It'll Be Funny One Day, Right?

Update on the mouse situation: well, it's a rat.

My roommates and I have a rat living in our house, and my nightmare of stepping on the body of a vermin almost came true. We had set out a couple mouse traps to catch the little guy Lindsay saw in her room. After weeks of no success, we assumed he went back outside after all the snow melted. Some time last week, I was home alone, in my room with the door closed and heard a loud chewing noise coming from somewhere in the kitchen or dining room. I ventured out with as much bravery as I could gather while being home alone with a "mouse" but soon realized that the noises were coming from inside a wall. Eeeew! My roommates started hearing the noises throughout the day as well.

So, this past Thursday night, I was getting ready for the arrival of my mom, Aunt Becki, and cousin Katie for the weekend. While I was in my room I heard the wires behind my desk shift. I convinced myself that it was nothing and continued getting ready for my family to arrive, when I heard them shift again. As quickly as I could, I threw open my door and ran out into the hallway, screaming "The mouse is in my room!". My two roommates ran to my rescue, one of them kneeling down to look under my bed and the other walking around and making noise with a broom. I was standing at the doorway really grossed out. Then suddenly, we heard scurrying and a big, ugly, black RAT ran behind my desk and out the doorway.... towards my feet.

I screamed and jumped in the air as I saw this "not a mouse" hover under my feet for a split second in all the confusion, and all I could think to myself was, "I'm going to land on it and feel it under my feet! (read previous post)". Thankfully, I did not land on top of the rat, but ran instead back into my room and jumped into the middle of my papasan chair. Mom, Aunt Becki, Katie arrived soon after this mess.

We were all in the hallway and my roommate started opening a cereal box. I thought that the rustling of the cereal bag was the rustling of the rat, and when I gasped, Mom, Aunt Becki, and Katie thought that it was the rat coming out. I can't even begin to describe the scene. Mom and Katie screamed but both maintained a stellar composure when compared to what was going on next to them with Aunt Becki. She lost her head and started jumping up and down on top of Katie, screaming and spinning; she told us later that she twisted her ankles and momentarily lost her vision! Needless to say, no one wanted to sleep on the floor that night, so we all went to a hotel. Over the next couple of days I was discovering more and more rat poop in my room, under my bed, and in my closet.

The exterminator (I now feel that exterminators are very, very brave men) placed sticky traps and rat poison throughout the house. Hopefully, when I get home, the rat will be dead! Hooray!