Well, I know 'es Alive

[thewaterling]

I heard him skittering about the night before last during the night, and last night I enlisted my landlord/friend to come "help me" catch him. (He apparently needed a flashlight to see anything even though the room was fully lit, and I- and I imagine the rat, couldn't see WITH it, so that was kind of a connunudrum...) My landlord and I both stunk at actually catching him, but we saw him many, many times, and he ran through my hands twice, jumped up my face, over my head, and across my arm while I was under the lower ledge of a desk in the room, and that's the closest I got. (I couldn't raise my hands to get him 'cause I was under the low ledge.) At one point he tried to hide in/on mybackpack and neither Ian nor I saw him, so when Ian instructed me to pick up the bag so we could try again to find him (he'd been racing from place to place in the room to avoid us), I heard a small *thud* as I picked up the bag, and Ian thought I'd dropped something out of the bag. Turns out it was the rat... :( Naturally worried, I said I hoped he was okay (since he'd dropped about a foot and a half-two feet), and Ian snapped at me. "Renae, he's fine!!" When I expressed how little (agewise) he is, and how that's about ten stories' equivalent to OUR height, he replied "He's FINE. I've seen rats far lots farther than that before and be perfectly fine." I can understand his frustration at the situation, and am thankful he was at least willing to come up and help, but I can see now where he gets his animal empathy from... ... (He is sadly woefully neglectful and abusive to his animals.. and I'm beginning to think he doesn't get that they're living, breathing, feeling creatures that depend on HIM for respect, sustenance, CARE, etc.) I'm still a little worried about the little guy, but I heard him quite a good deal after that behind my li'l refridgerator, and this morning I found that the Cheerios and peanut butter that I left out in places (thanks, ashoe!!) last night had been eaten, as well as some water I left out had been drunk. So.. yay.. he's alive and presumably well, and at this point I'm thinking about a humane trap.. 'cause in the house I'm in right now, every day that passes is an increasing chance that he could get out and be consumed by a heatin duct, or a hungry cat. ('Cause their parents don't actually FEED them.... *sighs*)

On the up-side, there is hope, and his brother and I are doing just fine as far as the bonding process goes. He stops squiggling pretty quickly now, doesn't tremble or shiver anymore already, and just LOVES hanging out in my hoodie. ^_^ With his big brother the escapee, keep yer fingers crossed, and hopefully soon I'll have the chance to show you pictures of my little Houdini.
(..You know, that might be the best name for him yet.. come to think of it... It seems he's an expert at disappearing, after all... ;\ Plus it's magicky to boot.. hmm....)

Anyhoo, wish us luck, y'all! :):)
If all goes well, I'll have a LOT to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. :):)

..Hells.. I already do. ^_^
And since I don't have a comp at home, I should wish you all this now, by the by: ^_^

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!!!  **GREAT BIG HUGS TO ALL**

Love,
Nae