Except when they come INSIDE at night, when I'm inside.
Tonight, I was working at the computer when I saw a fluttery shadow out of the corner of my eye. I thought it was a moth... a big moth. But, no, it was a bat the size of a bird, running terrified laps from my kitchen to my family room and back. I leaped up, opened the back door, and hid behind it clutching my collar and yelling brave things like "Mama!" and "Holy Freak!" every time it rounded my end of the room. It never did find the door. And how did it get in, anyway??
My options were running through my mind: stand here all night letting moths and mosquitos in until the bat goes out, call my neighbor, or wait for Q to arrive home from his trip. As I considered, Q drove into the driveway and the bat went into hiding somewhere.
I was quite a sight, I'm sure, as my husband walked in. I tried to explain, but there didn't seem to be any more bat. He said, "I'll go get my bat-catcher" and went out, returning with the kids' little pop-up tent from the front porch. Clever, I thought. But where was the bat? We cautiously peered behind the bookcase, in the coat closet, behind the TV. Ten minutes went by. Just as I was beginning to think it had slipped out somehow, it reappeared and we both ducked. I took off out the back door, yelling, "It's you and the bat, man! I'll be in the car!"
Actually, my position in the car allowed me to see that the bat was making its way into other rooms and I called to Q- the living room, the upstairs sewing room, and then I saw the light go on in my bedroom, where I knew the baby was asleep. I could see the bat go by the window over and over again, and imagined the scene. Finally, all was quiet for a few minutes, then Q came outside with a folded mesh laundry hamper. He had cornered it in the bathroom. He offered to let me look at the "cute" little guy, but I declined.
I've had my share of run-ins with various critters here in Vermont, and now I get to add a bat. A lost, scared, frantic bat. Thank goodness for my bat man. He's my hero.
6 comments:
I had to chase down a bird once that had gotten into my neigbors house when I was a teenager. They saw it, freaked out and called my mom. Who bravely offered my assistance and sent me over. It wasn't as bad as a bat, but it was an interesting experience chasing a bird around a house. This one eventually flew out the window.
That is too funny! For you, not for me. We had 2 in our house last year. I have no idea how they got in. I'm not a big fan of things that fly and swoop at your head. The bigger they are the worse it is.
And I must say the visual description was great. It even better when you know the people in the story and the layout of the house when reading it! I must admit I love reading about this side of Q, very funny.
You had Ben and I rolling with laughter. Sorry that it was at your expense. I must admit this is a new side of Q to me! I never would have pictured him as a critter catcher.
When we first moved to Fairfax -- long before you were born -- Mom and I had a very similar experience. We found a bat in the living room. After some panic and screaming, I dressed in the rubber-coated rain gear and hat, with my face mask that I use when sawing wood, and, holding a tennis racket, I tried to "herd" the bat either out or where I could get a good swipe at it. It kept flying to the window in the dining room. The window was up but the screen was down, so it would hang on the screen for a moment and then go flying off into the living room again. After this had happened three or four times, I raised the screen on that window. The next time the bat flew there, it tried to land on the screen, but was enormously surprised when it just fell outside instead. It fell about a foot before it figured out that there was no screen to land on, and flew off.
Dad, I love the imagery of the outfit and the racquet. Q explained the bat's actions thusly: since they use echolocation for guidance, this guy was not likely to find the open door but fly almost into everything, turning just in time. This would explain why it almost found its way out but not quite (and why I was sure it was headed straight for me every time it flew by).
But your bat landed on the screen several times- very convenient for helping it outside! I always thought bats could totally see in the dark, so I turned off the lights, but it didn't seem to help. Having it in such a small space as the bathroom, Q was able to predict its flight pattern and trap it. Anyway, I'm just glad it wasn't me and the bat in a small space. Total nightmare.
Yuck. A cricket hopped in last night and that was enough freaking out for me. I ran to get Ed a glass and a paper - you know, trap the cricket, slip the paper under, and take it outside - and he tried to swipe the cricket into the upside-right glass using the paper! I had to explain to him what to do, which worked. He's good at other things. I really really hope it's never a bat.
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