Fear

Admit it: life is scary.

We like to give the impression that it isn't, that we're on top of things. But all we're doing is papering over the reality. And those around us are glad when we do because it spares them both the awkwardness and the confrontation with their own anxieties.

This baby rat was cowering on a pavement in central London. It sat motionless for minutes as people passed just feet away. Stillness was the only camouflage it had left. It nearly worked, too. Eventually it fled under a nearby bin.