NO THANK YOU … EVER AGAIN!

If you heard screams last Thursday night, it was ME!!

No kidding!!! One of my greatest fears happened in the serenity and security of my home… OUT OF NOWHERE!!

YUCK!! I still shudder and cringe, recalling it! GROSS, REPULSIVE, HORRID!! Shivers run up and down my spine, trying to inform you of my detest!

When I was a young teen, once a year, a movie came on TV. Someone, likely one of my siblings, talked me into watching it. I was not fond of mystery/horror stories, books, movies, or TV shows. As much as I hated them, I watched this one each year through finger spaces smashed into my face. Not wanting to watch, but being lured into it for some very odd and perhaps distorted reason.

The movie… THE BIRDS by Alfred Hitchcock.

If you’ve seen it, you know!! I have had nightmares from watching that movie and developed phobias.

I HATE birds flying in enclosed areas!!

I mean really hate it. Those bird sanctuaries where birds fly free in a glass enclosure or even birds who’ve gotten into warehouse stores like Costco leave me frantic for the nearest exit. And if they swoop low, I respond without self-control or decorum.

Someone remarked to me this week, “oh I love those places the birds come and sit on your shoulder.” That’s what I fear and loath! No birds on me ANYWHERE! I don’t want my hair messed with or MY EYES PLUCKED OUT! I’m convinced that is the aim of every flying thing that crosses my path. I don’t like seagulls on the beach either, but there’s no enclosure so I cope.

We have had a bird or two in our garage years ago and once one came inside… I promptly exited out the back door and left the bird rescuing to my husband!

All that being said, last Thursday night, before dark, but evening, I was sitting on the couch facing the lake and SOME. THING. FLEW. PAST. ME!!!

My husband was a few feet away when I immediately screamed, “Jim, there’s a bird in here!!” He sort of gasped too.

We went into action… I remained on the couch wearing a lap desk on my head! “Protect your head, protect your hair, protect your head/hair was all my brain could signal!!”

Then, my husband said some dreaded words I wish he hadn’t…

 “I don’t know if it’s a bird or a BATTTT!”

Panic seized my body!!

“WHATTTT, what do you mean you can’t figure that out? “
”I’m not sure…”

Oh GREAT, now everything about this situation just got extremely intensified and way WORSE!

My fierce protector ran and grabbed a towel. A Towel… that’s obviously weapon choice #1… said no one ever! I wasn’t feeling confident in his skills. He couldn’t even identify the flying menace.

“Quit screaming!” Jim shouted above my screams.

Honestly, I couldn’t! It was involuntary! Promise! Since the lap-desk was perched on top of my head, I couldn’t see “it” flying. It kept flying in a circle near the highest point of our vaulted ceiling.

What I saw… a flying shadow every time it came around to my side of the room, cast on the wall nearest me!!! Each time, I screamed… uggghhh; it was too close for any type of comfort!!

It didn’t help that my husband’s first few attempts to swat the flying object with “the towel” were misses. We opened all the doors, but the sucker kept so close to the ceiling that it didn’t see the exit points.

Once or twice I heard it flapping the ceiling or wall with it’s wings …. Ewwww … gross, unnerving!!! Awful!!

I finally screamed, “Can I go outside??”

I froze and didn’t want to move, fearing contact with the unidentified flying object!

“Yes, go outside!”

After the shadow passed me again, I dashed for the door.

I made it out with said lap desk still firmly held in my head, but my husband was not having success capturing this creature!

When a small amount of sense returned to me, I shouted into the house, “Get the broom!”

My husband did and on the next trip around the flight path, he made contact! Throwing the towel on top of our nemesis.

We didn’t know for sure what it was till he took it outside and investigated.

IT WAS A BAT!!!!!!!!!!

Extremely GROTESQUE!!!!!!! My living nightmare!!! (This pic freaks me out!)

You can imagine the rest of the evening was searching places in the house, the chimney, opening closets and checking high places.

I imagined an infestation in the attic and a second attack as we slept.

I closed the door to sleep and put a towel in the bottom crack to find a few hours of rest. Panic saps energy… exhaustion set in.

First thing the next morning, before I was even awake, my husband called our pest company.

I’m elated to report, they found no signs of bats anywhere!!
Thank you Lord, I don’t have to move!!!

It was a fruit bat which he informed us was the smallest kind of bat! I promise you this one was way above average.😳 The pest-guy thought he entered through the chimney or when we had a door open. My husband went right out and secured our chimney in ways he recommended!

It was a fruit bat which he informed us was the smallest kind of bat! I promise you this one was way above average.😳 The pest-guy thought he entered through the chimney or when we had a door open. My husband went right out and secured our chimney in ways he recommended!

I am worn out communicating this true episode to you! I have a bit of physiological trauma from that movie in my teens. It got triggered and took on a life of its own last Thursday! Terror! Pure Terror!

Do you have any phobias?

Have you ever watched The Birds?

I Do Not recommend it!

A video of this episode could have gone viral, but again, these things elude me! Who can think of recording a video in times like that? It’s counterintuitive to survival!

NO. THANK. YOU. … EVER. AGAIN.!!!

Still Quivering,