FEAR

Though the story Fear is from the unit of the supernatural stories, it is not a supernatural story. In fact, it is a psychological story. It’s a thriller / suspenseful story based on human fear of a nervous man. This story also shows how a man behaves in a state of panic and nervousness.

Armando Gonzalez is the major character of this story. According to this story, Armando entered a large bank in the Mexico City and gave the withdrawal slip and the passbook to the bank teller. The teller asked so many questions to him and she counted the money with load voice. Armando realized himself that he was for sure going to be known by everyone in the bank. He was a man who had to look after a big family of nine members including himself. However, he had a dream. It was a common dream to have a house of his own. With this aim, he had saved 50,132 pesos for the last twenty years. He went to the bank to withdraw 50,000 pesos because he had seen a house within that limit. The deal was finalized and he had to do the payment. He was very careful from the beginning. The bank was slightly crowded that day, and he did not like it. In his turn when the bank accountant started to count the money in a loud voice, Armando did not like it. He feared other people would know that he was carrying a large sum of money and anybody could loot him. 

When he caught a bus to go home from the bus stop; there he saw a same fat man whom he had already seen in the bank. Not only that he had nearly dashed against the table on the bank lobby, but also he had given a double look at him. When he found the same man getting on the bus that he boarded, there was no doubt to Armando that man's intention is to rob him. Everybody in the bank as well as on the bus bus w looking at him only because he had put his hat backwards. But, what Armando thought was that they were looking at him because they had the knowledge that he was carrying 50,000 pesos in the front pocket of his baggy pants. He started to see a thief in each face he saw. This increased his nervousness all the more. 

After some time, he found that the suspicious fat man was talking to other three boys. He thought that they were making secret plans to loot him. This heightened his nervousness and he made a plan to get off the bus at next stop and to take another bus from there, and he did accordingly. 

Suddenly, he also saw that the same three boys had got off there. Now, it was sure to Armando that it was a part of the robbery. Now, he was started to panic and run yelling for help. The three boys also started to run after him only with the intention to help him. But, there was no limit to Armando’s fear and he was running as fast as he could. Suddenly, his feet got entangled with some tangled wire and he fell down on the ground. Before he got up, the three boys came up to him. Armando started to beg / plead them not to rob him. They were very surprised at this, and they said that they were not intending to loot him. Rather they were students and they were there for a football tournament and that they were running after him because he was shouting for help. 

Now, his fear had gone as he got up and put his cap on, and this time he put it straight. Finally all the four walked up slowly back to the street towards their destination happily without any FEAR.

Important Questions

1. Summarize the story `Fear'. 

2. What were the things which made Armando think that someone was going to rob him? 

Ans: There were so many things that made Armando think that somebody was going to rob him out. They were; a man in the bank ward and some boys in the bus looking at him etc. When Armando was at the bank, the cashier counted the money loudly. Everyone saw him withdrawing money from the bank. Next the fat man was beside him looking at him at the bank. Thirdly the fat man got on the same bus. Fourth he thought that three boys were sent by the fat man to rub him. He also found that the three boys were also following him. These things made Armando think that someone was going to rub him. 

3. Why is Armando afraid of the heavy man in the bus? 

Ans: Armando is much afraid of the heavy man in the bus because the heavy man was looking at him and standing next to him at the bank. The heavy man also got on the same bus. Armando wanted to be free from fear of heavy man by getting off from the bus. Those three boys, who were talking with heavy man, also got off from the bus. Armando thought that these three boys might have been sent by the heavy man. He thought they might be the helper of the heavy man. So he was always afraid of the heavy man.