Sometimes nightmares can be so clear that we don't escape them for minutes after we awaken.

This was my experience Saturday morning.

Since my high school days I have often woke up in a panic because of a recurring nightmare.

I always reappear in high school preparing for a football game with our arch rivals the Marengo Longhorns.

I get all ready to suit up when I discover I don't have any of my equipment

I rush from the locker room to my house and tear my closet and laundry room apart until I have every item.

But by the time I get back to the stadium the game is over.

This nightmare has haunted me for almost 10 years.

Many mornings I have found myself half conscious digging through my closet.

Having this nightmare at the age of 27 worried me.

Was this some kind of message? Was I the only one who had recurring nightmares from their youth?

Thankfully, the answer was no.

I was given three responses from friends that made my nightmare seem pretty mild.

One person said that they had nightmares about being chased by the Michelin Man.

He said throughout his youth he woke up in a cold sweat because this bubbly monster was in hot pursuit.

I had always thought of this character as pretty harmless. But this person said that the Michelin Man still caused him quite a bit of unrest.

The next odd response I got was about the Dr. Seuss foot book.

These nightmares had passed this person by, but she could clearly remember them from her youth.

It seems that the feet would come right out of the book and chase her all over her home.

These nightmares continued throughout her elementary school years.

The foot book was yet another item that I had once considered harmless.

The Cat in the Hat always seemed sort of scary, but not serious enough to trigger nightmares.

The last odd response that I got was about clowns.

I have known countless people that were afraid of clowns.

But, I had never really heard of anyone having nightmares about them.

She said that ever since seeing Stephen King's It on television she had been haunted by the evil clown in her dreams.

These nightmares were very detailed and even scared me while I was awake.

She said that she has woken up in a sprint through her house trying to escape the evil clown.

That one made my football nightmare seem pretty tame.

Out of the people I questioned and the responses given I felt normal again.

But I may have created three new nightmares.

From this point on I will be very careful about where I shop for tires, what I read, and what I watch before bedtime.

Because you never know when the Michelin Man may be hiding under your bed.

Rick Couch may be reached at

383-9302, ext. 132 or

via email at rick. couch@greenvilleadvocate.com.