Late night hunt

I was sleeping for about an hour or so when I heard my roommate screaming like she had just seen a ghost. She ran out of her room as fast as possible smashing the door back. Through the walls, I could hear my roommate breathing heavily. Well, I thought, she must have had a terrible nightmare or saw a really ugly creature in her room. However, I quickly chased away the second option because in Kangiqsualujjuaq, with a average temperature of 10 C in July, we don’t have much in the way of weird creatures. When I looked at my watch, it was 1:45 AM. Disappointed, I thought that I must have just fallen asleep a few minutes ago although I knew I was in bed around 12:00. Thanks to the strong migraine medicine I took right before going to bed with an empty stomach, I felt nauseous. Hence, I couldn’t really fall back asleep. After hearing her scream I was curious if I should go check on her. But I thought, she is big girl and big girls don’t cry. I tried to fall a sleep again but my nausea kept telling me that I should fill up my stomach a bit. That was just enough to convince myself to wake up and get myself a bowl of cereal and see if my roommate was alright. There, on the couch, in the living room, my roommate was with her sheet and pillow looking a bit panicky trying to kill some time because they was no way she could go back in this room.

I asked her: “What happened? Having a nightmare?” “No she said, I think there is a rat in my room!” I start laughing -  option two couldn’t be as stupid as that. “A rat, really? Have you seen it?” She gestured “it was that big” (holding her fingers a few inches apart). A rat? I didn’t know a rat could go into a house like this as easily. Honestly, I doubted her. “A rat, really? Are you sure it was not like a mouse?”  “Well I don’t know, it’s big. I heard it scratching around my bed”.

I tell ya, my roommate couldn’t really move. She did not want to walk on the floor or leave the living room. She was too scared. However, I totally wanted to see this thing and trap it in the room. I immediately went in the room – well after I carefully put on my shoes. I’m pretty confident, but not as such when going barefoot in an 8 X 8 foot room with what she thought was a rat. As soon as I entered the room  I saw it beside the headboard. AHHHHHHHHH! My turn, I screamed! Jeez, the thing was big. A big, dark brown, furry 4 legged thing the size of the palm of my hand. I went out of the room. My ego boosted up a bit seeing my roommate paralyzed at the end of hallway. I was really excited. We didn’t have any traps or anything. I decided to look for a cardboard box to trap the thing inside it. But I’m not stupid, we would need bait. With a bit of peanut butter and the box I went into the sinister zone… I moved the furniture around to organize a trapping zone. But I forgot one little hole between the wall and the box and it scurried across the room and in between my legs! AHHHHHH again! I burst out of the room laughing and laughing. The thing was just a fieldmouse! But a really big one like I’ve never seen before. My roommate was looking at me, laughing as sincerely as me! Screaming is instinctive! The reaction was immediate. Couldn’t have been better.  But the laughing after was just my way of talking to myself, reassuring myself that it was just a small thing. Little creatures don’t eat big ones. I was starting to have some real fun here!

After a few attempts, I finally managed to trap it in a corner with furniture and boxes around. I was perched on a desk as the little guy finally ran into the box. Flip the box, closed it. Direction: outside! Got the mouse, get it out. Go-Go-Gadget Sophie. I felt brave and was really proud. As for my roommate, she couldn’t sleep back in that bed so she slept in our other roommate’s bed (who was on vacation). Me, I sat at the table and finally got myself a bowl of cereal, relaxing before going back to bed hoping to get a bit more sleep. It was 3:00 AM, and up North, that is when the sun comes up. Good morning!