Are you afraid of the Dark?

So I was a huge fan of the mundane horror series back in the day. So much that, it used to thrill me to watch the matchstick flicker out! I know, I know!! But to date, ironically, I happen to be one of the biggest wimps of all when it comes to dealing with The Dark. While I've never had monsters-in-the-closet scares (maybe even back then I knew my closet door was too heavy even for a monster to open), I've been reduced to hold-your-breath-in-case-they-hear fears numerous countless times. It still happens sometimes. One time I do remember very vividly. Woke up startled in the middle of the night. It was pitch black. Now I always sleep on my side, and found myself facing the wall, with this low snarlish grumble right behind my ear. (You know usually you see people scream or wakeup vertically straight when they are scared. I never understood that. I would break out in a sweat, freeze in position, breath heavily, or even start trembling, but can never scream when I am scared by a nightmare or sleep related scares as the one I am telling). Anyhow, back to the growling, it was terrifying. 9 or 10 years old at the time, I was imagining this snarling monster near my ear, ready to pounce at the slightest hint of movement. I could even feel its' warm presence heave up and down on the mattress, behind me. So there I was frozen in position, scared to move, scared to breath, waiting for 'it' to go away. "I know there aren't monsters, I know it can't be real, I should just turn and face whatever it is. I can't get out anyway, maybe I can bravetalk to the monster. Maybe I am dreaming". Yep, I actually thought it's better to figure out a way to talk to the monster, than appear scared of it, by screaming. It's these back and forth moments of cowardliness and courage that I always remember later on and think, wimp! So, with all the guts I could muster the little me turns her body round to face the dark green red eyed monster, only to find her beloved grandma sleeping next to her. Snoring. Very loudly and weirdly. Cmon, noone could have guessed that was someone snoring! So I shake her lightly and cosy upto her, and the snoring dims down, and I am a happy puppy again, brave as ever *grin*.

Nowadays, my frights at nights involve thieves. If I wakeup at night at some sound, I tend to go through the whole freeze-in-position dilemma again. The things I imagine at those times, the ways a thief can harm me, my family, if he knows I am awake, are the stuff Hollywood would be proud of. Most of the time, the thief turns out to be the mater, waking up early to do some of her work and going around in the dark, or just noises my house makes (I hope). God forbid, imagine the jitters I would go through if my place was actually robbed ?