In need of solving a good mystery? Well, I've got one for you.
Last night I went to bed a little earlier than usual in hopes of getting up earlier so that I could get cranking on some projects that have been hanging over my head. Tuesdays are my days off, devoted entirely to doing homework, errands and whatever else I need to do in keeping myself sane as a full time seminary student. So, that was the plan set in place. Well, it all went out the window at about 1:30 a.m. when I jumped out of bed and stood frozen in the hallway...listening. Listening intently. I swore I heard some kind of noise coming from the kitchen. It sounded like dishes or glass bottles - just general racket - not too loud, but definitely not soft either. So here I am, standing in the middle of the hallway, in the dark wondering: am I awake? Was that real?
A similar incident happened about a month ago when I awoke in the wee hours of the morning to what sounded like someone typing on our computer in the office, just on the other side of Natalie's room. If you haven't figured out by now, I am without a doubt, one of the lightest sleepers I know. I hear everything. My mind is constantly moving. After lying awake listening to that, I was somehow able to talk myself out of the possibility because I could tell that the screen was black, and if someone was typing, the screen would be lighter. In the morning, when I had a little more of my senses operating, I realized that I had left a window open in the living room, and the sound I thought was typing was really the blinds rattling in the wind. Man, that was so creepy though.
Anyway, back to the hallway at 1:30 a.m. After waiting for the sound to repeat itself for about two minutes to no avail, I head back to bed. At 2:00 a.m. I awake to the sound again - this time, much louder and lasting longer. I stay in bed for just a bit longer, listening to A) pinpoint the exact location and B) to make sure I was in fact truly awake. Then, I jolted out of bed and raced to the kitchen, where I throw on the lights and take in the scene. I really don't know what I'm thinking I will find - but I sure wish that sound had continued to at least convince myself that I wasn't dreaming. Alas, no sound once I got out of bed. Nothing. Now, here's where my mind gets totally messed up. Right in the center of the kitchen floor lays a dirty butter knife! I walk over to it, look at it for a few seconds and pick it up, and place it on the kitchen counter. No way Rebecca or I missed seeing that thing before bed! Instantly my mind is racing - something is going on in here. I am not dreaming that sound I keep hearing. I walk back to bed and lay wide awake, wrestling with what is going on.
From that point on of course, I hear nothing. And I'm fully awake at this point. My only conclusion is that there was a mouse that somehow got into our apartment. We received an email a couple weeks ago about mice in the apartment building... and we even saw one right inside the exterior door to the building.... It's definitely a mouse. That would explain everything. A mouse is smart enough to stop moving once it hears commotion. "Ugh - I forgot to take out the garbage and recycling yesterday!" I think to myself. And the knife? Well, that little intruder must've been knocking around amidst our dirty dishes ("c'mon Keith - you gotta get those done too!") and the knife plummets to the ground, making a loud noise and then, hearing the sleeping bear thundering towards it, the mouse dashes under the sink...and once the sleeping bear returns to his slumber, the mouse gets cracking at the recycling, where there are at least a dozen empty Gerber baby food glass bottles just begging to be investigated by an uninvited midnight mousey. Now I'm wondering if I should go out there and take a look under the sink and get this mouse outta there. And how am I gonna do that?! No. I will investigate in the morning, when there is sunlight and no chance to somehow push the mouse in the direction of our bedroom, or worse, Natalie's room.
After an hour of thinking about this (and not hearing anymore noise) I decide to put in my ear plugs and attempt to get more sleep. Rebecca of course, hears nothing and sleeps through it all. I told her about my thoughts the second go around, and her reply about my dilemma was too muffled to understand. And then I have the following dream: Convinced it was in fact a mouse under the sink, I recruit Rebecca to come with me into the kitchen to investigate. Suddenly, without warning me, she kicks the recycling bag and out runs a mouse in my direction and bites and scratches my foot! I slap it off of me and proceed to swear up a storm at my wife, angry as can be that she would act so carelessly... I wake up. Seriously? Ok, I only dreamt that because of the real noise that I heard and the real theory I have about the mouse...right? Right? The butter knife! I remember the butter knife and somehow I have it all placed together and assure myself that I am indeed, not going crazy.
So either this all happened just as I have told it to you, or Leonardo DiCaprio and his cronies have compromised the integrity of my dreams and I am the subject of an elaborate Inception like plot. Who have I wronged? And how were they able to manipulate my dreams?
I awoke at 7 a.m. So much for that early start. I put on some clothes, making sure to have closed toe shoes on, and make my way to the kitchen. The knife is just where I left it on the counter at 2 a.m this morning. I open up the kitchen sink cabinet, expecting to see our recycling strewn all over the place... and wouldn't you know it, that little mouse put everything back in order, just as he found it! Everything was in order. No bite marks, not a drop of mouse poo - nothin' - no evidence of a break-in.
Two monkeys are arguing. The first monkey says, "The tree is moving." The second monkey disagrees and says, "the wind is moving the tree." Lastly, a Zen master comes by and says, "No, you're both wrong. Your mind is moving."
Was this all just a figment of my imagination? Is my mind that restless that it needs to move all through the night, messing with me when I should be getting sleep? For all of you CSI, House and other mystery buffs - give this one some attention... I am completely clueless as to what really happened...Suggestions?
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