Last night I kicked out a little mouse that had been living in my room.
About a week and a half ago I woke up and found that a mouse or rat had eaten a hole in one of my bananas. I thought, "oh, great! That's what I need right now." Upon further inspection I came to the conclusion that it was a mouse, and not a rat, based on the little tiny turds I found. I thought "alright. A mouse isn't as bad as a rat." Which is true, but I was still uneasy thinking that it might be scurrying around my small room causing little mouse mischief and, god forbid, infesting my things with fleas or worse. When you are a foreigner living in Ethiopia, little biting bugs of different sorts are the bain of your existence and without a washer and dryer this means little bugs are a bitch to get rid of.
As I was fretting over a flea infestation it suddenly occurred to me that I'd woken up the night before feeling like there was something crawling over my leg. I'd fallen asleep immediately after as I thought I was imagining things. Maybe I wasn't. Eww!
But I didn't know if the mouse had come and gone, or if it had found a home somewhere amongst my things. I decided to give in another night to see what would happen. Sure enough, the next morning I found more evidence in the form of more little mousy poohs. So, I tore my room apart and did a total scrub down.
As I pulled my wardrobe away from the wall the little thing shot out and ran under my bed. It had found a hidey-hole to live in the gap behind my wardrobe in an old shirt I thought I'd thrown on top of the wardrobe but had actually fallen behind. Well, the good thing is I found it's house, the question then became how to get my little roommate OUT.
I finished cleaning my house and did my very best to due away with any and all possible mouse houses. Every now and again when I got quiet the mouse would come out from under my bed a little and then shoot back under as soon as I moved. I decided to give it some privacy, hoping that while I was gone it would come out, find that it had nowhere to go, and then leave the way it came in, from the gap under my door.
When I came home I looked around, checked under the bed, and didn't find anything. "Good." I'm thinking, the little guy has gone away. Job done. I fall asleep that night with ease, knowing that no little critter will be trying to share my bed at night. The next few nights come and go and I'm at peace knowing my house is safe from the mouse that was once in my house.
But then,
night before last I hear little scratching sounds coming from somewhere I can't quite identify. CRAP!!! I think, I've been had. I stay up as late as I can, flashlight in hand, lights off, waiting for the little guy to make his move. I fall asleep.
Last night though, at 1:38 in the morning, I'm awakened by a god awful tearing sound. I turn the light on and stand up, but the mouse was too fast. I see that it had been trying to eat a hole through the tarp that I'd been shoving in the gap in the door, but there is no sign of the mouse. I didn't see where it ran off to. So, I turn on the dim little flashlight on my phone, put my glasses on, turn the lights off and lay on my bed, waiting, waiting, waiting......
There! Right there on top of my cabinet. Movement. I disappears and reappears at the door. I shift my head just slightly and it stops dead in it's tracks, perks up, and just sits there like a statue. I can see it's shiny little eye in the dim, blue light of my cell phone flashlight. I wait to see what will happen, still. It determines it's safe, so it moves to the gap under the door, paces a few times, and goes out into the night. I stand up, flip the light switch and shove the folded up tarp into the gap to prevent the tiny creature from re-entering. I am quite satisfied with myself and relieved to have done away with the little creature once and for all.
A minute later I hear it outside the door, chirping. Wanting to get back in. Scared to be outside, alone, in the dark night where it could be gobbled up by any given predator......and suddenly I'm a little sad. A little guilty. I kicked out my roommate with no explanation. My little tiny roommate that wanted nothing more than a safe warm place to sleep during the day.
I don't let it back in, of course. I get a drink of water and go back to bed where I sleep soundly, but still......I feel guilty.
About a week and a half ago I woke up and found that a mouse or rat had eaten a hole in one of my bananas. I thought, "oh, great! That's what I need right now." Upon further inspection I came to the conclusion that it was a mouse, and not a rat, based on the little tiny turds I found. I thought "alright. A mouse isn't as bad as a rat." Which is true, but I was still uneasy thinking that it might be scurrying around my small room causing little mouse mischief and, god forbid, infesting my things with fleas or worse. When you are a foreigner living in Ethiopia, little biting bugs of different sorts are the bain of your existence and without a washer and dryer this means little bugs are a bitch to get rid of.
As I was fretting over a flea infestation it suddenly occurred to me that I'd woken up the night before feeling like there was something crawling over my leg. I'd fallen asleep immediately after as I thought I was imagining things. Maybe I wasn't. Eww!
But I didn't know if the mouse had come and gone, or if it had found a home somewhere amongst my things. I decided to give in another night to see what would happen. Sure enough, the next morning I found more evidence in the form of more little mousy poohs. So, I tore my room apart and did a total scrub down.
As I pulled my wardrobe away from the wall the little thing shot out and ran under my bed. It had found a hidey-hole to live in the gap behind my wardrobe in an old shirt I thought I'd thrown on top of the wardrobe but had actually fallen behind. Well, the good thing is I found it's house, the question then became how to get my little roommate OUT.
I finished cleaning my house and did my very best to due away with any and all possible mouse houses. Every now and again when I got quiet the mouse would come out from under my bed a little and then shoot back under as soon as I moved. I decided to give it some privacy, hoping that while I was gone it would come out, find that it had nowhere to go, and then leave the way it came in, from the gap under my door.
When I came home I looked around, checked under the bed, and didn't find anything. "Good." I'm thinking, the little guy has gone away. Job done. I fall asleep that night with ease, knowing that no little critter will be trying to share my bed at night. The next few nights come and go and I'm at peace knowing my house is safe from the mouse that was once in my house.
But then,
night before last I hear little scratching sounds coming from somewhere I can't quite identify. CRAP!!! I think, I've been had. I stay up as late as I can, flashlight in hand, lights off, waiting for the little guy to make his move. I fall asleep.
Last night though, at 1:38 in the morning, I'm awakened by a god awful tearing sound. I turn the light on and stand up, but the mouse was too fast. I see that it had been trying to eat a hole through the tarp that I'd been shoving in the gap in the door, but there is no sign of the mouse. I didn't see where it ran off to. So, I turn on the dim little flashlight on my phone, put my glasses on, turn the lights off and lay on my bed, waiting, waiting, waiting......
There! Right there on top of my cabinet. Movement. I disappears and reappears at the door. I shift my head just slightly and it stops dead in it's tracks, perks up, and just sits there like a statue. I can see it's shiny little eye in the dim, blue light of my cell phone flashlight. I wait to see what will happen, still. It determines it's safe, so it moves to the gap under the door, paces a few times, and goes out into the night. I stand up, flip the light switch and shove the folded up tarp into the gap to prevent the tiny creature from re-entering. I am quite satisfied with myself and relieved to have done away with the little creature once and for all.
A minute later I hear it outside the door, chirping. Wanting to get back in. Scared to be outside, alone, in the dark night where it could be gobbled up by any given predator......and suddenly I'm a little sad. A little guilty. I kicked out my roommate with no explanation. My little tiny roommate that wanted nothing more than a safe warm place to sleep during the day.
I don't let it back in, of course. I get a drink of water and go back to bed where I sleep soundly, but still......I feel guilty.
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