Crouching Tiger, Menacing Panda

I just had to get my first filling ever. I had put it off for a bit because I dreaded having to have the shot in my cheek to numb my mouth. I mean, c'mon! The tooth was giving me no trouble at all, it was just one tiny speck, way in the back where no one could see, and I would have to get a shot. IN MY MOUTH!!! After receiving the first shot to numb me, the dentist waited a few minutes to see if the shot "took". It did not. I got a round of laughing gas (is that what they still call it?) and felt nothing. The dentist had his hygenist crank it up a notch. Even then I felt little difference, but was concerned about taking it too far, so I didn't ask for it to be cranked up yet again,even though I wanted to. Then another mouth-numbing shot for me and more gas, as it turned out.
Perched on a shelf high above me were a stuffed tiger and panda. I never felt happy after all the gas, as the dentist insisted I would. However, the more I breathed in the gas, the more menacing that panda looked. He was sort of leaned over and peering down at me and looking me square in the eye. I didn't care for it in the least. The tiger, at least, had the good manners to keep his eyes averted as I rinsed and spit in a very unladylike fashion. Its hard to be prim while spitting in a tiny sink with a numb and huge- feeling mouth.
The longer I had to inhale gas while waiting for the shots to take effect, the more that idiot panda seemed to loom. I've never even noticed him before when I was at the dentist myself,or with my kids, but suddenly he seemed to assume a life of his own. I wanted to tell the dentist that his panda was freaking me out and to ask him to face it in another direction but I had the presence of mind to know how loony that would make me sound.
My husband, unfortunately has a deer head hanging on the living room wall. My kids despise it and say its eyes follow them around the room. I always thought it was rather silly of them. Now, after getting pumped full of drugs and having to stare at that panda, I sympathize even less. Next time they complain, I'll tell them, "If you think that's bad, let me tell you about this panda I met..." I mean, at least no one puts gas masks over their noses, shoves needles in their cheeks, and THEN forces them to stare into horrifyingly life-like glass eyes. Eyes that long to posses you and steal your soul...