Things that go bump in the night.....

It seems that we all had our childhood fears, some of clowns, which baffles me as I always think Red Skelton, some of creepy crawly things, and some of things that go bump in the night. One of my best friends never let her children watch The Wizard of Oz because of the flying monkeys. A big a chicken as I was growing up, they never bothered me much. Sure the part where they swoop down and carry Dorothy off was a bit frightening, but I was much more afraid of whatever lurked in the open closet, or under the bed with the dust bunnies. True confession time here, I would take a running leap unto my bed at night to avoid the grasping hands I just knew were waiting for me right under the edge of the bed. Oh yes, as chubby as I was, I could jump quite far if scared enough. Having a weak bladder didn't help any as I often woke up in the middle of the night with a need to make a potty run. I would lay there until I had listened intently enough to make sure there was nothing out there, and then step waaaay off the end of the bed and tip toe quickly to the bathroom. When I came back, I would stop at my normal launching spot, take a deep breath and jump. I was also careful to not let my hands or feet get too close to the edge of the bed as I lay there. What would stop me from leaving the bed for a very long time was when the closet door was open. The images you conjure up when you are trying to peer into the darkness can be quite frightening, but I would listen as well. If I didn't hear anything, the coast was clear. What was your biggest fear when you were growing up? Did the flying monkeys frighten you?