used to get up and go sleep in my mother’s bed. My older cousin used to talk about “the boogie man” so I was afraid for that reason. I didn’t have an idea of what this scary thing looked like, just a general fear of the dark. Even as an adult, going down into my grandparents dark basement (a cellar with stone walls that went back the full length of the house), I’d be scared of what was back there. It was just creepy, and I’d think of scary movies and things lurking in the dark.

Ha, were…

No, but my imaginary friend may have kept me safe. His name was Burbee. :D

Yes. Also in the doorway in my room. I would have liked to have a snorkel so that I could cover my head from attacks from monsters.

No, I was never that afraid of the dark nor did I believe in monsters, though I was still fearful of being alone at night. I was more afraid of random sounds, like the floor creaking or a squirrel on the roof. It helped having a twin brother because we shared a room until we were teenagers.

Of course not.
The Stasi made sure that all potential imperialist infiltratros were caught brought to justice before they had any opportunity to poison the minds and bodies of loyal proletariat children.
That is why there was a Stasi operative under every bed.

Yeah, I was concerned about a potential brontosaurus and/or Frankenstein’s monster in my closet a few times. My dad helped me with that.

As a teenager waking up alone in a house, several times I was pretty sure there was someone sneaking up the stairs (creaking sounds), but there wasn’t. It didn’t keep me from getting scared by it again the next time.

Once as an adult, half-dreaming, I perceived a malign spirit by the side of the bed, and tried to attack it. It was gone and/or left.

Another time as an adult, there was an actual thief coming through a window, who I scared off.

Oh, and sounds of critters in the wall or attic have been creepy… and real, but just little critters.

No.

No. But at one time at this one house, my brother and I slept out on the (enclosed) back porch. And there were spiders out there! When I went to bed I would cover up my head because I didn’t want the spiders to come down on me. One night someone came into the kitchen and turned on the light. The back door had a window and I peeked out from under the blankets to see who it was and there was a big spider hanging down in front of the window. I freaked!

There were no monsters as far as I can remember. One night my bedroom curtains were left ajar and a light from outside made a bright shape on the wall beside my bed. Sometime during the night this bright shape turned into an angel but by the morning it had gone.

No, I guess I was a strange kid. I could never sleep well with any type of light on, shining thru my window or under a doorway. Has to be completely dark before I can zone out. To this day, even reflections of head lights from cars going down the street at night annoy the crap out of me. I always thought monsters were cool, and enjoyed ghost tales.

Funny thing, my mom once told me that I had to have it dark, even when I was a baby. I was the first born, so she doted on me, said I slept in a basinet in my parents room. She said I slept like a log most of the time, but if my dad got up to go pee or anything, and turned a light on, it was waaaaa! Still that way in my dotage. Woke my wife up the other night, complaining about the next door folks. I was yelling, turn those damn lights off, or get in your Fing car and get down the road! She said, oh go to sleep Tim, you don’t run the world! LOL I don’t want to run the world, I want those ass clowns to get gone. Some folks never change. Uh, that’d me moi.

I hate lights too.

I’m with ya Sister Dutchy, can I get a hallelujah!

@Nomore_lockout
You slept in one of these?

LOL @ragingloli, no, but I could have dug it, that thing has it going on, I want me one to display! No, maybe I used the wrong word, it was like a big basket, with a matress and blanket. I want that helmet, and a cavalry hat like I used to used to see in the movies. The blue slouch hat with the crossed sword insignia, I’m easily amused.

I believed there was a hive of bees in the basement under my room.
It turns out that is where the house oil burning boiler sat. The oil pump made a buzzing noise when it ran. No doubt I heard it at night when the house was quiet and my imagination took over.

@Nomore_lockout The kind of bassinet you were describing just has an extra ‘s’ in it (Two s’s instead of one),

Thanks @ragingloli for pointing this out!

When I was little, I was convinced there were evil smurfs marching at night.

When I was older, I realized it was probably just pulsatile tinnitus. Ha!

I was afraid of my sisters. I would have liked a monster for protection.

One punishment we used for our daughter when she was relatively little (I think she was 5 or 6) was to have her go and stay in the garage. She was too short to reach the light switch.

I was reminded of that recently. She told me that would scare the living daylights out of her. I felt so bad…

@crazyguy
That is the same thing that Enabran Tain did to Elim Garak. The latter developed claustrophobia.

@ragingloli I do not mind admitting that I had to look up Enabran Tain. I do not know if my daughter suffers from claustrophobia; I do!

@crazyguy: That’s a really mean punishment.

@crazyguy That is really a cruel, and possibly traumatizing thing to do to a child. What the hell???

@jca2 In retrospect I agree. At the time I did not think it through. I think I felt that she would not just cower in the dark, but would figure out a way to turn the light on.

Snakes. For me if always snakes.