We Have a Traitor in our Midst

Well, not really, but I have always wanted to say that. Actually, what we have is an uninvited and definitely unwanted house guest. In retrospect, there were signs that a stranger lived amongst us. A hole in the rice bag... I should have known that our ever dwindling supply of rice was not a result of spontaneous combustion. Scurrying noises in the walls at night...I knew what those sounds meant, but I denied. Friday night, we could deny no longer. Upon pulling out the oven drawer, we discovered...a mouse. But not just a mouse. A nest as well. We hope the nest was pre-babies and not post.

Papashunga called me down to witness "Man versus Mouse" in the oven drawer arena. This event consisted of my husband crouching his 6'6" frame in front of the oven drawer and chasing the mouse around with his hand. Which was also clutching a paper towel. He claims he was trying to catch it. He also swears that he succeeded but got grossed out when he felt the tiny bones shifting as the creature attempted his escape. And so he released it. My spectator role during this fiasco? Cowering in the corner, hand over mouth, practically wimpering, and generally being a girl. Had there been a chair, I definitely would have climbed on. When the mouse eventually tired of the game, he leapt out of the drawer and scurried back from whence it came. At which point I did in fact squeal. Well, actually, it was more of a scream.

And so, the decision was made. We, in our infinite cruelty, set a trap. I'm not crazy about killing animals, even rodents. But when you decide to move in to my house, drastic measures are taken. We caught him, almost right away. But the next day, there was a hole in the bread bag. And a sizeable amount of bread had been extracted through said hole. Another trap was set. This new mouse had learned our wily ways though. He licked off the peanut butter and escaped, leaving but a few hairs behind. We congratulated him on buying himself another day, and then we adapted. Another trap was set, this time with a raisin. Another mouse was caught. A third trap was set, just to be on the safe side. And also because the walls were not yet silent. Another mouse was caught. Shudder. At what point can you claim infestation?

The walls are now quiet. The bread is secure. The rice is replenished and the oven drawer (along with its contents) has been scoured. The entry portal has been discovered and sealed, with an extra trap thrown down the tunnel for good measure. Within these walls, there now dwells but four occupants. All of them human. If that changes at any point in the future, let's hope it is intentionally.

**It should be noted that during the writing of this entire post, I have had goosebumps.**