Lawrence knew exactly what she was worried about and flashed her a reassuring smile. "What if a bug comes flying out of there? If we don't check it now, it'll be too late when something drops on your head in the middle of the night. Aren't you terrified of those things?"
It was exactly what she had been picturing. Just thinking about it made her eyes go wide with horror.
"You know I'm terrified, yet you're purposely trying to scare me!" Bonnie scrambled to drag a dining chair over to him. "There are so many creepy bugs here in Oasinia compared to back home. What if there's a nest up there? Can you please just seal that whole space off for me? I can't see what's inside, and it freaks me out. What if... what if there's one of those awful things in there..."
Lawrence desperately wanted to reach out and ruffle her hair, but he forced his hand down. He stepped onto the chair, lightly dusting off the frame. "Don't worry. They don't climb this high."
"But... I heard the bugs here in Oasinia can fly," she stammered, her voice shaking.
Lawrence chuckled. "I doubt they're that evolved. Don't be scared. You've got... you've got June to protect you."
That only made it worse. Bonnie remembered hearing horror stories about dogs trying to eat massive, venomous centipedes, and the blood drained from her face. "If June eats a bug, I'll spank her! Lawrence, just look! Are there any bugs?!"
She couldn't see anything and was too terrified to look anyway. Standing right behind him, she held the back of the chair to steady it, her other hand instinctively clutching the fabric of his pants in a white-knuckled grip.
Lawrence let out a helpless laugh. He pulled the curtain aside and clicked on his flashlight. Almost instantly, a fat moth fluttered frantically out of the darkness. Lawrence threw his hand up to block it, knocking a cloud of dust straight into his eyes.
A dark shadow darted across the ceiling. Bonnie shrieked and threw her arms around his legs. "What was that?! Lawrence! Catch it! Don't let it fly!"
He nearly tipped off the chair, barely managing to brace his hand against the wall. Fighting through the burning, watering sting of the dust in his eyes, he aimed the flashlight while simultaneously trying to calm her down.
There was nothing else up there. Just the one moth.
Thank God they checked it today. If that thing had flown out while she was sleeping, it would have scared her to death.
The flimsy curtain was completely useless.


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