A Flea with a Problem

“Hi. My name is Nick and I am an addict”. I never imagined those words coming from my mouth but here I am holding a stale cup of coffee, standing in front of a room full of my peers admitting that I am a mess.

You see I am a flea and it has not been an easy life. Starting off as an insect already places you behind the proverbial 8 ball. Consider the competition just among your species group. Take the powerful of our group: the mosquito. Always pretending to be a step above us little fleas, the mosquito is unable to resist bragging about malaria. Or take the ever-feared bees. Not only do they create that delectable syrup known as honey but movies have been written about their killer abilities. Consider the ultimate insect: the butterfly. A majestic creature with beautifully layered wings of color; sanctuaries have been dedicated to their observation and preservation. Conversely I do not glide through the sky rather I leap from one mangy mutt to the next.. Humans regard me with distain and disgust.

To cope with my lot in life, I embraced the energy of my blood sucking. With a flourish, I devoured my hosts. At first it was a rush but as time went on, I needed more. One animal wasn’t enough. I had to gorge myself until I was silly with blood. I couldn’t get enough. The bottom dropped out when my frenzy had me attacking my neighbor and friend…the look on Joe the flea’s face showed more than utter shock and dismay. I knew then that I had a real problem. Even the mosquitos lost their superior grin and gazed on me with horror.

So here I am, a flea with a problem.