Middle School Student Award-Winning Essay - Super Model

Author: None
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: I'm not naturally timid, but the moment I see an insect, I make a noise louder than 80 to 90 decibels. Once, while peeling vegetables in the kitchen, my nearsightedness made me see something unusual on a leaf. I reached out with two fingers to pinch it—it was soft and squishy, and I didn't know what it was. I brought it closer to my eyes for a closer look. "A—!" I suddenly screamed in terror, threw the thing as far as I could, kicked the vegetable basket with my foot, and fled the kitchen as fast as I could, jumping and shouting wildly. My cousin, who was staying at my house and reading in the study, ran out in panic. "What's wrong? Are you crazy?" she asked, watching me dance wildly in an "8" shape, utterly bewildered. "It's a bug! A huge, fat caterpillar! Save me!" I yelled, as if grasping a lifeline. My cousin, showing no mercy, gave me a cold glare, adjusted her glasses, and said in a steady voice, "Don't be such a scarecrow, fool!" Then, she turned and shut the door with a loud "bang" with her rear.
Staring at the closed door, I cursed, "You're the fool! You'll get bitten to death by bugs sooner or later!" After a while, I was overcome with fear again. The slimy, soft feeling made me shiver, and I forgot about fighting with my cousin and quickly ran to the bathroom to wash my hands with soap. For days, I didn't dare enter the kitchen until the feeling gradually faded.
There are many similar stories. Fortunately, most of these embarrassing incidents happen at home and aren't ridiculed by outsiders. But in public places like school, it would make me feel extremely awkward. Once during evening study, everyone was quietly studying when a mysterious large flying insect circled my head. I screamed and immediately bolted from the room, hiding at the door, glaring at the insect. When I saw the boy next to me bravely swat the insect to death, I couldn't help but cheer. Then I realized I'd overreacted and quickly returned to my seat, pretending to read casually. Since then, my reputation skyrocketed, and my fear of insects became a favorite topic for my classmates to laugh about.
Alas, what a tragedy! I have a lot to say about this—fear of insects is inborn! How can it just disappear if I say it won't? But after 3 minutes and 46 seconds of thinking, I decided to fight insects to the end!
During another evening study session, a gray fly landed on the wall beside me. I was terrified, but to maintain my image in front of my classmates, I gathered courage, picked up a book, and swatted the fly with force. "Pah!" The fly died under the book—my classmates all looked at me strangely! I lowered my head with satisfaction, pretending nothing had happened, and dove into my books.
After class, a classmate came over to praise me, "The guy who's naturally afraid of insects is actually swatting them now!" I retorted, "It's not that I'm naturally afraid of insects—it's that insects are naturally afraid of me!" Just then, a scream came from behind, "There's a wolf spider behind you!" "A—" I dashed away at top speed...