Why Are We Still Afraid of the Dark?

   At twenty-three years old you’d think that I wouldn’t be afraid of the dark, and you’d be right- most of the time. But there are times when I turn off the hallway light and find my feet hurdling me toward the safety and light of my bedroom. It isn’t a constant occurrence, but it does happen from time to time, and from talking to some of my friends, it happens to them too.

   I remember when I was ten years old, I went to a friend’s birthday party, and the group of us stayed up late and watched “Nightmare On Elm Street” (Shh, don’t tell my parents). It didn’t seem to bother any of my friends, but it terrified me. For months, I was afraid of just about everything. When showering, I would constantly look around the shower curtain, making sure nothing was coming after me, but nighttime was the worst. For a long time, I had a terrible time getting to sleep. Every time the lights went out I imagined the horribly scarred face of Freddy Kruger coming after me.

   The experience didn’t really curb my enthusiasm for the rush of scary movies and I’m still a fan today. I can manage my fear a little better than I used to, but there are still times when I turn out the lights and imagine something from scary movies past and have to make a run for it. Am I alone in this strange phenomenon? I doubt it.

   When I get scared, it’s not really about anything that is real or that could actually happen to me, but about the creepies and crawlies in the movies I watch. I’m sure that if I didn’t watch them, I would always be okay with the dark. I’m curious about what my readers think about the dark. Do any of you suffer from a fear of darkness? If so, tell us about it, and maybe we can try to explain it.