FUN HOUSE
Getting antsy about a dead roach

By Sarah Foust, Kapolei

Growing up, I had a love for insects of all kinds. I would scold my parents if I caught them hurting a cockroach, and if it was unscathed, I would cheerfully escort it to a safer place.

My niece later adopted my unorthodox ways. I would find her handling small bugs with care, and if she saw one she thought was hurt, she would run to me for "medical assistance." Sometimes the insects she found were beyond help. I would try to explain to her as delicately as possible that they had died, but that seemed a little too hard for a 3-year-old to grasp, so I would simply tell her instead that they were hurt and needed to rest.

One day she found a very large, dead roach, which the ants were starting to carry away. She called me to the scene with a quiver in her voice. Before I could say anything, she leaned in to get a closer look.

Suddenly her expression of utter grief turned to one of pure delight. "Look!" she said with obvious relief. "The ants are taking him to the hospital!"

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