Phobophobia A Horror Anthology

Ophthalmophobia - Fear of being stared at

Ophthalmophobia - Fear of being stared at

Mina was a quiet girl, pale and rather small for her age. Her hair fell in dark waves all about her. She wore simple clothing. She was unremarkable in most ways, except for her eyes. Mina's eyes were large, round and startlingly green. Harry thought they looked like two snake eye marbles, the kind he played pitch with. 

Harry hated those eyes as every time he turned they were on him. Mina sat behind him in every class and within sight of him every recess and lunchtime. It seemed her gaze never left him. Every time he turned, glancing over his shoulder, there she was, staring at him, with those large green orbs. He had tried to speak to her a few times but all he elicited were several mute nods, a consistently blank expression and her signature unwavering stare. With each attempt, he had become more and more annoyed and his annoyance eventually became tinged with fright. Why did she stare at him so? What was she thinking? What was she plotting? She stared at no one else.  

Mina and Harry had been friends when they were even younger. Mina had been less strange and Harry had been less unkind. They used to go to the park and Harry would push Mina on the swings, obeying her demands to go higher and higher. Harry sighed as he shut his locker. He was leaving school late after swim practice. Mina had sat on a bench near the pool, gazing at him the entire time. The coach had not even bothered to reprimand her. Harry grumbled to himself as he walked home alone in the fading light. Mina was trailing behind him. Apparently she had taken to following him around now. He quickened his pace and so did she. He got home and slammed the door in her face. He trudged up the stairs to his room and slammed that door shut too. The noise alerted his mother.

"Harry?" she called, opening the door cautiously and peeking in.

"Yeah?" he said.

His mother frowned at him, asking "Was that really necessary?"

"Sorry, mom, for the noise, I'm just upset, that's all," he said.

"What about?" his mother asked.

"You know, Mina, she won't stop-" he began. 

"Harry," his mother said sternly, "You have to stop this. I know how hard it is for you but..."

"But she won't leave me alone!" whined Harry.

His mother nodded absently and shut the door. She went down to the kitchen and began vigorously chopping up some vegetables for dinner. Her husband came in.

"You need to speak to your son," she told him in a serious tone. 

"What now?" he asked exasperatedly.

"He won't stop with this Mina thing," she said, her eyes filling with tears, "I don't want him to end up-"

"All right, all right, I understand," he said, "I'll speak to him and maybe get someone else for him to talk to. A professional. You can't be too hard on the kid, Darling. Mina was his best friend. He probably just misses her. And he probably blames himself for her falling off that swing. Must have been horrible for him to see it all happen. They say her neck snapped and her eyes bugged out of her head-"

"Stop!" she said.

Harry's father held his arms up in defeat. His wife looked livid. He sauntered up the stairs and knocked on the door of Harry's bedroom but Harry did not open the door. 

Harry was too busy, looking out the window. Mina was there, her legs dangling in the open air. She had levitated to the height of the second floor. She hovered there, in her dirt-smeared, blood-stained simple clothing with her pale face and great orb-like eyes, just staring at him.