Facing a fear!!!

Today one of my fears came true. 

I was locked, with no way out and no one to hear me, in a freezer.  I don’t mean a chest freezer or something you would find in your kitchen.  I mean one of those massive walk in freezers.

Here I was helping my lovely friend in the canteen at the local footy club and I was given the task of going outside to the refrigerated truck to retrieve a bag of chips.  A harmless bag of frozen chips.

Easy, I could do that.  No worries.

Yeah, that’s what I thought.  Until the door swung closed behind me, plunging me into darkness.  It was so dark I couldn’t even see my hand on the end of my arm.

There I was in the pitch black, freezing cold, screaming my lungs out for anyone that may be listening.  Of course this particular truck had been parked behind the building away from the crowds of children and parents that would have run to my rescue.

Visions of every television show I had ever seen involving people dying in a freezer sprung to mind as I clawed my way around the door in the hope that I would find something that would open it.  I continued to scream.  Actually I should be more honest and say it was more like a blood curdling scream that was coming out of my mouth.  Along with the hammering on the door, a heart that was beating at approximately a million beats per minute and a throat that was closing in fear, I saw my life flash before my eyes.  The thought “I can’t die like this’ did filter through my brain along with the question of how long it would take for me to turn into a popsicle, all the while the hammering and screaming continued.  I knew that the ladies in the kitchen would come looking for me eventually but with all the chatting and burger making that was happening in there I wondered if that would be today.

Of course I eventually found the handle, and yes it was not in the obvious place near the edge of the door, I opened the it and embraced freedom.  With shaking hands and legs, I wiped the tears from my eyes, grabbed my chips and walked back inside, holding my head high and praying that after that performance nobody had actually heard me.  Because yes, it was exceptionally embarrassing once I knew all I had to do was open the handle.