Mice and Screams

(Yes, we scream. We readily admit it. But, there is a difference between screams and exclamations of exasperation and if you can't decipher one from the other, I am truly sorry. You missed out in life.)

Now onto the original subject…

This episode took place the other day just as we were retiring for the evening. All the girls were reading in our room and after two of us saw the same flurry of activity, we decided that we weren't seeing things and there truly was a mouse in our room! What do you do when you see a mouse? Call our brothers, of course!

Brother #1 comes in armed with badminton racquets which he promptly hands out to all the girls so that we were ready and tells us "hit it if you see it!" Even though it wasn't accurate, you can get quite a reaction out of a sister when you declare that the mouse is under her bed!

At approximately the same time, the "timid" mouse made an appearance while scurrying from the dresser to under a bed (the exact one "predicted"). There was a scream and a shrill screaming like voice saying "There he is!!!" If you've seen The Quiet Man, imagine it ala Father Lonergan, a fact which she did not realize until afterwards.

After we (ie. the brother) rustled around under the bed, the mouse bee lined for the desk and the safety of that corner. There was another scream and another "There he is!" Yes, we like to keep things the same. :-)

Someone had the brilliant idea that our Chihuahua should prove that she was worthwhile and Boo was fetched to come make the catch. She was unaware of what was expected of her (after all, where was the buttered bread or spilled tea that she was surely summoned for?! Fickle dog!). So while Boo was still trying to figure out what she was doing invited into the girls room, the mouse reappeared to high tail it across the room to the area of the closet or the other bed while the fearless brave dog ran as fast as possible past the mouse and to the safety of her mother. All of that commotion was accompanied by another shrill "There he is!" and another scream. We like to keep things consistent, you know.

We tried to discover where the mouse had gone from there, but to no avail. We had lost him. We baited 4 of those no-bait-needed mouse traps because everyone knows that they don't work unless you bait them and settled down again for the night.

The next morning, we had caught one mouse elsewhere in the house and the trap set under our dresser had vanished and we still have not found it. I'm also sorry to say that mother was awoken by each "There he is!"

I tell you, our life is entertaining.