I am afraid of hippos.

This may sound strange, but I used to be terrified of the hippos at the Woodland Park Zoo (Seattle) when I was a little girl. Wierd, considering my favorite animals as a kid were lions. And really, which animal do you think would pose a greater threat if I were to run into the two out in the wild?

None-the-less, hippos used to terrify me. I think it was the way they would just sort of popup from underwater, with absolutely no notice. Or maybe I thought I would fall into their pond. Or maybe I realized, after seeing one yawn, that a hippo could easily swallow my three-foot tall, little girl body whole.

There was a collage of large, smooth rocks that I used to play on while we visited the hippo exhibit at the zoo. They were far enough from the pond where I knew I wouldn't have to worry about falling in, and they were a pleasant distractiont. Pleasant, that is, until someone pointed out to me that they kind of looked like giant hippos, rising out of the water.

This picture, with my mock-Macauly Culkin scream face, shows how I have overcome my fear of hippos. I think I've realized that they can't swallow my new, 5'3", womanly body whole.

It would take more like two gulps.