My two granddaughters returned to Taiwan this summer to attend a "bilingual" elementary school for Chinese language learning. My wife and I would pick them up after school and escort them back to the nearby apartment almost every day.

Yesterday when we walked along the arcade nearing the home, suddenly the younger granddaughter cried and screeched, standing where she was and not moving an inch. She kept on wailing, "I am scared, I am scared...." I did not know what had happened until her elder sister told me there were dead cockroaches on the floor. Then I swept them off the arcade to the sidewalk and told my girl the path was cleared. Still, she dared not move forward and cried.

Finally, I decided to carry her on my back to get out of the "mire." Then I squatted down to let her ride on my back, and my wife assisted me to stand up. (Though I am nearing 80, I can squat and rise without much difficulty, but not with a six-year-old kid on my back.) 

What an unforgettable experience it had been.