Rat-velations

Ratvelations
For awhile, we had an unwelcome squatter. A rat took up residence at our home. More specifically the back of our fridge.

It was not just any other rat. It was a fat, nimble, and very smart rat. Out came The Rat Trap. A rusted box, but one that’s caught no less than 25 rats in the last many years. First we tried bread. No bite. Then went in coconut. He tripped it. With disdain. We bought another rat trap, a 200 buck contraption. No use.

As the days passed and turned to weeks he dug deep into the insulation of the fridge. The stench of rat spread. Nights became a siege with us locking every bedroom. Finally, we called a fridge tech who unscrewed the back. It hid deeper. Finally, it left its fortress. What followed was 15 minutes of desperate hunt. The Tech with a wicked umbrella. Me with hammer. And Buffy raging and barking. It climbed bookshelves, ran up curtains, scurried around curios, sprinted round the drawing room, doubled back to the kitchen, back to the fridge… Then Buffy pounced, ancient hunting patterns took over and blood sprayed in delicate shivers, like a Jackson Pollock in his rat phase.

Buffy was pleased as punch with herself. And earned a sausage.

The house came back to order, we stopped leaping and picking a hammer when a shadow moved. Over tea, Celu & I talked, and we realized that we had both, very grudgingly, learnt to respect the rat. It’s sheer cunning, its indomitable sense of life… Were we sort of suffering from The Stockholm syndrome in a minor way?

A day later, I decided to connect with its spirit…. Here are the words of its inner spirit.

The Rat: “I came to earth to learn the ferocity of Life. In your terms I lived 6 months. By your standards, many life times. I hold no grudge against your dog, for killing me. Right to my dying breath I lived. You do not. You live in bursts.

I came to you to teach you how something small can be powerful. To teach you about nature – not just the cartoonish picture. To respect what you hate. No matter how much you feared me, you drew a line at poisoning.

I heard you asking me to leave – why would I? The space {in the fridge} was mine was home.

Much of the time you were in my head as I was in yours. I got through your defenses and so you can get through the wall around you. At inner levels our motives are like the wires I encountered in the fridge.

What puzzled me was your fear. How could you who are so gigantic be afraid of me?

I am a warrior. By fighting for my life, I fought for yours.

I will return to earth, not as a mouse, and meet you. The encounter should be interesting.”