Sometimes We Bring The Rat And The Wolf

As I got ready to go on vacation, all I could think about was someone else breaking into my home in my absence.

It's happened a lot lately.

About three weeks ago, I saw a rat in my apartment. This was the second time in two years I had seen a rat in there. I bought a rat trap and the next night, I came home to see justice served.

The tally was then as follows:
Dead rats this year: 1
Dead rats since moving in two years ago: 2

I had called the landlords and alerted them to the hole where the floor meets the wall. The maintenance men have been trying to fix that (I've heard them below me in the morning), but it's not done yet. Because...

A few weeks later, while watching a movie, I heard another rat trap go off. There had been another rat! It was very unsettling to be in there when it happened. Especially because he tried to limp away while stuck in the trap.

The tally was then as follows:
Dead rats this year: 2
Dead rats since moving in two years ago: 3

Then the very next night, I came home and near the hole in the wall, in another trap....

The tally was then as follows:
Dead rats this year: 3
Dead rats since moving in two years ago: 4

This one was at least dead in the trap and not trying to hobble away. That's just sick.

I know a lot of people like the movie "Ratatouille," but I think seeing that would do to me what "Apocalypse Now" probably does to veterans.