It started out like any other morning. I dragged myself out of bed, still half-asleep, and walked into the bathroom to brush my teeth. That’s when I noticed it — a cluster of small, brown, thread-like things scattered near the sink.

I froze.

They weren’t moving, but they looked alive. Curled, semi-shiny, about the size and shape of small worms. My stomach turned.

For a moment, I stood there just staring, completely unsure of what I was looking at. Were they larvae? Were they coming from the drain? Had something died in the walls?

It felt like the start of a horror movie. And I was the one home alone.

First thought: infestation
Like anyone would, I panicked — quietly. I grabbed a tissue and gently poked one of them. No reaction. I picked it up. It was slightly wet, soft but a bit rough in texture, and… unsettling.

I did what most people would do: I Googled it.

Type in “brown worms in bathroom” and you’ll fall into a deep, dark internet hole of infestations, drain flies, sewer worms, fungus gnats, and other nightmare fuel. Every image looked worse than the last.

I stopped reading.

Running theories — and growing paranoia
I started forming theories. Was it something growing in the pipes? Was there mold? Was this just the beginning of a bigger, more disgusting problem?

For a split second, I questioned everything. Had I brought something home on my shoes? Was it my shampoo? Was this some strange reaction to humidity?

I was already thinking about calling a plumber. Or pest control. Or both.

Then something caught my eye — a small black plastic piece near the trash bin. It looked familiar. I bent down to take a closer look. It was part of a broken hairbrush.

That’s when it hit me.

The big reveal
I went back to the spot on the floor, picked up another one of the «worms,» and held it next to the broken brush. Same color. Same size. Same curve. Same stiffness.

They weren’t worms at all.
They were wet, broken-off bristles from my old hairbrush.

My brush had fallen into the tub the night before — I vaguely remembered knocking something off the shelf — and the moisture had loosened and warped the bristles. They’d stuck to the floor when I stepped on the brush getting out of the shower.

In the dim light of morning, my brain had filled in the blanks with fear.

When your brain plays tricks on you
The shock wasn’t just about mistaking bristles for worms. It was about how fast my mind had spiraled into panic, worst-case scenarios, and irrational fear.

It made me realize how easily our minds trick us, especially in unfamiliar moments — how something harmless can look terrifying when we’re caught off guard.

I hadn’t even questioned my reaction until the physical evidence contradicted it.

Why I’m sharing this
Because in a world overflowing with headlines about mold, bacteria, parasites, and infestations — it’s easy to expect the worst.
We scroll through endless “cleaning hacks” and horror stories about what might be hiding in our homes, and somewhere along the way, we stop trusting our own eyes.

This morning reminded me that fear often isn’t about the thing itself — it’s about how little we understand it.

And sometimes, the monster in the bathroom… is just an old brush falling apart.