A New Word Dawns

Today has been a good day! It’s been a long day, too. And it’s been a tiring day.

Today started before the usual time for me, at 2:45 give or take a few blurs. That’s when I awake to Ixchel crawling all over me. She doesn’t move from the center of the bed around the top of my head or past my feet.  No, Ixchel believes in the direct approach.  Over my face, or my chest.  As I wake, I am aware of an eerie presence. I sense movement.  I drift back to sleep.

Thirty minutes pass and, once again, I wake to that sense that I am not alone in the room. It whines, then, a low soft sound expressing a sorrow that seems to come from the depth of the ages. I crawl out of bed, pick up Ixchel and stumble to the door.  Nikki follows close behind. She, it would seem, is the source of the whining.  I shuffle down the stairs, slipping, nearly falling. Out the back door we flee; Ixchel and Nikki promptly take care of their pressing needs, then sniff the flowers and the dirt clods. “Really?” I moan, “It’s 3 friggin’ 30 in the morning! Can’t you sniff at a more reasonable hour?” They both look up at me and bound for the door. I turn to go inside. I step on a rock.

Turning out the lights, we make our way back up stairs, and Nikki heads directly for the shelter of her “under the bed” safe room. Picking up Ixchel, I toss her unceremoniously on the bed, then crawl beneath the sheets. I hold the sheet up for her, and she deftly burrows to her spot by Scott’s back. Rolling over I face the windows, and look out to the street beyond them, the gray foreboding hulk of the houses across the street just visible in the darkness.  I take one last look at the clock, 3:35 am.  I shut my eyes.

And hear IT. Thunk. Click. Thunk. Snik. This is followed by a “zooothssssh” like sound and another THUNK! I open my eyes, and look around. Nothing. But that sense that we are not alone, my canines, Scott and I. Silence. A whine. Thunk. Snik. Zooothssssh. Silence.

Ixchel pops her head above the sheets.

YAP!

YAPYAPYAPYAPYAPYAP!

Thunk, Snik, Zooothssssh. Yap

Whine.

And I see it! The Bat of Doom! I flick on the light, jump to my feet and run for the bedroom door, hoping, praying… can I escape it? Will it get me? Will THIS be the night!

Scott turns and looks at me.  “Bat?”

“Yes, THE Bat, it’s come!”

“Oh.” Soft snores emanate from his corner of the bed. Sigh. No help there.

I turn off the ceiling fan (they interfere with a bat’s navigatory skills). Moments later the bat flies out the door.  I slam the door!

Safe at last I crawl back in to bed. Once more, I hold the sheet high for Ixchel to return to her nest, then turn to face the window. Again I look at the clock. 3:45 am. I close my eyes. I roll on to my back, opening my eyes and stare at the ceiling. I roll on to my stomach. Now I turn to face the center of the bed, then immediately back to the window. Sometime around 4:40 I fall asleep.

At 5:01 the alarm goes off. Time to face another day. We snooze, Scott, the girls and I, until 5:30 most mornings. But at 5:02, shortly after Scott hits the snooze button, I hear it.

Thunk. Snik. Zooothssssh.

Groaning I return to the door, turn off the ceiling fan, pull the door open and hit the light. The bat has returned to the room. Scott reluctantly crawls from the bed, we snatch Ixchel from the sheets, and turn for the door.  The bat flies ahead of us, out the door and into the bathroom.  By 5:20, it has been consigned to the bathroom. I shut the bathroom door.

The day has begun.

I’m a bit groggy. But, we’re no worse the wear from our bat-encounter. I mean, I do seem to be feeling a bit photophobic today.

And the scent of blood is powerfully strong.  Smells oddly…. delicious…

And that Damn bat escaped.