this post was submitted on 31 Dec 2024
106 points (98.2% liked)

Casual Conversation

1862 readers
603 users here now

Share a story, ask a question, or start a conversation about (almost) anything you desire. Maybe you'll make some friends in the process.


RULES

Casual conversation communities:

Related discussion-focused communities

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Mom hung a mass produced art print on my bedroom wall when I was about 8. It's of a little girl holding her puppy.

oil painting titled Miss Bowles and her dog by Joshua Reynolds

Cute, right?

Thing is, this painting terrified me. And I was raised in the time where you just kind of swallowed any complaints and didn't bother mom or dad with kid foolishness.

Here is a copy of the thing I actually had hanging on my wall. This same frame. Probably came from Service Merchandise or some such.

larger crop of the same work of art

What in the everloving hell is lurking just over her shoulder?!?! To me it always looked like a skull wearing a hat on the side of his head, like a little old timey jaunty hat a clown would wear.

It's a wonder I got any sleep. I was too afraid to tell mom I hated it. I never considered that I possessed the agency to take it off my wall and hide it at the bottom of the closet.

I think of this cursed painting still.

Did you ever have something in your childhood that unnecessarily scared the bejeezus out of you?

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] GluWu@lemm.ee 6 points 6 days ago

I found this little metal globe thing(appears to be a necklace charm), that has some rings or chimes inside that make sound, buried in the dirt when I was really young. I always thought of it as some type of luck charm. But it brought bad luck first and then good luck. Like if you rang it something bad would happen soon, but then something good would happen. Have never been able to get rid of it, it just stays with my stuff anywhere I move. I still have it 20+ years later.