Boo!

Ghost Stories 

"Shall I tell you a story? A new and terrible one? A ghost story? Are you ready? Shall I begin?"

- Libba Bray, A Great and Terrible Beauty

I hate ghost stories! When I was 10 I went on a school trip and the owner of the hotel we were staying at decided to tell us all this a story. It was about a man who's family died in a car crash and then one night at EXACTLY midnight the wife turned up and well I can't remember the rest, but I do remember that I was terrified of midnight for about four years! I'm a total wimp. I can't watch horror/thriller movies and if I even think someone about to tell me a scary story I leave the room... and yet I seem to find myself picking up books that are about ghosts.

Why is it we feel the need to be scared? It doesn't make sense and yet there's this dark, almost seductive pull towards the supernatural that terrifies and enchants us. Maybe it's the fact in my head I keep thinking how much I loved Casper - so ghost's can't be that scary can they? And then I'm surprised when I put down a book or finish watching Supernatural and I'm sleeping with the lights on.

All of this is out of context for me though, because I don't believe in ghosts. I don't believe in other dimensions or gods... Zombie Apocalypse is totally plausible, but ghosts? Nope, sorry I'm not buying it. And yet my imagination runs wild with these stories and I'm able to freak myself out over something I fully believe doesn't exist. I'm not going to lie I said Bloody Mary three times in front of a mirror when I was about 8 and was more than a little worried when I turned 21 I'd look into a mirror and die. For the record I'm fine, 21 and breathing!

So what I guess I'm wondering is am I the only one? And why do we feel the need to make ourselves scared? I mean, you're not going to walk down a dark ally in the middle of  a dodgy area in the city late at night for kicks are you? Well I hope you're not... and if you are? Please stop it's really not safe! So if anyone has any plausible answers please feel free to enlighten me because I'd really like to know!