Finding a Voice
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
bat in the basement
I don't think I really knew the meaning of "makes your skin crawl" until about 5 minutes ago during my encounter with a bat in the Whittaker basement. All I wanted to do was relieve myself in the girls' room, but there was this bird -- a sparrow? no -- tail too short.
A BAT!!!!
It was swooping and swinging silently, in and out of corners, coming too near my head. So I did what every self-respecting woman does at such times. I screamed. I ran around to the stairs on the other side of the building and got to the washroom that way. Whew! Fearfully and fastly I shut the hall door to block the bat.
On returning upstairs I met a girl who's here for basketball camp. She looked cool enough as she said, almost matter-of-factly, "There's a bat. I don't want to go out the door to the gym, but I have a game right now." So she and I stood in my office doorway, alternately ducking and yelping. I encouraged her to make a run for it, which she did. I yelled for her to prop open the door, which she couldn't and didn't. So, I did. I ran for the door, held it open, pressed myself against the wall cringing and flinching, watching carefully for the little creature, telling it to come outside, yet dreading the moment when it would ... and screaming.
The bat got out.
I'm such a girl.
posted by Colleen McCubbin at 7:39 PM
8 Comments:
Oh, Colleen!! :)
First of all, look: I was not "running around downstairs screaming." I screamed at intervals. I punctuated the silence with my screams. But I did not run around letting out wails of terror. Okay?
Right. Sorry for being so "sensitive." I've had quite a shock today, you know.
But your apology helped me to laugh out loud for several minutes, which had a very healing effect. Thanks.
you've had quite the adventures lately with the winged population :)
Oh Colleen---what an enjoyable read. Not that I have any less sympathy for you! All I can say is that I'm suprised you made it to the girls room before peeing your pants. I may have just let it go.
Ash
Man! I'm sorry I missed that...not really. I think I would have been pretty freaked out, too. I'll have to tell you the story of how we had a bat in our house one time.
When we had a mouse in our home, my husband told me he would need my help to catch it (as though screaming like a 3 year old wasn't helpful enough). I told him "Are you KIDDING me?! It's for things like this I got married!" :)
Thanks for sharing your blog link..can't wait to read more!
Greaaat. Now when I check out my dorm for the fall I'll be looking down for mice and looking up for bats. Quietly sneaking through the halls ... peering ... up ... down ... up ... down ... looking like some sort of paranoid bobble-head.
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