2:00 PM. A perfectly appropriate time to wake up. I picked up a water bottle rolling around by the bedside and gulped down the lukewarm water. The sunlight squeezing through the gap in the curtains shone like a spotlight on a clump of dust. That dust clump has been there since last Tuesday. I named it 'Elizabeth.' Since I gave it a name, it's no longer just dirty dust. It's my roommate.

There is no answer. Of course. She's the silent type. As soon as I stuck my foot out from under the covers, I heard a rustling sound. Familiarly, I stopped my toes and stared at the floor. A smooth shell with a brown luster. A fellow sniffing my toes while busily moving its antennae.

Startled by my voice, he vanished into the darkness under the bed. Cute little guy. So shy. Actually, quite a few 'pets' live in my house. Others loathe them and call them cockroaches, but I'm different. To catch them, I'd have to bunch up tissues, press down with force, wipe up the burst innards, and go to the trash can to throw them away. That whole process is so tedious and bothersome... no, it's a cruel act that disregards life, so I chose to coexist with them.