Three things 10 year old me was deathly afraid of…
Quicksand - Honestly this one gave me nightmares. They never bothered to mention there probably wasn’t any in Encino, CA
Rabies - Lore had it you needed 14 painful shots with a long needle right into the abdomen if bitten by a rabid dog or bat. I was certain a bat was coming for me.
The “big one” - Earthquake that was going to break California off into the Pacific Ocean.