Rat Tales, Part 3 - Rodents Rule?

The Critters I Live With #2

I was only in bed for a few minutes when I heard a new sound.

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SCRATCH! SCRATCH! SCRATCH!

Great! Just great! I knew exactly what that sound was. Ralph had not made his escape from the house as I had hoped. No, he had hidden inside one of the lower cupboards. And I had trapped him there.

This time, I didn’t even bother with the broom as I knew Ralph was safely locked away. I went back into the kitchen, turned on the light, and waited…listening intently. Which door hid my unwelcome housemate? Finally, I heard him.

SCRATCH! SCRATCH! SCRATCH!

The sound came from the first set of doors. The ones sealed off by the gas tank. OK. At least I knew where he was. I remembered then that I had some rat poison. I got a little piece of paper, put some rice on it, and sprinkled the rice with the poison.

I put the poisoned rice on the floor near door number one and moved the gas tank far enough away so Ralph could get out. I hoped that he would nibble a bit of the rice and make his exit from this world…permanently.

Then, with a prayer for relief, I went back to bed. Sadly, the story is not over. A few minutes later, I heard another sound – one more puzzling than the others.

SCRAPE! SCRAPE! SCRAPE! I had no clue what that sound was.

“Oh, good grief! Not again!”

Dragging myself out of bed one more time, I went through the kitchen ritual. Broom. Open door. Enter. Close door. Look and listen. I could see absolutely nothing unusual. And I heard nothing.

As I wearily headed back to bed, I lifted an earnest prayer. “Dear Lord, please help. I really need some sleep!”

A few minutes later, I heard one more sound. An identifiable sound. A welcome sound. It was the sound of Ralph climbing the tiered wire basket that hung in the corner near the ventilation openings. This was no doubt his usual way to get in and out of the kitchen. This welcome sound meant that Ralph was leaving.

Ralph made his exit. Sleep…sweet sleep made its entrance…at last.

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The story is not over yet, though. In the morning, I got a better look at the kitchen. I noticed something I had not seen the night before. I knew what had made that scraping sound.

Hidden by the gas tank, right next to the poisoned rice, was that big old metal rat trap. Ralph had indeed left the house. Before he did, that cheeky rodent had bypassed the rice, pushed the rat trap across the floor, and dropped it off next to what was to have been his final meal.

Ralph’s message was unmistakable. “Nah-nee-nah-nee-boo-boo! You can’t catch me!”

Then again, maybe it was something more ominous. Something like, “You humans think you are soooo smart. But we rats rule the world.”

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Click below for the rest of the story.

Rat Tales, Part 1 - A Thump in the Night

Rat Tales, Part 2 - Ralph the Rat Does a Houdini