I woke up at some point in the pre-dawn hours aware that some presence had entered the room.
I lay there listening to the sounds of the house and wondered just what it was.
Then I heard it. The soft scuffling sound of something climbing. Nails on blackboard to my soul.
Tiny nails.
Scrabbling on the side of the water pail in the bathroom.
Then the sound of them slipping on the side and a soft plop.
And then came the sound that COULD have been a dog lapping water in that bucket.
Only I KNEW there was no dog in there.
I’d heard that same sound before only a few mornings ago. So I knew what it was in that bucket.
Before I could disturb the hero’s sleep though, silence reigned and I knew I was too late.
I lay there trying to get back to sleep, but my efforts were in vain.
When the alarm went off and the hero arose, I softly told him what he would find.
He grumbled “That water pail is a better mouse trap than the ones I paid good money for!”
