I saw it for the first time just before midnight on Saturday. A dark little creature, scurrying across the far wall in my kitchen. A little too freaked out to investigate for 20 minutes, of course it wasn't there when anymore. So, I went to bed.
Sunday morning, when it ran across the open floor, a furry grey body against white tile, I definitely knew I hadn't just been seeing things.
I had a mouse.
I jumped up to follow it/chase it out of the house/something besides just let it run amok. It seemed to dash into my storage nook but was gone by the time I worked up the courage to move the things on the floor. I did notice that the door leading up to the main house had a huge gap underneath, so I barricaded it and moved on with my day.
Sunday night, the mouse had the courage to run by my living/bedroom door, and it was on. I couldn't find it behind my TV stand, but even if I could, what was I going to do? Hit it with a broom?
I called my dad. Who put me on speakerphone. So that the he, my mother, and my brother could laugh at me when I meekly whimpered "Daddy . . . I have a mouse."
Then they confirmed what I already knew - it was time for mousetraps.
After freaking out the landlady (turns out mice are one of her worst fears and oh yeah, the last tenant had a mouse too, sorry I forgot to tell you) by asking if she had any and being told no, I decided that a mouse in the house was an ox in the mire situation, for I would not be comfortable just letting the mouse do its thing.
Not wanting to deal with mouse bodies, I chose the no-view traps, as well as a few glue traps, just in case. Within moments of setting them, the mouse went straight for one, rattled it a bit, but apparently walked away. With six traps littering the floor of my teeny place, I figured it was only a matter of time, so I relaxed and waited.
By 12:30 AM, still nothing, but as I went to brush my teeth, the little devil poked his head out from behind my bookcase, as if to challenge me. It wasn't long before I realized there was only one exit and if I put a glue trap right there, I was sure to win. So I did, with the mouse watching from the shadows. I went back to brushing my teeth, trying not to be to anxious about the whole thing. Less than a minute later, I heard rattling, then struggling. I turned around and saw exactly what I hoped to - a mouse not about to go anywhere anytime soon.
Unfortunately, I had to look the poor thing in the face as I picked it up and put it in a trash bag. It temporarily broke my heart, but really, it had to be done. Sorry, dude. My policy still stands - I don't try to live in your house uninvited, so don't try to live in mine.
None of the other five traps have any catches, so I guess word has gotten out among the mouse community. I prefer that way, as having no one else to take care of unwanted visitors is one of the unglamorous parts of solo living.
But I did it! And I'd do it again. Only bipeds live here.
3 comments:
We had little mousies all the time when we were living in our old farm house in VA. I think they already far outnumbered us...then they had babies. I still remember my dad stomping one of them on the back deck...yech. My mom woke up to one nibbling away at her boxes under her computer desk and found mouse holes in her bathrobe a few mornings later. I don't know that we ever got rid of them (that house had so many infestations other than mice, it just wasn't worth it), but I guess we just came to a mutual agreement: you don't eat my stuff, and I won't step on you.
I forgot to say: Good for you!!! I wouldn't have been able to do that.
You just gave me the heebeejeebees and now I have to go to bed. Thanks!
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