Bugged Out

I don't know that I've ever written about this, so I thought I should start: I remember when I was a kid, one of Mom's best friends would invite all of us to spend some of our summers with her family in Orange County. They had a big beautiful house with a pool in the backyard, always something fun to look forward to. Plus, her kids were in our age group too, so we all had someone to relate and befriend. When school was over, we'd drive up there and all hang out. Their family has always been extremely generous and kind to us, offering food, comfort and good company. 

One summer, I don't remember what year it was, the festivities were postponed so the teens could take out the garbage. Apparently there was an infestation of maggots in the trash bins. A mass of larvae squirming out of the bags - there were so many, they ended up crawling onto the pavement. The maggots survived different elements: from being drowned out by a watering hose or being set aflame. They tried other ways to dispose the pests, like spreading bleach or chemical cleansers, but nothing seemed to work. I don't know what they did to eliminate the maggots; maybe they were eventually buried back into the earth.

I've seen different infestations over the years - ant frenzies, wasp nests, fruit fly invasions, you name 'em. So it's challenging for me to function comfortably around them. I know insects are much smaller than me by comparison, but sometimes there can be thousands of them. Appearing unexpectedly, with no direction, crawling into every crevice and ruining everything. That scene has been ingrained in my mind so deeply, I recall the images whenever I'm overwhelmed by tons of insects. I know it may sound silly, but I suppose it's one of those traumatic experiences you can't erase from the past.