Midnight Rant | Revisiting an Irrational Psychological Allergy

What do Dante and screwworm 
blowflies have in common?

Matthew Pearl’s The Dante Club has me afraid to go to sleep. My well meaning co-blogger loaned it to me, promising that it revolved around an enthralling murder mystery solved by a bunch of academicians calling themselves, The Dante Club.

Of course, she might not have thought it important to mention that the murders in need of solving were caused by screwworm blowflies, maggots and other creepy crawly flesh eaters because she is blissfully unaware of my irrational psychological allergy to all things that can move but have no arms and legs. Worms, snakes, maggots and yes, ironically, caterpillars. Don’t ask!

It’s complicated and related to a recurring dream I had when I was a child where I woke up with a million worms crawling inside my blanket. They have since freaked me out and I don’t know why. My best guess is that my sub-conscience mind was quite traumatized by all the earthworms I set out to “multiply” by which I mean – cut in half and then quarters. Could their spirits have returned to haunt my dreams? In short, my crimes against wormkind have left me in a state of itchiness every time I see, hear or read anything related to them or their extended family.

There’s an itch behind my ear, on my lower back and the palms of my hands. Well, I hope, by Indian optimistic superstition, my palms itch because it’s payday tomorrow (yay!).

So you’re probably wondering whether I’m going to shut The Dante Club and start reading something that doesn’t require a working mind… like the Twilight series where Plank (read: girl with low self-esteem and no real opinion that anyone’s interested in) falls in love with a lecherous vampire who has been 17 years old since the beginning of time, and shines whenever the sun comes out. But since I wasn’t deprived of shiny toys when I was a child – Disco Barbie, tin foil and earthworms included -- I’m going to pass on the necrophilia of Myers’ myth-twisting series and attempt to overcome my “condition”.

Plus, I’ve shelved too many things over the years. (Check out our new Bookshelf!)

Anyway, I’m going to try and sleep now. And try to dream of rainbows and unicorns. Thanks for listening. Now can you pass that back-scratch?