The Worst Thing in the World

Maybe some of you dear readers (all one of you) recognize Room 101. No? Maybe this will help:

'The worst thing in the world,' said O'Brien, 'varies from individual to individual. It may be burial alive, or death by fire, or by drowning, or by impalement, or fifty other deaths. There are cases where it is some quite trivial thing, not even fatal.'

He had moved a little to one side, so that Winston had a better view of the thing on the table. It was an oblong wire cage with a handle on top for carrying it by. Fixed to the front of it was something that looked like a fencing mask, with the concave side outwards. Although it was three or four metres away from him, he could see that the cage was divided lengthways into two compartments, and that there was some kind of creature in each. They were rats.

'In your case,' said O'Brien, 'the worst thing in the world happens to be rats.'

I'm not smart enough or clever enough to have thought of using Room 101 as the name of this place. I wish I were. I will freely credit my inspiration , the person I borrowed it from. He is another of my heroes and I'll write about him one of these days. You've never heard of him.

Meanwhile, tell me. What is YOUR worst thing in the world?