Ornithopobia

While riding the jeep home today, two women and a little girl boarded with two trolleys of dyed chicks. Which would have been fun, except that I suffer from ornithophobia. Terribly. It's actually even difficult to write this post but it was the most atypical thing that happened today. I can't even write the word b$%d... it sends shivers down my spine.

I was sitting near the back of the jeep when we approached them. I didn't even see the chicks at first. Just the eyes of the lady trying to read the destination card of the jeep. I did see the familiar trolley though and that's when I got nervous. When it looked like the lady was about to board, I even thought of disembarking and finding another ride but she lifted her trolley onto the jeep and pushed it in front of me, trapping me. I turned away as nonchalantly as I could but I thought I would hyperventilate or vomit at the thought of those creatures just centimeters from my bare shin. Thankfully, she pushed the trolley to the front of the jeep but just when I thought I could make a run for it, the second lady began lifting the second trolley on board.

The ride home was nerve-wracking as worst case scenarios played in my head in the midst of incessant chirping. I didn't realise that I was practically sitting on my neighbour's lap trying to lean away from the little animals...

I really hate my fear. Why couldn't I have been scared of something like spiders instead?