Decide

Remember when you first discovered me? You were tired and out of sorts after a long journey so it must have been quite a surprise to see you had acquired a tiny, foreign visitor – clear as day in your living room! Looking down at your baggage with a furrowed brow, you thought back, retracing your steps, wondering how and when I crawled in… Was the window open? How long has it been in there? Wouldn’t I have noticed it sooner? 

You had never seen anything like me before and you were unsure that your identification of me was correct. You did plenty of research, asking your friends too, hoping someone had an idea of what I actually was, and could offer some advice on what to do.

“Whatever you do, don’t squash it! It’ll cause such a stink!” cautioned one friend; “Best thing to do is just suck it up with the hoover!” recommended another. 

You actually weren’t against the idea of letting me be, assuming I would find my own way out eventually… surely I wouldn’t stick around too long? But what if I had no intention of leaving? What impact would I have on your environment if left undisturbed? Would that be a mistake? 

A lot of questions fired around your mind but you had to decide. 

I’ll admit I was hoping to stay hidden for a little while longer – I had grown quite cosy and content in your little home but I was intruding, and it would probably be best not to let me linger, right? 

You briefly debated a name for me at one point – it could’ve been funny and entertaining to give me a personality, but ultimately knowing that you would need to somehow expel me from your home, you reconsidered – best to avoid any attachment. 

I was all you thought about though – the ironically small elephant in the room.

You’d barely unpacked, and it was already time to go back to work, go to appointments, catch up with friends – How were the holidays?! Do anything nice at the weekend? – all the while, few people knew that I was trapped under a mug in your living room, not going anywhere, just waiting to be evicted.

You chose what made the most sense. It wasn’t violent or cruel; just quick. No doubt you’ll wonder about that decision for years to come, but you’ll find solace in accepting that I was just a seed bug – an accidental invader, and I wasn’t meant to be here.