Everyday feels more fatalistic than last. It is hard to know what to do in the days to come. Minute to minute over information is drowning in the under current of COVID-19 coverage. Staying current on the news does not seem to help the situation, and not following it leaves you out in the cold. So, what’s a girl to do after she’s already exhausted the grocery stores and been laid off the for foreseeable future?
It is good to remind yourself: you are not alone. There are so many people going through the same thing right now. The future seems so out of reach from the present. The future has always been unknowable, and it makes no sense to start worrying about it right now. The future is always scary and uncertain–even in the best of times. I think the battle worth fighting right now, is getting correct information and focusing on what is within your control.
With the spirit of “I’m going to give you something to cry about,” I’d like to welcome the new nightmare on the block: Phobias.
For me focusing on what I can control helps me get through a situation. This world has been hot mess for a long time, so why not leave this one? Creating new stories helps me see a tangible item of that control. Even if it is not great, I still feel accomplished. It can only be bad once. It is something that I can shape and reshape a million times, and still get what I’m partially looking for each time. A story is something I can share with others and offer as a distraction to these current times. It is an idea that once given life, it cannot be killed. And besides, sometimes having something new to worry about is a welcomed relief to the current fear and anxiety. With the spirit of “I’m going to give you something to cry about,” I’d like to welcome the new nightmare on the block: Phobias.
It’s an old-y but a goody. Phobias are a kaleidoscope of primal and learned fears. Everyone is a little afraid of something. It cannot be helped. We are creatures who have a collective subconscious where we learned to survived as a community. Certain things have seeped into behind the veil of our waking thoughts, that make us weary of things that crawl, slither, or sting. Most people will not test to see how deadly nightshade is, we see it and avoid it. Most people do not need to test this information first-hand but accept it as fact automatically. Being that I love things that go “Bump,” in the night, this allows me to share something new idea on some old tropes.
The agenda: each week, for 13 weeks, I will be posting a new short or flash fiction story focusing on a different phobia. Each will be self-contained, and a bite sized piece of the weird, the horrifying, and the dangerous. I will start with the specific phobia and a brief description of what it is.These will be all horror stories about what people are afraid of. Please exercise your better judgement. All stories will be stand-alone with no continuity to each other.
If you have a suggestion for a phobia, please send it to me! I love hearing your ideas and comments. Good or bad they all feel the same in a way.
Stay well and Stay weird.
RE Bunch 