Night-Time Visitor

OK. We've been having someone over at our place for the first time last Sunday night, without our parents' knowledge. And not just Sunday night, but every night actually. The first time was quite...surreal. Honestly. We weren't sure what to make out of it or whether our mind was playing tricks on us regarding the entire incident. But on the second night he paid us another surprise visit! After our parents have gone to bed and while we were supping on egg tarts!

And after Monday night he left evidence that he came around - bite marks. So when mum asked us details the following morning, we told her.

We have a mouse in the house.

Sunday night when we went downstairs to grab some supper, we saw a black shadow scurry from under the couch into the kitchen. Even with the lights all turned off there was no mistaking that shape and size. So we turned on most of the lights from the hall to the kitchen, and started hunting to evict the little critter by means of a broom.

Well we say evict, meaning to fling the critter out of our back yard and into the alleyway, where all the neighbours' cats roam. It's too messy to squash the mouse and we're not inclined to spraying Shelltox directly into its face - let the neighbours cats prove useful and do something.

Search as we may it went missing.

We didn't say anything to mum or dad regarding the mouse on Monday because 1) we forgot; 2) it might not return and 3) we might have dreamt it up.

Ok so (2) is being optimistic and there's a reason for (3). See, there was this once we were out watering plants in the gardens somewhere rather late at night. And at one point we were hosing this bunch of potted plants placed near a grilled hole when we heard a hissing noise and thought we saw a black snake hissing and writhing.

We were holding the water hose so there was no way we were looking at a hose on the floor ok. And the hissing we heard was rather loud and not what we come to associate with snakes. By the time we went to equip ourselves with our tongkat and headed back to the spot the supposed 'snake' had gone and so was the sound.

A one-of-a-kind experience. Never happened again and hopefully never will.

So the first time when we saw that rat we thought back to the snake incident, and told ourselves that we might have imagined things. Egads. See, there's no need for other people to tell us things may not be fully right in the head, we can pretty much do it ourselves.

Then on Monday night as we were supping on some John King egg tarts (the durian tart is tasty) in the kitchen, the little bugger dropped down from somewhere above to the back support of the dining chair opposite of us, scrambled down to the seat and then out of sight. From the shelves above no doubt.

Black, smaller than the average alley rats the size of kittens you see lurking in longkangs outside, not a single squeak as it made its way past us. We didn't get to see where it scarpered to, but we had definite proof he'd been around this time: it nibbled on a papaya from the fruit basket before making off for the night.

As we worried that we might forget to inform our parents again, we sent them a text instead. At 5am. So yesterday we had the questions. Where did we see it? How big was it? Were we sure it wasn't a shrew (a shrew!) or a rat? Et cetera et cetera.

Now see clear! This isn't some cutesy Ratatouille we're talking about! While we did think of the movie, it was the lines where Remy says about not wanting to walk on the same paws he uses to eat that came foremost in our mind. It's not hygeinic ok?

So far mum has taken to blocking the more obvious entry points to the house - by blocking off the bottom of the back and front doors using towels and stools. This morning the towels were nibbled on, but we do think there's still one more in the house. We wonder if mum will be getting a mousetrap soon. We're thinking bak kua for bait - partly also because we never got any for this Chinese New Year and that'll be a good reason to buy some. :P