The Scaredy Cat

What do Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Genghis Khan have in common? Apart from being three of the most fearless leaders of all time, they shared another special trait: they were all terrified of cats! And if you want to know a secret, I'm also a member of this exclusive VIP club. However, being a part of this group is not as exciting as you might think. Out of all the four members, I'm the only one alive at the moment.

Now that I think about it, I feel like this VIP club would work better as an AA meeting. But instead of "Alcoholics Anonymous," it would be called "Ailurophobes Anonymous." I can already envision a scene: me sitting in an uncomfortable, wooden chair in the middle of the room. Caesar is sitting on my left side and Napoleon on my right side, all three of us waiting patiently to introduce ourselves in a room full of other random strangers.

I would probably say something generic like this: "Hello, everyone! It's nice to meet you all. My name is Akio, I'm 16 years old, and I'm just a regular high school student from Japan. You see, I, too, suffer from ailurophobia, and I'm here to share my story with you!" I wonder what their reactions will be. Would the three mighty leaders choose to encourage me and clap after my statement, or would they just stare at me in silence? I guess we will never find out.

One thing I do know for sure is that, no matter how young or old we are, dealing with our emotions is never easy. Uncertainty is a scary territory, and no one returns from this battle undefeated. If only we could cohabitate peacefully with our nightmares until our dreams became reality! It's easier said than done, that's for sure! I like to believe that anything is possible if you wish for it from the bottom of your heart! At least that's what my parents used to always tell me.

Growing up, I was fortunate enough to have the unconditional support of my family. Their love and care shaped me the way I am today. They are, by far, the most optimistic people I've ever met. And because of their influence, I like to think that positivity flows through my veins as well. While I do have my own bad days sometimes, it's comforting to know that I can count on my parents when I'm feeling a bit down. But that's only when my friends are not around. Sorry, mom and dad, but Hikaru and Rika are also part of the family!

Our small friend group even has a name! We like to call ourselves "The Three Leaf Clovers." I still can't believe we've known each other for over 10 years now. I'm pretty sure our friendship defies the laws of physics. Our bond does not recognize basic principles like space or time. How do we know that? Because I still feel like a kid when I'm with them!

Sometimes, when my imagination erupts like a volcano and I start talking about some preposterous ideas or schemes, I can always count on Hikaru to bring me down to earth with his cold, pragmatic wisdom. On the other side of the spectrum, we have Rika, the one who encourages my delusions and, more than often, "injects" me with her doses of creativity. And that's enough to send me flying into Fantasy Land again! It's a never-ending cycle!

Speak of the devil! I've just received a notification from our 3 Leaf Clovers' group chat. Rika has sent us a voice memo, and it's pretty lengthy:

"Hey, clovers! How was your day? I just got home from an unsuccessful shopping trip with mom! I still haven't found what I was looking for. I'm sooo angry! What do I have to do to find some knitting supplies around here? Just because summer is around the corner, that doesn't mean people have collectively stopped knitting! Ugh! This is why I always shop online! No hassle, no crowds, and you can easily browse hundreds of stores in one day if you really need to. Anyway, in other news, I saw someone from our class today at the convenient store! She was buying many cans of cat food. Akio, can you guess who it was? Hehehehe!"

After listening to her message, my heart started beating faster and faster. Of course, I knew who that person was! How couldn't I? It could only be Yuki, the girl I have a crush on. My curiosity got the best of me, so I decided to send my own voice memo.

"Hey, Rika! Did you meet Yuki? What did she say?" I quickly replied.

"Ding! Ding! Ding! You are correct! We didn't talk much because I was in a hurry. My feet were killing me, and I wanted to get home sooo badly. But I just couldn't help but admire Yuki's stylish outfit! She was wearing this beautiful white dress! And she had one of the cutest flower accessories I've seen! The whole outfit complimented her figure so well. She looked like an angel! You should have seen her!" Rika replied.

It seems that Rika's sadistic side has come out to play tonight! She's been trying hard for months to get me to confess to Yuki, and I really want to, but I'm not ready to do that just yet. The sound of the group's chat notification interrupts my thoughts. This time it was a message from Hikaru:

"Rika, stop teasing Akio! You know he has a hard time dealing with cats as it is. Give him a break! It's difficult enough that his crush likes cats. "

It didn't take long for Rika to reply with another voice memo:

"Yes, I know! They're like Romeo and Juliet, but without the family drama. In this situation, the felines are the ones keeping them apart. And it's actually worse if you think about it. You might be able to hide from your parents, but you can't hide from cats. They're everywhere!"

A chuckle escaped my lips. Oh, Rika! You understand my pain so well! However, Hikaru is right. My fear of cats is stopping me from getting closer to Yuki. It might sound silly, but I don't want to be afraid of the animals that bring her joy. I want to be the best version of myself possible before I confess!

If I don't want my life to end up like a Shakespearean tragedy, I must do something about my phobia! It's time for me to stand up and record my own "declaration of war":

"That's it! I've had enough! I have a message for all the cats out there: This summer, I will take control of my phobia! I will fight my fears one by one, and I won't give up, no matter how tough the battle will be! Only after that will I be worthy enough to confess to Yuki!"

And it didn't take long for the 3 Leaf Clovers group chat to go wild after my confession! Even Hikaru was excited! What can I say? I'm feeling more motivated than ever right now! Actually, I might be way too energized to sleep. Oops! Let's hope I will be able to get some rest before school starts tomorrow!