Scene 1: Andrew washes face in the morning. He is acutely aware of the abyss below his kitchen sink, but this morning he is too lazy to check it for creatures. Something grazes against his foot. Dark, black mass bolts off into the dark. Andrew jumps.
Scene 2: Andrew uses broom to sweep kitchen area. Behind propane tank. Behind door. Behind fridge. Dark mass jumps out and crashes into wall, scurries behind door. Andrew unloads poison spray into crevice. Andrew waits 1 minute. Throws back door. Dark black mass no where to be seen. Dark black mass renamed "hybrid roach lizard thingy".
Act II
Scene 1: Andrew returns home from day at work. He has almost forgotten the encounter in the morning. Andrew goes to bed around midnight.
Scene 2: It is 6:04am and hot in the room. Andrew, half awake, reaches downward to pull up covers. His hand grabs something that is definitely not blanket. It jumps away. Andrew leaps to his feet and launches blanket into the air:
Andrew: What the &#$^@#&@#!?!?!?!Andrew runs and turns on light. Begins cursory examination of the room. Spots dark mass under bed. Hybrid roach lizard thingy runs into the open.
Andrew: What. Are. You?Andrew realizes that HRLT is actually a mouse. HRLT renamed "mousey".
HRLT: ...
Andrew: You know mousey, you shall never escape this room alive.Andrew blocks both exits, stuffing the crevices below his doors with shirts.
Mousey: ...
Andrew: I'm sorry, but you know the way here, you're bound to come back. It's only logical.
Scene 3: It is 6:20am. Andrew is sweating from chasing mousey around the room. As Andrew fishes for his REI headlamp, mousey disappears momentarily.
Andrew: wherefore art thou, mousey?Mousey pokes out from behind desk. Mousey climbs lamp cord from power strip up to desk. Mousey runs across desk and leaps the one foot gap from desk to bed. Mousey runs around under the covers. Andrew watches the bump of mousey's body moving all around the bed, under the covers. Mousey's face emerges.
Andrew: [hissing sound].Mousey leaps away, bounces on the stool, and runs for Andrew's backpack. Andrew throws book. Mousey leaps into open backpack.
Scene 4: It is 6:45am. Andrew is sweating profusely. He up-ends backpack and mousey leaps out.
Andrew: you have no where left to run. Give it up.Mousey runs for the door. Leaps into Andrew's shirt, stuffed at the bottom. Andrew turns to his desk. Eyes 800-page book: Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States.
Andrew: Now, for some American justice.Book slams into shirt.
Act III:
Scene 1: Andrew kicks shirt out of his room and out of the apartment. It is 7:03am. Andrew settles down to try and go back to sleep. Andrew contemplates...
How long was mousey next to me for?The memory of mousey lives on.
Perhaps he just wanted a sleeping buddy.
If he had left me alone, it would have been all right.
Hey Andrew,
ReplyDeleteI have thought about you quite a few times but am finally getting some words out to you! You really need to publish this as a book when you finish your NGO assignment. You blog reminds me of the book "Eat, Pray, Love"
I have lived through your mouse experience recently as I have trapped four mice in the last six weeks on sticky pads that they get caught up in...don't know how they have been getting in the house. Then I bought this device that you plug in the wall that emits sounds that mice don't like and then they leave...which is what I think has happened. But it really freaked me out to hear them at night munching on whatever they could find in the kitchen...I hate rodents. You need to buy some mouse traps.
Your train trips brought back memories...they are so packed and we were in first class! Idnians are so curious--the staring was non stop and thank goodness we had my friend's husband with us or we would have been hassled by men constantly. But I enjoyed seeing the country from the train.
I was thinking about the Haiti earthquake and wondering whether the housing your NGO puts up are really able to withstand a 7 point plus earhtquake....how do you know?
Life here is aobu the same....I think I made my last trip to Nigeria and now I get Ethiopia. That Gizaw is a real character.....hmmm, hope he is not a bad as Benjamin. I'll be traveling to Addis within the month. Where should I stay?
When are you returing to the states--to Washington? My smart nephew is back in LA working until he makes a decision about med school.
I love your pictures as they add context to what you are writing!
Keep having adventures!
Kim