Holysmoke Bat....BAT

I innocently was wasting time on the internet last night downloading songs (ie: Nena's 99 Red Balloons, Frank Sintatra's Blue Skies, and Dropkick Murphys' The Gauntlet) when I saw out of the corner of my eye a shadow flit by. I ignored it thinking it was my hair falling out of my ponytail, again. Then, I saw the shadow again.

A bat was flying up near the ceiling. I screamed, "Aggggggggggggggggggggggghhhhh.", and ran for the door leading to the living room. As I turned to shut the door, I could see the bat airborne on the far side of the room. His, could be her, wingspan looked enormous and he was flying straight toward the doorway where I was. I accidentally had showed him an escape route.

I closed the door and heard a small thud.

Adrenaline up, I realized I needed to call the fire department. Our local fire department will safely remove bats and set them free outside. (Bats are good for the ecosystem, feeding on insects. Plus they are cuter (cute being a relative term) than spiders.)

However I was not thinking fast enough. The phone! I left it in the other room with the bat.

Sigh.

Thinking that bats might be sound sensitive, I went to the stereo and turned it on pushing the volume up. About 20 minutes later, I got brave enough to open the door and inspect the situation. Armed with a rolled up yoga mat, I entered the room.

Slowly I went. Hitting the doorway and walls just inside the room with the mat. No bat. I made a grab for the phone. Still no bat. I sat at the still active computer and looked up bats. My vigilance was sharp; head turning every few seconds and yoga mat at the ready.

The bat site, http://www.cccoe.k12.ca.us/bats/house2.htm gave me a sense of hope that the bat had found the way out. (My suspicion is that the bat came down through the chimney. Bless his little posing as Santa Claus heart.) As I could still not detect the bat, I relaxed slightly.

I left the room leaving the light on and closing the door just in case.

This morning I opened the door with rolled yoga mat still in hand eyeing the room with caution. The bat was there. He was folded up in a compact square shape hanging from the blinds in the window partially hidden by the curtain.

I quietly closed the door and called the fire department. The phone was still in the living room from the night before.

Three firefighters showed up on the doorstep five minutes later with a net and a pole thing. All three of them went into the room with the bat closing the door after them. I could hear them discussing how to get the bat down. After a few minutes, one came out and requested a chair to get closer to the bat. Apparently the bat was not cooperating with their efforts. Two minutes later, the firemen left with bat in hand, well in net.

I collapsed on the couch and turned on the TV. Van Helsing, movie about Dracula, was on. Is someone trying to tell me something?