Holy toledo, Batman!

  This morning, I climbed into bed around 2:30, exhausted after a day of teaching and going out for Halloween.  I don't know what made me open my eyes almost an hour later, but suddenly, there was this small rat scampering across MY pillow directly towards my face.  

  I am always impressed with the human body because it has never failed me during all our Polar Bear Club dives, and it sure didn't fail me now.  Quicker than you can say, "Boo!", my body was flung out bed and standing in the entryway, heart thumping like crazy.  

  Do you know what's worse than knowing a rat is in your room?  No?  It's not being able to SEE the rat in your room.  Although I had quickly turned on the lights, my glasses were way over on the ledge by the pillow, and, in case some of you are unaware of the magnitude of the situation, I am literally blind without corrective lenses. Ughhhhhh......  Why, oh why, is there no such thing as a Summoning Charm? With tentative steps, I hurried to plop on my glasses and book it out of my room again.  

  Right then, I saw the offending creature on the floor pathetically flapping around.  It wasn't a disgusting rat but a poor bat, confused on how to get out of my house.  Deciding I needed a picture before doing a capture and release, I grabbed my camera from the dining room.  In the ten seconds it took me, the bat somehow made it back under the bed.  This could be a problem.  

  Before continuing, you may wonder how the bat originally got in. 

Exhibit A

(master bathroom window: always open as it lets in a cool breeze at night)

Exhibit B

(patio door: always open to give Bella a chance to hang out on the balcony)

  After trying to stir the bat out from under the bed with a broom (there is no way I was going to put my head under there in the dark), I decided to give up and crawl back into bed, crossing my fingers that I wouldn't have something running across my face throughout the night.  [Since teaching about these amazing creatures years ago for Zoology Club, I have known that most bats (besides the ones with rabies) aren't dangerous and are extremely helpful to the environment; therefore, I wasn't too worried.]  For a better escape route, I switched sides of the bed and tossed around fitfully until dawn, hearing the scratching of the bat on the underbelly of my bed.  With the light of morning, I finally felt sure the bat would wait until this evening to venture outside again and slept much better.  

  And what was Bella, my faithful companion, doing this whole time?