The Fear

The Fear is deep inside. The Fear comes in the morning. The Fear knows when you are a long way from civilisation. Yes, a few times I have had The Fear.
What happens is this. You wake up feeling a bit rough. You are hot. Your stomach feels funny. You know you are supposed to take a long journey today. You know that journey is miles from decent towns and cities. You think, 'What if I get the shits?', 'What if I've got malaria?' , 'What will I do then, in the middle of nowhere?'.
A slow panic arrives. You consider postponing the journey for a day. You sit on the toilet. Nothing happens. You stand under the fan. You think, 'Have I got a fever, or is it just hot?'. You think, 'Shall I go, or not?'.
These are the symptoms of The Fear, and although usually mild, I had quite a bad attack when I left Senegal for the 2 day trip to Bamako. I actually almost went back to the hotel from the taxi garage.
Of course, most people are not as easily visited by The Fear as me. I happen to fairly often feel crap in the morning, whether I'm in Africa or not. In reality, I never got malaria, and I didn't even get the proper shits. 3 times only in one day, and a bit runny. That's it. So, all of The Fear was unfounded.
Next week, It will be my privilege to wake up and feel like crap, knowing that The Fear will not be coming after me anymore. Bye Bye The Fear.