What’s the bravest thing I’ve ever done? I killed a string.

Daily writing prompt

What’s the bravest thing you’ve ever done when no one was watching?

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I have a life-long, deep-rooted Arachnphobia that started when I was a little girl.

It is Xanax-worthy, and even to this day, not even my pest control people say the “S” word in my presence – if they happen to find such things in my corner of the world, they know to take care of it without sharing the details with me.

Those who don’t fear anything to this magnitude have no idea just how crippling a phobia can be, and before someone suggests therapy, that simply cannot happen without my blood pressure going through the roof at simply the thought of having to discuss it.

Hubbin will announce, “Do NOT GO INTO THE KITCHEN!!!” and I don’t even need to know why. He’ll let me know when it’s safe for me to return to my ‘laboratory’.

I once even lost a job because of someone at work wanting to see just how phobic I was (am). Think, “Hostile Work Environment” Xanax-worthy, moment. Giving examples of just how bad it is, has me glancing around at my home right now…

So one day I was home alone and saw a little black something on my otherwise freshly cleaned carpet.

I froze. I knew what it was. I was afraid to move, afraid to get closer, afraid to take my eyes off it for fear that it would run away and hide somewhere in my house before I could do anything about it.

Hubbin, my usual Knight In Shining Armour for such things, was off fighting the Paycheck War. I was all alone and terrified. The thing didn’t move. I finally figured out that we could not have this continued staring contest all day, both of us frozen in our spots, afraid to be seen, afraid to move.

I slowly inched towards one of Hubbin’s shoes, inched my way towards this thing, and stayed as far away as I could and still reach it, slammed that shoe down on it so many times that it finally stuck to the shoe when I lifted up the shoe for the final time.

That’s when I realized I had just killed a string.

Even to this day, though Hubbin said he was proud of me for having taken action against something I’m so terrified of, I feel my blood pressure rising as I relive that moment.