Are you afraid of the dark?

[Amanda P]

I'm not scared of the dark, but...

There used to be a spot near my mum's place where it was easy to watch badgers. I went there one night years ago. I sat for half an hour or so to see if any would come out. They didn't, and there was complete, utter, dead silence.

All of a sudden, something blew vigorously down the back of my neck and blew a raspberry loudly.

I spontaneously rose about a foot in the air and came down with a bump. I may have sworn.

A horse had been quietly standing looking over the hedge behind me all the time, but I hadn't seen it in the gloom - until it blew down my neck. I swear it was giggling.

Part of my work involves radio-tracking things at night, and we get our sandwich students to help with this. We use head torches, which are great, but do have a tendency to light up the eyes of passing hares, deer, sheep, foxes, etc. This tends to spook students no end. All good fun - after all, you don't have to admit that you know exactly what is glaring at them out the night, and that it's a rabbit.

One night when tracking, during a tea break, my colleague told me he'd been standing in the corner of a wheat field and heard somthing rustling coming towards him. It sounded exactly like another person approaching, he said, but he couldn't see anyone. The rustling had gone on for ten minutes or so, passing close to him, and then moved away again. He looked quite white and shaken.

During the next session, the animal I was tracking went into the same field. Sure enough, I heard something rustling approaching me through the wheat, but I couldn't see anything. I'll admit that the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as the rustling came closer and closer, then stopped. There was a snuffling sound, and then a little black and white striped face peered round the corner of the tramline at me. I peered back, and the badger and I stood there staring at each other for a couple of minutes, until the badger snorted, turned round and trotted off, rustling through the wheat as it went.

When my dog gets spooked at night, it usually turns out to be a badger...

 

[Noodley]

....heard somthing rustling coming towards him. It sounded exactly like another person approaching, he said, but he couldn't see anyone. The rustling had gone on for ten minutes or so, passing close to him, and then moved away again. He looked quite white and shaken.

Someone out walking eating a bag of salt'n'shake crisps?

always an easy explanation....

 

[buggi]

i thought i would be but the other night my sister said she saw a badly injured fox dragging itself on its belly into the woods nearby. so we both headed down there to have a look, i got there first (she was on a paramedic job so she phoned me to deal with it, and then came back!). ended up with 3 of us trapsing round different areas of the wood with crap torches, it seemed spooky at first but once i was in there, even tho i could only hear sis and her mate in the background, it wasn't as spooky as i thought. it's more spooky looking into a wood at night than it is actually being in there.

the owl wasn't too impressed tho that we were spoiling his hunting.

after half hour i said to my sis, "so how bad was it, like really dragging itself?" and she said, "not really, it was moving quite fast".

i just looked at her in despair and said, "well, it's probably fecking miles away by now init, you prat!" and we came home.

so no, i suppose i'm not scared of the dark, altho i think when you are with other people and they are spooked, it rubs off on you. if your dog gets spooked its even worse.

 

[Noodley]

Townies!

<Private Fraser: The tale of the auld empty barn....>

 

[Noodley]

Oooooh the scary deer

 

[Keith Oates]

Uncle Phil, the horse dribbling down your neck really made me laugh out loud. Now I have a problem trying to explain to a Vietnam person, who's English is limited, why I was laughing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Mortiroloboy]

My mum always offered this sage advice to me and my brother as kids
" There's nothing there in the dark, that isn't there in the light".
The dark per se doesn't worry me. where I am at the time may be a factor though.

 

[Mr Phoebus]

Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?

 

[Norv]

View: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=28GaKoCuobU



I am a man who walks alone
And when I'm walking a dark road
At night or strolling through the park

When the light begins to change
I sometimes feel a little strange
A little anxious when it's dark.

Fear of the dark,fear of the dark
I have constant fear that something's always near
Fear of the dark,fear of the dark
I have a phobia that someone's always there

Have you run your fingers down the wall
And have you felt your neck skin crawl
When you're searching for the light ?
Sometimes when you're scared to take a look
At the corner of the room
You've sensed that something's watching you.

Have you ever been alone at night
Thought you heard footsteps behind
And turned around and no-one's there ?
And as you quicken up your pace
You find it hard to look again
Because you're sure there's someone there

Watching horror films the night before
Debating witches and folklore
The unknown troubles on your mind
Maybe your mind is playing tricks
You sense,and suddenly eyes fix
On dancing shadows from behind.

Fear of the dark, fear of the dark
I have a constant fear, thought you heard
Fear of the dark, fear of the dark
I have a phobia that someone's always there.

When I'm walking a dark road
I am a man who walks alone