My Gift

I have a gift: I see 'things', like cockroaches and lizards, even silverfishes. At odd times of the day when these 'things' least expect human movement. At places one would not expect to see them.

Countless times, I'd either be doing dishes after the kids were asleep or packing up a little, or even just trying to do some toilet business, and easily from the corner of my eye, something would move.

It's almost as if I KNOW I'll see something as I work on anything, especially at night. I just have to be careful not to touch it or them (and faint, or die immediately).

It's been a while. No cockroaches for months. Lots of lizard encounters outside our house but I see them enter my neighbor's house instead *phew*, and my brave lady neighbour says she's not afraid of lizards.

If I had been doing it right, the citronella oil that I periodically paint over our door had been keeping the house relatively lizard-free, till about 2 months ago. That ONE baby lizard didn't understand rules....and thank God Mr Liow managed to settle it. Thank God I was still in the kitchen and Mr Liow was awake. We could have been sleeping and it would have grown up and set up a family of its own...

And I was just about to shut the lights off for the last time half an hour ago when our eyes met: mine with the dark knight in its mighty armor. It was near the kids' books!

I woke Mr Liow up (sorry lao gong, and thanks for coming to my rescue once again!) to help me with it. It went into hiding while I went to get Mr Liow but we managed to track it down finally.

This phrase in chinese is totally accurate: 打不死的蟑螂. This usually describes a person who remains persistent like a cockroach which never dies.

No matter how many times Mr Liow whacked it, it would not die. After raining countless attacks on it, it finally turned on its back and stopped moving, so we thought it was dead. Mr Liow went to throw the weapon away but when he came back, the ....... it was gone!

Again, thank God Mr Liow found it behind AN's easel table. It was finally finished, but the armored creature put up a fight even to the end.

We've got lots to learn from them. They are so persistent they are almost incapable of dying.

As for this special ability of mine, to see 'things', is it too much to ask if I wish I can control them out of our territory as well?

*shudders*