Clocks are not usually considered very sinister; they are such a common part of our everyday lives that we don't see anything wrong with them - unfortunately I have a phobia of clocks, specifically the old-fashioned clocks with hands... to be more accurate, I have a phobia of ticking.
The ticking of clock hands drives me crazy, makes me break into a cold sweat and often run out of a room - the phobia has gotten so bad I have considered seeking therapy but when I ask my friends most of them either laugh at me or tell me I should simply confront the fear and be done with it.
Yet as I sit alone in my locked bedroom, listening to the ticking of a clock sitting nearby, I feel myself regretting the decision to listen to said friends - I can feel my heart beating in my chest and I desperately try to block out the sound that seems to drill into my skull.
Then it happens, in a flash I am greeted with an image of a naked man sitting in the corner of my room, his skin a sickly shade of blue and covered in what appeared to be burns in the shape of Roman numerals - the figure has no face to speak of, instead he has a horrible clockface that reminds me at once of how my phobia began. The ticking ringing in my ears as the figure gets to his feet and sways from side to side.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
My memories go back to when I was very young, listening to my mom and dad argue in the next room as I lay in my bed - a clock on the wall ticking away. After a few minutes the sounds of my parents arguing faded as the clock began to play its infernal tune in my mind, a sense of terror running down my spine.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Looking to the corner of my room, which had a small night light at the time, I saw a figure in the dark and my young mind instantly wanted to scream - yet I was frozen, almost as if in a trance as the horrible figure rose and started to sway, showing that clockface where a human would have a mouth and eyes.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Finally my young self let out a terrible scream and the figure disappeared like a phantom as my parents entered the room - they tried to comfort me but the damage had been done. All I could hear was that ticking. That horrific sound worse than any nightmare...
Now, in the present, I don't have my parents to rescue me nor do I have anywhere to run as the monster from my childhood begins to make its way over to me - the ticking only getting worse as it moves in an awkward fashion, continually swaying as its neck seems to barely be capable of supporting the clock that appears to make up its head.
I struggle to keep myself from screaming out as I shake uncontrollably, then everything turns black as I finally pass out, the last thing I hear is the ticking.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
When I open my eyes I find myself in a new room with white walls, after a few moments I realize I am in a hospital bed and a nurse looks me over - she informs me I had been found locked in my room by a friend and I would have to stay for a little while as the doctors did some tests.
I simply nod and begin to relax as I close my eyes a little, relieved to finally be free - I had faced my fears, surely that was enough...
Yet it only took me a few moments to open my eyes again as I heard a familiar ticking, glancing up at a clock on the wall - the nurse left the room and I felt a cold sweat run down me once more as I was left staring at that clock.. the ticking continuing until I felt a presence in the corner of the room.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
