iMonk | October 2005

Soquel, California — Sunday, October 30th

Rats!

Ugh! Now it's rats! Is there anything more gross than a big, fat, rat? One of these filthy creatures has found it's way up into the attic where I have a little room.

My first acquaintance with this blighter came late at night, or rather in the early hours of the morning, when he ran right through the open doorway and into my room. The noise of his feet scuffling across the carpet woke me up. I recognized that creepy sound before I saw him — three-quarters of the way across the room already — in the dim glow of the lamp in the corner, and I started up off my thin mattress before he saw me.

He probably wasn't quite as big as the monsters that O'Brien terrified Winston Smith with in Room 101, but (at least in that light!) I'm sure he was pretty darn close!

I don't know which one of us was more frightened! His reflexes were much quicker than mine though: before I could even think, he turned 180° in mid-stride, it seemed, and bolted out of the room.... much to my relief.

I hear him scuttling about in the walls or scampering in the open area of the attic outside my room late at night. Needless to say, I keep my door closed now: I can't stand the thought of him crawling over me while I'm sleeping!

I have to get rid of him... but how?

Somebody suggests poison, somebody else suggests a rattrap. Pretty drastic action, I think, but how else to get rid of him? I don't really want to be responsible for his demise, but it's him or me. Why all these tests of my tolerance all of a sudden?

I'm too cowardly to bait a trap myself, so one of the not-so-squeamish devotees sets a few in the attic, and agrees to check on them. A few days later the trap is sprung but (much to my relief, I must confess) the rodent escapes. He must have gotten quite a fright, however, because I haven't heard him since.

This world is such a horrible place! We are forced to do so many horrible things — often against our will — just to have a reasonably comfortable existence...

URL: http://www.imonk.net/05/october4.html
Layout by iMonk — October 30th, 2005.