the mouse in the house

i have a fear.

a highly irrational fear.

what scary monster gets me shakin' in my boots? mice. ick. while this is not necessarily unusual for someone of the female persuasion, i have the gift of taking this fear to new heights. normally, a mouse sighting would constitute squealing and standing on chairs. this seems only natural. but when there's a mouse in my house...it's a whole different story.

we recently had the unfortunate experience of just such a thing. it's life. it happens. but when it does, i cannot contain myself. when a mouse is heard or spotted on a different level of the house than the one i am currently occupying, my immediate response is to curl up into the fetal position on a chair and cover my head while repeating "mouse get out of the house". [the rhyme does make me feel a teeny bit better] but if said mouse is in close proximity on the same level, well then my insides start to shake and sheer panic sets in.

the extreme level of emotion that follows is not a normal occurrence, although my mom could make a case for my dramatic nature. i'm glad i don't have to wonder if she'll still love me when my crazy comes out. plus, she should get some kind of medal for being the only one who has to deal with it most of the time.

the 'incident' occurred when i came home alone one afternoon. after giving myself a pep-talk on being brave, a lot of banging, a very slow open of the front door and many shouts of "mouse, mouse get out of this house", i ran up the stairs thinking i was home free. instead, as i rounded the top of the staircase, i was met with an unwelcome surprise. after a few moments of near hyperventilation on my bed, i quickly ended up on top of the file cabinet in my closet, where i remained until i was rescued about thirty minutes later. [shout out to kim's dad and aunt for their kindness and patience]

see what i mean? irrational. thankfully, said mouse has now permanently vacated the premises, and i couldn't be happier. i know i'm bigger than they are, but i just don't want a mouse in the house.