Sleeping with the Light On

Most people that know me, know that I'm a huge pansy. Especially when it comes to the cinema. I have a weak stomache for violence. And by a weak stomache, I mean that I get nightmares. Horrible nightmares. And it's not only violence. As a child I was even scared of E.T. (I just didn't trust him. You shouldn't let something that can move his head up and down like that, and can make his finger and belly glow into your house. If those guys in the scary white suits are willing to break into your house to save you from him then maybe you should hand the freaky thing over. And when he left, I wasn't relieved. I just thought he was leaving to get his friends together before coming back to finally turn that glowy finger against us.) And Jurassic Park. Just the idea that somebody could get hurt throws me over the edge. I just can't handle it.

But every once in a while, out of curiosity, I'll gather my bravery and see a scary movie. Alfred Hitchcock made me curious and I've watched several of his films. They gave me nightmares but his movies were pretty and more suspenseful and creepy than violent. And now Mr. Shyamalan evokes that same curiosity. Out of prodding and promises from friends that they'll warn me so I'll never see blood, I have seen The Sixth Sense, Signs, and Unbreakable. And although the first two were scary enough to give me nightmares, I decided to go see The Village.

I spent half of the movie whimpering in Kat's lap. And the first ten minutes home searching all the dark corners of our apartment. And almost two hours watching happy, funny television in hopes that those things would be in my dreams instead of the few scenes I had actually looked up to see between my fingers that were over my eyes during the movie. But even with that "Happy Bedtime Prep" I still had to sleep with my lights on. I had to do what I've done for years when I was too scared to sleep. I went to my happy place. I pictured myself waiting in line at Splash Mountain, getting into the log, wandering through the ride, listening to the happy music, going down the big waterfall and laughing through the splashes and then getting off and moving on to another ride until I fall asleep smiling. I can usually do that and be happy even in the dark. But not last night. Last night I had to sleep with the light on.