They’d stayed up too late once again. Kelly fumbled with the alarm on her iPod; 5:30 a.m. or 5 a.m. She couldn’t decide and threw it on the bookshelf before crawling under the comforter. Tony clicked off the lights and snuggled in next to her. They chatted softly for a few minutes before both started drifting off to sleep. Suddenly, Kelly heard something. Her eyes snapped open and she elbowed Tony in the ribs.
“Did you toss the cat out or is he still in the house,” she asked while peering around the foot of the bed.
“I tossed him out, so unless he snuck in with you, he’s still outside,” Tony answered.
Kelly was still again and heard something that reminded her of the cat slinking through the house. But if it wasn’t him, what was it? A loud cling on the fan startled her.
“Tony did you hear that?!” she asked, pressing into him.
“Hear what?” The words barely escaped his lips before Kelly screamed and pulled the covers over her head.
“What, what?!” Tony, now fully awake, asked.
“It’s a bat! It flew right over my head,” the words rose from under the comforter. Kelly started inching towards the edge of the bed careful to keep all parts of her covered.
“What are you doing?” Tony asked as the lump of bedding that was once his sane wife started pushing him out of bed.
“Get the bat! I’m getting out of bed!” Kelly said, fear gripping at her heart, her palms sweaty as the clung desperately to the thin folds of fabric; her only protection from the dreaded flying rodent of the night.
“Stay here!” Tony ordered and Kelly compiled. She reasoned that if the bat attacked her through the comforter she would have grounds for divorce.
She listed as Tony clicked on the lights and opened his closet door where the badminton racquet they kept upstairs for just such emergencies was stored. Kelly prayed the kids would all stay asleep and that Tony could dispose of the bat quickly as it was already getting hard to breathe under the comforter. She heard him walk into the hallway. Silence. Then she heard him swinging wildly and the flutter of retreating wings. His footsteps moved into the girl’s room when suddenly there came a smack, thud and a soft plop. Kelly listened as Tony walked back into the hallway, down the steps and out the back door. Once she heard him come back upstairs, she felt it was finally safe to ask,
“Did you get it?”
“Yes.”
She pulled back the comforter just far enough to take a deep breath of cool air and make room for her husband, the hero, the climb back into bed.
“You’re irrational. Where did you think you were going to go with the comforter on top of you?” he asked.
“I thought I’d crawl downstairs and lock myself in the bathroom.” It made perfect sense at the time, she reflected.
“How did you know it wouldn’t fly downstairs?”
“They never go in the bathroom!” Tony knew that, why was he giving her a hard time? She changed the subject. “Anyway, thank you for taking care of it.” She kissed him.
“You’re welcome.”
Within a few minutes, Tony was back to sleep. Kelly laid close to him, the comforter up to her chin, her eyes popping open with each noise. The wind had picked up outside and there were creaks coming from all over the house. Her heart was still racing, her hands still sweaty and white knuckled from gripping the comforter so tightly for so long. She was sure another bat was would swoop down over her at any minute.
She thought bats migrated in the fall towards warmer weather. Now she feared bats were hibernating in the house. It would be many nights before she would be able to go to sleep peacefully again.
This totally happened on Sunday night. Share your highlights, or in my case low lights, of the week in third person and leave a link to your post in the comments.
Here is my 3rd person Narrative. http://onecatholicmama.blogspot.com/2013/11/amelia-felt-shame-third-person-and.html
Oh my gosh….you poor thing. I would totally have pulled the comforter over my head and gone into the bathroom….you are so right, bats don’t go into bathrooms. Hoping the rest of your winter is bat-free. And love that you keep badmiton (batmiton? LOL) racquets just for getting rid of bats. LOL
Oh my gosh! We had bats a few years ago, and my husband killed them with a tennis racket. How do husbands know these things? I was so proud and in love with him after, but then I started thinking about it…”Just where did you smash the bat?” and he told me on the bed in our guestroom. And I freaked out and made him take that comforter outside. How do husbands not know those things?
(If I was cooler, I totally would have left that comment in the third person. Duh.)
Kelly thinks Colleen is cool no matter how her comment is written. Kelly also likes to freak out her kids by pointing out where on the wall, then floor, the bat met his demise. In truth, the majority of bats have been “dealt with” in the girls bedroom which, Kelly surmised, is probably why her oldest wants her own room.
Annery shuddered, childhood memories of bats hanging from lace curtains revisited. Her brother, shaking the curtains to agitate the bat, Annery sure it would fly into her hair…..ah childhood, sweet, scarring childhood. Check out what Annery’s been up to: http://anneryathome.blogspot.com/2013/11/its-third-person-theme-thursday-two.html 🙂
Joy is glad you were rescued from the bat and hopes you get some rest today.
http://joyinthemorning-joy.blogspot.com/2013/11/third-person-thankful-thursday.html
Amelia hates bats and is having computer issues. But, Amelia managed to write a 3rd person post. http://onecatholicmama.blogspot.com/2013/11/amelia-felt-shame-third-person-and.html
Pat grew up on a farm and prides herself on being able to do just about anything on her own. Even the folks at church describe Pat as fiercely independent and able to hold her own with the male volunteers on the “heavy duty” brigade of the grounds crew. When it comes to killing bats, however, Pat lays awake at night wondering if she could do the deed without shrieking and screaming, or if she would have to call an exterminator.