When I was younger, I used to be afraid of the monsters under my bed. But, hey,
isn't every kid? Aren't we all afraid of the shadows that pass our windows, the
strange creaking in the attic, the closet door that slowly opens on its own at
some point? Its a natural emotion that's engraved into our heads from birth,
with stories of ghosts, goblins, and ghouls. Even on Halloween, a holiday in
which every autumn we like to scare the bejeezus out of kids who go door to door
looking for free candy. So it becomes unavoidable that fear has a constant
presence in our lives.
When you grow up, that fear doesn't go away. Sure,
you can sleep the night away without worrying about the creepy crawlies that
will eat you while you slumber, but the fear is still there, just different.
For example, I have an AP US test next week, and I'm scared I'll fail. My mom
is afraid of rare disease, and my dad dislikes spiders. What do all of those
things have in common? They are "The Unknown". People are afraid of things that
they don't understand or that are different to things they are comfortable with.
This phenomenon is the root cause of discrimination and hate. It drives kids to
spend nights studying and not sleeping. It drives scientists to perform
experiments and seek out answers to difficult questions. And it's the reason
that as a child, you hide under the covers and keep a flashlight under your
pillow.
But what if you had a close encounter with one of these "Unknowns"?
What if they things that go bump in the night were real? How would you survive?
Would you run, or would you stand and fight? It all really depends on how scared
you are I suppose. But let me tell you, nothing can prepare you for the
impossible. Bigfoot, The Yeti, and the Loch Ness Monster. They aren't real. Or
are they? How do you know? Where's the proof? Have you ever seen one? Or
experienced something you couldn't explain? Are you afraid of the dark?
You
should be.
Because the monsters are real, but they aren't under your
bed.
They're everywhere.