“Nooooooooooo!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.
“Jane! Stop making a scene!” my mom reprimanded me. We were at Barnes and Noble, the store that I dreaded going to, because it housed something that I was deadly afraid of. It was the most evil, dangerous thing known to humankind - the escalator!
I’m not exactly sure when this ridiculous, obsessive fear blossomed into existence. I’m not even sure why. All I know is that I would go to any lengths to avoid setting foot on that death trap. One time, when I was about six years old, I was at the King of Prussia Mall with my mom and my grandmom. I screamed, cried, and kicked, refusing to go near the escalator. Eventually, my mom caved in and took me up the elevator. However, she was so embarrassed that she realized my fear needed to come to an end.
After several unsuccessful trips to a variety of two-story shopping centers, my mom put her foot down.
“Jane! I am going to take you to Barnes and Noble tomorrow. Once we get there, if you go up and down the escalator a couple times before we leave, we will go to Wendy’s and get Frosties to celebrate!”
The next evening, mom drove me to the dreaded store. The entire ride there I was completely petrified, my heart pounding in my ears. My stomach was filled with anxious butterflies. Once we got there, I thought I was going to throw up.
'I can’t do this,’ I thought to myself. But the promise of a delicious, ice cold Frosty was too tempting. I hesitantly stepped onto the moving stairs. Slowly, my nervousness subsided.
‘This isn’t so bad. In fact, it is really fun!’ I realized.
I went up and down many times and enjoyed it very much. I tried running up and down, I experimented with standing still and letting the escalator carry me up, and I even attempted to hop up every other step. I was amazed at what I had been missing. My mom was watching me the whole time, practically glowing with happiness and pride.
Fifteen minutes later, exhausted from escalator riding, it was time to go. I was eager to get my well-earned Frosty, but first I made my mom promise that we would revisit Barnes and Noble soon. I had so much fun that I wanted to come back!
We hopped into the car and drove to Wendy’s. The cold, sweet taste of the chocolatety and flavorful milkshake was the perfect reward for conquering my fear.
Fears, Fits, and Frosties
By Jane M.