HM: Ten Thousand Fears by Joseph Kelly

“Of the ten thousand fears that plague mankind, which is the most frightful? Which one disturbs more thoughts and which haunts more dreams? Is it the carnival spook house, the late- night horror movie, the number 13? No, not these. They are far too mundane. 

“What of our primordial fear of the dark where all forms of evil lurk in shadow, or that of solitude when we are vulnerable to all manner of foe? Is it fear of extremes, those built into our psyche to save us from an icy winter cold or the depthless ocean where unknown terrors dwell beneath. Or the unnumbered dangers of nature, passed by word through the eons, from quagmires that suck down the unwary, and volcanic eruptions without warning, to flashes of lightning cast down from Olympian heights. 

“Perhaps instead, it numbers among those fantasies we create ourselves from imagination. Monsters of myth and spirits of legend, undying vampires of folk tales, werewolves stalking arboreal depths, a troll hidden beneath the well-worn bridge. Rather is it something more grounded in reality, like awaiting the doctor’s diagnosis. 

“Or does the fear need to be more palpable to really scare like news of a serial killer on the loose. Or is fear most visceral when it is the truly unsettling type like the thought of being buried alive, the babysitter who keeps getting calls only to discover they came from inside the house, or that reoccurring appearance of the deranged clown unfit for any circus. And should we not all fear what is ultimately disastrous, the end of all humanity? 

“Nuclear annihilation, a super-virus escaping the lab, or the destruction of earth itself by means of a mega meteor. Is this not the ultimate fear, this sword of Damocles, that each of us must endure?” 

“For the last time, I don’t know!” I screamed into the phone. “Why do you keep calling me? And who are you?” 

“You still haven’t figured it out? The greatest fear is the unknown,” replied the disembodied voice with a maniacal cackle, as the line went dead.