reptiles < anything

Reptiles. They invade my dreams. I have this recurring dream about going camping and they just start coming out of everywhere. More specifically, alligators and snakes. Why do they bother me so much? I blame it on the reptile house at the Cincinnati Zoo and Harry Potter. When I was a young, my family went to the zoo with some friends and I was really excited to go see the turtles (which are some of my favorite animals). However, to see the turtles, nobody informed me that you had to pass the snakes, alligators, and other freaky reptilian creatures. As I meandered through the exhibits, I saw some of the most terrifying creatures that I have ever laid my eyes upon. Ever since then, every time I watch the first Harry Potter movie when Harry sets the snake on Dudley, I think of that reptile house. Then, I become worried that parseltongues might actually exist and that they would do the same to me (as Harry did to Dudley), which makes my irrational fear greater. Also, the cold-blooded nature of reptiles is another scary concept for me. It seems so unnatural and strange. I attempted to overcome this fear when I went to the Cincinnati Museum and I helped hold a snake that was at least 30 feet long. Let’s just say that didn’t do much to improve my fears. It increased my fears of finding a snake in the wild that was large enough to eat me. Needless to say, I feel that I wouldn’t be missing out on anything by never seeing another snake.