The Elephant Man
Yes, John Merrick, and his name is prolly as misspelled as my excuse for the word probably, but he's creeped me out for so long and so deeply that I'm to freaked out to look him up. I don't care if it's misspelled.
I remember hearing about Mr. Merrick for the first time as my sister told the plot of the movie "The Elephant Man" to my siblings and I one dark and boring saturday night. There I was, pressed against the side of the love seat clung to every word she said with the rest of my siblings who were sprinkled around the room also rapt in amazement. No one saw me loosing it slowly to my self near the couch under blankets that didn't do their job of protecting me from anything. I think they rather enjoyed them selves really, while every shred of reason I might have possessed slipped out of me like a litter of aborted puppies.
Later, when ever there was any mention of anything that could remind me of his existence the same horror popped back into my head all jack-in-the-box style and knocked me around. An elephant, a long tube of anything, other malformed people, anything. The movie mask was way off limits after that, and I don't I was the same for a while. Or ever. Hell, even, typing the title of this segment was a feat, Eeeeh....
Being Alone
Most nights. I would stay in my bed and watch a version of the same nightmare replay in my lil tiny Tony head until I was too petrified to leave it for any reason.
Yah, it was the same everytime. I'd do something I had to do and in the process I'd take my eyes off of whomever I was with, typically it was my mom (which is hilarious now since we don't hang out very much at all anymore), and when I turned back she'd be gone. I'd be alone in my house at the bathroom sink, on a bus driving through some terrible part of the city, in a field with tall grass and mangled trees and I'd loose total control of my body. When I woke up I'd be to petrified to move no matter what the reason. I learned to live with the consequences until I got braver.
Kinda explains my social addiction now that I think of it. Gotta work on these things...
Ok here goes. Here's a pic of the "E" man.... nope no, I can't do it. Hmm.. anyone who's into childhood fears should go borrow (from me) or buy the graphic novel "Squee". The writer Johnan Vasques who is also the creator of Johnny the Homicidal Maniac and Invader Zim a once popular children's show on Nickoloden and the forever after decoration of goth children who adore cute things to this day. The Squee book is about all those fears made more real and dangerous than they could ever be. It's effin' funny, and really cute.
Squee
Missing Image ;(
go buy it here or ask me to borrow it sometime.
What on earth is an elephant man?! A person with elephantiasis?
I was also terrified of the elephant man.
Pretty much. Aren't you afraid of turning into things that aren't cool. Not, that elephants aren't cool, well most times they live in warm climats...you know what I mean.
So your childhood fear was that you would turn into an elephant if you were left alone?