Somehow I drifted off to sleep, because I was definitely startled awake by a rustling sound somewhere near our bed. I mumbled to my husband Brad, from my sleep.
"What is that popping? "
What could it be? It sounded like popcorn in a tin bowl. I opened my eyes to a dark room no trace of the dawn. I listened but the sound seemed to stop with my sleep talk and Brad's mumbled reply.
I rolled over and shut my eyes, happy to finally feel tired and restful. Next came another sound like something small was trying to eat through a tin can. In my sleepy brain I was trying to figure out why there was a tin can in my room. Did one of the kids eat some uncooked spaghetti O's and ditch the can under my bed? It seemed likely given the whole quarantine situation and their bottomless appetites.
"Brad, do you hear that?"
We both knew it had to be a mouse, but we both dreaded having to get up and deal with the furry predator. We live in the country. This is a problem we have grown accustomed to. But we never had one in our room in the middle of the night, and from the sound of it, this critter was close.
Reluctantly Brad turned on the lamp. I reached over to look at my watch. It was 3:06 AM. I felt frustrated as my mind started to realize the gravity of the situation. THERE IS A MOUSE TRYING TO SLEEP WITH US! Suddenly I knew my restful night of dream-filled bliss was not going to happen.
Brad started looking through the night stand drawers on his side of the bed. In the bottom drawer he pulled out a thermal shirt still in its plastic wrapping. We both nodded, that was the plasticy popping sound. After taking out a shirt and two pairs of pants he found further evidence, his Apple Phone box. It still had an extra cord in it and sounded like a BB rattling back and forth as he lifted it.
"Ah ha, we found the popcorn," I said.
A half eaten cold medicine pill was confiscated from the middle drawer. I secretly prayed that the pill was lethal to rodents. In the far corner under a few pairs of socks he found a half eaten piece of gum.
"Hmmm..." he said and I nodded now fully awake.
He put his arm in the top drawer where he stored miscellaneous junk like phone cords. As his arm rummaged through it a gray mouse unexpectedly jumped out. I screamed. He jumped as he laughed mischievously. And the mouse, the size of a small potato, landed on the carpet and scurried under our bed.
Would I now have to sleep on the couch? Again I hoped that the cold medicine was lethal. Meanwhile Brad set up a trap to catch the furry little villain. Because I was tired I just laid there. I knew I should be afraid of the mouse, but I was actually relieved that it stopped making noise. I shut my eyes only to instantly pop them back open with every little sound. To make matters worse Brad had left the room to exercise in his gym. IT WAS FOUR IN THE MORNING! He does that, because he is a Strongman.
I tried to to be strong. I covered up my eyes with a pajama top I pulled out of the night stand on my side of the bed. Trying to sleep with the light on, even with a night shirt over my eyes wasn't cutting it, I was too jumpy. Finally I resorted to the Salt lamp. I told myself, salt somehow makes the room more ionized or something. This will probably make the mouse hate this room and want to leave. Or maybe the frustrating little creature will get a stomach upset from its drug use and keel over.
Either way, I knew I didn't get my goodnight's rest of uninterrupted sleep. I guess it just goes to show me, I should never plan for a goodnight's rest because then its bound to get messed up.
One Day Later
I wasn't quite finished with this blog. I needed to go back and fix grammatical errors and read through it to make sure it made sense. It was getting late so I went to bed. Before I went to bed, I decided to take Zzz Quill so I could hopefully sleep through any mouse troubles.
Groggily I woke up late this morning. After drinking a cup of coffee, Brad had made for me, I sat up in bed. I looked down as I put my cup on my night stand situated four inches from my pillow and face. There on the night stand I saw 10 little black mouse droppings.
"Brad," I called out. "You got to see this."
The tiny terrorist had left a half eaten cough drop. What is wrong with this mouse? Does it have a cold? Or even worse, the Coronavirus? And why can't it just die already!
Before I went to bed the night before, I know that my night stand was clean. Sure it needed a good dusting, but it was clean. The Zzz Quill obviously had worked because I didn't hear the mouse eating a cough drop next to my face!!!!
I just have to say (from the 80's) "Grody to the Max!"
"Dianne calm down," you might say. If only I had a kind little soul, like Cinderella. Then I would name the little critter. After all, it seriously wants to be my sleeping buddy.
But NO! FOR THE LOVE, NO!!!
I want that mouse dead, D-E-A-D!
to be Continued....
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