(WT#8) (Day 4) What was the most frightening experience of your life?

I know this may be a bit too intimate a question for some, so only answer if you want to. Please, I don't want to be the cause of re-experiencing any traumatic memories.

I guess I decided to write this topic because I thought it might be somewhat cathartic.

For me, it has to be the night when our house was broken into at 2 in the morning. I remember hearing two men fighting outside in our front yard, I was only partially awake, and went back to sleep as soon as the ruckus stopped.
Suddenly, I was awoken when our dog let out the most vicious, blood-curdling, murderous chain of snarls and barks I had ever heard her produce (she has a shy, quiet temperament). Then there was a bang like a gunshot, it was our back door getting kicked in, followed by the crash of glass being shattered, and our dog whimpering. Terrified, I ran into my parent's room, to find my father already awake, his eyes wild, wielding a heavy flashlight. He motioned for me to be quiet, and my mother and I watched as he fearlessly went downstairs.

My heart was beating so fast, I thought it would burst in my chest... I could hardly breathe. My mother immediately called 911, and I stood frozen in terror as I heard my father let out a battle cry, screaming like a possessed animal. Then, there was the sound of a body hitting the floor, feet scuffling, things crashing. My father's voice rising and rising. I thought my life would end right at that moment.

Yells in response came, a strange, drunken voice, claiming that this was his house, and he had locked himself out. My father had subdued him, pinning his body to the ground. The police arrived, handcuffed the man, and took him out.
When I finally came downstairs, my father sat on the kitchen counter as my mom picked shards of glass out of his bare feet. His eyes were still wild, body high on adrenaline. I don't think I stopped shaking for hours afterwards, when I cried and hugged my brothers in relief. They had smartly stayed hidden in their rooms through the entire ordeal.

Well, it turns out that the intruder was a teenager who lived next door to us, stoned out of his mind, thinking that our house was his... coming home angrily after a fight with his friend. He was lucky that he escaped my father unharmed.

God, even recounting this story for all of you has brought tears to my eyes. I feel alot better for sharing it, though.

(Now you can see why the movie Signs affected me so much.)

 

Wow Meg, that is a very intense experience. I'm glad you feel you can share something like that with us.

I can definitely see how Signs would effect you more strongly in light of that.

I actually had a similar experience when I was very young but it involved a crazed ex-boyfriend of my mom's and my dad protecting both of us. It's kind of a fuzzy memory but definitley was one of the most frightening experiences of my life. I'm not sure if I can say that it was the most frightening though, I've also come very close to drowning a couple times.

 

I definitely feel comfortable with enough with all of you guys to share such an experience with. I haven't told many people about that night...

I consider myself a pretty good swimmer, but there is nothing more terrifying than feeling like drowning. I had someone hold me under water so long that I almost passed out, once. That was also quite horrifying.

 

Oh yeah, that is horrible, such a helpless feeling. You can't cry out and if you kick and splash the person can think you're just playing.

 

Ooh, incidents like that can be quite traumatic, Meg. The sudden chaos, you feel like it's the world coming to an end. How old were you then?

"my father sat on the kitchen counter as my mom picked shards of glass out of his bare feet"

Now that can be nasty. I had it some time ago. Rosie did it for me, and it took hours; she even used a flashlight to locate the smallest fragments because I kept feeling them.

But the most frightening experience -- I'll have to think about that, and I'm in a bit of a hurry, so I'll answer that one later today.

 

That's an amazing story, Meg. I'm glad no one got badly hurt.

I don't have many frightening experiences to tell and I can't remember being terrified, but there was one time when my family was on holidays at this beautiful gorge. We were walking around the top lip of it and there was a bit jutting out to the side and I foolishly climbed out there for a better look. Well, there was loose dust there and I slipped. And if I hadn't dropped to the ground, rather than let gravity take me where I'd fall, I wouldn't be here today.

 

Kerr, my greatest phobia is of heights... your story sent chills down my spine. I'm so glad you're okay.

Casper, it actually happened last summer when I was visiting my family in Canada. I have never missed my hubby's company so acutely.