Looking stupid in front of others. Being rejected. Being looked at. Having something on my mouth. People not understanding what I’m saying.
Clowns. Clowns. Art the Clown. Momo. Mascots.
Centipedes. Rats. Being eaten by rats. Spiders. Spiders. Bugs—all of them—spiders are the worst. Frogs. Sharks. Fake People.
The ocean. The ocean. The deep ocean. What is down there?
Tsunamis.
Heights. Dark matter. Black holes. The silence of space.
Asteroids. Airplane crash. Floods. Bridge collapse. Bridges with water under them. Drowning.
Getting kidnapped. Being killed violently. Being shot. Going broke. Doing the wrong thing in relationships.
My mom’s rage. My mom dying. My dad coming back to life.
Kids. Losing my kids.
Veins.
Hair.
Bones.
Buttholes.
Being loved long term.
Claustrophobia.
Failure.
Never finding a job.
Failure.
Not being good enough.
Not being smart enough no matter how hard I try.
Failure.
I'm afraid that I will never change.
Losing all my Pokémon.
Being judged. Being judged. Being forgotten.
Sickness that is out of the person's control.
Loss of autonomy.
Having a colostomy bag.
Being in a car wreck, then being trapped, and then having to pee while lying there.
Falling down the steps and ripping my piercings out.
Losing memory. Losing self.
Not being able to contact my loved ones.
Being forgotten by the people I care about.
Infertility.
Being alone in a room in an empty house.
Dying alone.
The dark or what’s in the dark.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Written collaboratively by Professor John Branscum’s Fall 2025 classes at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in response to the prompt "What scares you?" Contributors: Hannah Apgar, Haley Baird, Paige Baughman, Ryan Beckering, Bryden Briggs, River Brinkman, Wren Buchheit, Julia Misseli-Bush, Lia Claxton, Rachel Coldiron, Gospel Coombs, Destiny Cramer, Johnathan Cramer, Keely Cugini, Evie Dame, Sarah Detwiler, Grace Fette, Alana Fidei, Jared Giesen, Madison Gramling, Anasia Gurley, Allison Hahs Emma Helmick, Abby Hockensmith, Eliah Houck, Solomon Johnston, Kaitlyn Keller, Gracie Kirkpatrick, Emily Kline, Sophia Kovalcik, Josie Kuhn, Carter Kuntz, Donald Lawrence, Maya Marshall, Israt Momo, Jill Montag, Sydney Moyer, Vera Mucovic, Eliana Nardozza, Savannah Pence, Christopher Plyler, Abby Proctor, Lily Rivera, Adela Schrecengost, Megan Sharrar, Macey Sleppy, Molly Sisitki, Kendra Small, Echo Sollon, Lucia Ugarte, Ander Willis, Anthony Williams, Alivia Yahner