Fall is filled with many aesthetically pleasing things: golden light, red and orange leaves, and long days. However, with scary decorations, movies, and college applications, October truly is a month filled with fright. Fright manifests itself differently to everyone, leaving most with unique fears. 

Zipporah Gaskill’s biggest fear that first came to mind was her family dying. After much careful thought and consideration she revised her answer to be “sharks.” She is an avid surf bro and is scared of encountering them while in the ocean. 

If Gaskill was unfortunate enough to encounter one while surfing she would “punch it in the face, probably.” 

Although Gaskill fears coming upon a shark accidentally, she would not be opposed to studying them from the safety of a cage-like enclosure. 

“I really don’t like their teeth, their beady little eyes creep me out too,” Gaskill said. 

Gaskill is extremely terrified of sharks but does not feel a need for vengeance for their existence. 

“I understand that they exist and I don’t blame them for that. Everybody makes mistakes sometimes (even mother nature).” 

The marine realm seems to be a common thread throughout the fears of Humboldt dwellers, beloved economics and government teacher Adam Pinkerton is afraid of deep water. One would think that this fear possibly stemmed from an inability to survive in water that is higher than the waste but Pinkerton shot down this hypothesis. 

“I can swim fine,” Pinkerton assured me. “It’s a combination of the deep water and you can’t see what’s underneath you.” 

This fear has made a big impact in Pinkerton’s life, preventing him from participating in certain stoke-filled activities. “My wife bought me a surfboard and I tried to go out and started hyperventilating.”

 Although Pinkerton can frolic in the deep-end of the Arcata Community Pool with the best of them, he will not be joining The Frothers anytime soon. 

Senior Aiden Hasselquist is afraid of becoming blind. This fear has not stemmed from the recent reading of Oedipus in AP Literature, but from the fact that “It would just suck being blind.” If Hasselquist somehow ended up blind, he “would miss seeing nature.” This fear could stem from the fact that Aiden is an avid surfer and spends large quantities of his time in nature enjoying the breathtaking views. 

Though many of these fears are bearable (just don’t go swimming Pinkerton), today is the pinnacle of Spooktober, and your biggest fear might be a little more common. So, dear reader, watch out, check your back, and take care that you don’t come face to face with fright this Halloween.