Dear Doctor Fixall,
Thank you for seeing me today. I have studied the image you have given me and I think I have unearthed the source of my issues.
I have a morbid fear of cockroaches.
That’s what I see when I look into this image, cockroaches, hundreds of the crawling insects and worst of all crushed ones.
I shiver in horror whenever I think of one. I cannot walk around my house at night without shoes in fear that I may step on one. The stepping on one is bad enough but it’s the crunch when my weight crushes it that I so hate.
It’s the flurry of their tiny fragile legs against my feet that I so recoil from. A friend was recently in the terrible position of stepping on one in her house, in her bare feet, and it caused quite a disturbance within her. I can still see her screams of fright and disgust vividly on my computer screen, even now weeks later, her revulsion still resonates within me.
I spray everywhere I go, they aren’t very keen on surface spray I have found. But I can’t get rid of them. Every morning I put on my reinforced rubber boots and go on roach patrol around my house, my spare rubber shoe in one hand, can of spray in the other. When I determine it’s safe I go out and conduct a cleanup, long handle dust pan and brush, pick them up and out they go,
The children remain in bed until its all clear and clean. Then I let them out. They too are on constant alert should one have slipped through my steely reconnaissance.
Despite my revulsion of them I do admire their resilience. They don’t go away, do they? But they learn. I once put roach mats down to catch them but within minutes it seemed they had discovered a way round the mats and so avoided them. What a waste of money that was.
My life has become one of constant surveillance; I cannot relax in my own home for fear of one appearing and wreaking havoc on my children and me.
I know they are but small crawling insects and I shouldn’t fear them as I do, but they have so infiltrated my life that I now understand the reason for my anxiety and overall depression.
Can you help me Doctor?
For mindlovemisery’s latest prompt at: http://mindlovemisery.wordpress.com/2013/11/10/prompt-29-rorshach-test/
Morpethroad 
I can totally see the cockroach in this image. My husband is really scared of them I haven’t really seen them in Sweden but where I am from North Carolina there a huge problem. I remember he opened a drawer filled with them at a beach house I think and we both ran off screaming haha Great take!
Thank you Yves, they are part of our lives and we live with one another, uncomfortably, but we tolerate each other unless they get in my way.
I am grateful that Sweden has so few bugs, I can go months without seeing one indoors that was never the case growing up
Dear Michael,
After hearing about your profound hate for these creatures, it is perfectly understandable why you cannot relax in your home ……. move, that may help.
Regards
Dr. Fixall
Sorry but I fear they are territorial, in that I am their territory, they move with me, or appear to. Thank you for your suggestion though.
That will be $645.00 – please come again.
This was awesome. Roaches are the grossest.
Thank you for your comment, please call again.
UGH!!!!! You went there didn’t you? lol Thanks for mentioning my horrific moment with one of those ungodly creatures…..I can feel it again. 😦
Thank you Anja, one will always draw on experience, your own and others, when writing and you provided me with a great example too use, sorry if it resurrected the nightmare for you. But it was a good example to use.
Love it! I once lived for years in a flat in an old building that had an infestation of cockroaches that nothing could deny….I ended up thinking of them as my flatmates, LOL!! I definitely relate to this!! 🙂 🙂
Its a sad commentary isn’t it when so many of us have similar cockroach stories…its a way of life now, up of a morning eyes peeled for any lying about on the floor.
Your letter made me squirm. Not so much because it was roaches (which I don’t particularly like) but because it describes the on going battle I have with ants. I do the same things — patrols, attempts at annihilation, etc. You were describing me all too well.
Think I better go take a look around the perimeter. They live in the walls, you know.
Thank you for your great comment. I understand the constant battle, a life long struggle, i know they will never surrender. Not only do they live in the walls, they hold regular meeting to plot new attacks. Be vigilant.
Thanks for the insect mantra: be vigilant! They send “out runners” as scouts — if they don’t get back to the swarm plotting new ways to sneak in . . .
Yes so true, and they are never short of tactics to stun you…….but a liberal spray of surface spray does slow them down…plus it makes your place uninviting……nothing worse than visiting and getting sick, word gets around and then you have less, but more bodies to pick up…..
Eeeekkkk – Such nasty creatures.
I recall once upon a long time ago when we went on a road trip to Mexico – we stopped at a motel in Texas somewhere. When my mom turned on the light – there were roaches everywhere. We did not stay there.
I think I need t go see that doctor too – I’m still traumatized from that scene.
i can totally see the cockroach in this!….and can absolutely agree, cockroahes give me the willies.
great reflective writing!
stacy lynn mar
http://warningthestars.blogspot.com/
Hello Stacy, thank you for your lovely comment. Please come and visit again.
Ha!ha!Fantastic writing-laughed at the tongue-in-cheek humour;-)Am not at all afraid of these creatures but I am disgusted by all reptiles specially house lizards-ugh and once i stepped on one-can never forget the squelch its burst stomach gave-erk!My daughter is scared of these and the flying ones really creep her out-along with moths or anything ugly that flies,lol!Wonder if Dr Fixall found a remedy in the end? 😉
Thank you Atreyee, I would think Dr Fixall would probably suggest trying to live with them as that might relax her anxiety. We don’t have house lizards here, but millions of cockroaches.
Ha!ha!Cockroaches are everywhere-remember reading somewhere long back that they are the only living things that will survive a nuclear explosion!
Yes Atreyee, I have heard that and I believe it, they are amazingly resilient.
Eeps-for us 😉