something's in there

On Friday morning while I laid in bed, my head enjoying the sunken spot in the middle of my pillow, I listened to the gentle falling of the rain. It whispered to me, "Be still."

I decided to listen a while before getting up, despite my bladder's urging. I pulled back the curtains, just behind my head, so I could watch the rain fall, watch the crows walking like wind-up toys in the neighbor's back yard.

What seemed like only a minute later, I couldn't wait any longer. So, I got up to go to the bathroom. Walked past the kitties, who were both staring at the wall between the bathroom and the bedroom. Since staring at walls is a normal kitty activity, I paid little mind and went on my way.

It was only after I sat down in the bathroom, on the other side of the wall, that I realized that they were staring at something more than just the wall. I could hear it moving, right behind me in the wall, like the inside of the old wall was finally just crumbling into dust. But it wasn't just crumbling, it was giving way to the weight of something. And, there I sat. Unable to jump away.

Is it a rat? A feral cat? A squirrel? A raccoon? Can racoons fit inside a wall? Is it going to break through? (Mild panic sets in.) Quickly, I looked for a hole in the wall. No hole. I banged on the wall to scare it. The crumbling intensified. I'd scared it. Then, quiet. It ran away...or did it find a way IN?

I quickly finished my business in the bathroom and grabbed the broom. Then, checked the wall for any openings, then the closet. Nothing. No animal. No crumbling. The cats continued to stare at the wall. They had also begun staring at me apprehensively. I sat quietly in the living room, listening for more noises in the wall. I eventually made breakfast and started working.

It didn't come back, but I still have the broom handy. And the cats are staring at a new wall...