WARNING: DO NOT IMMERSE IN WATER.

I don't like swimming, and I'm not a beach bum. In fact, I have a fairly moderate fear of water. I also happen to live on an island. 

Oddly enough, some of my favourite movies growing up were Jaws and Piranha. Actually, now that I think about it, quite a few of my favourite films from childhood contained terrifying water scenes: Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Psycho, Sleepaway Camp, Let's Scare Jessica to Death. Yes, my parents allowed me to watch horror movies from a very young age. A lot of horror movies. But, even The Goonies and Stand By Me (two of my all-time favs) have somewhat scary scenes involving water. Alright, not the same kind of impending doom that the other films project, but ultimately undesirable circumstances in water.  No wonder bath time wasn't all that fun! 

In recent years, I've had this weird vision of a great white shark sneaking up behind me when I turn my back to the shower head, while showering. Strange, I know. Why the shower? I can't explain it. Makes absolutely no sense. It's the most illogical fear. Well, it's not exactly a fear--I know a shark isn't going to somehow morph into a silver fish and find its way into my bathroom, but the image itself still startles me. 

What is it about the water that causes so much anxiety? It's not just me that's terrified. Think about the films I listed above. Some of them aren't even about killer creatures from the depths, but rather just contain scenes that generally make you want to stay dry. Maybe it just makes sense cinematically; shots in water are fun to film and usually look pretty cool. Come to think of it, I've written a few short stories that have scary water scenes. Hmm. Of course, there's that fear of the unknown. I get that. But when your bathtub and shower become places of mystery and terror, well that just makes you want to let the dirt dwell awhile longer.