JandalsnAll

I woke up early the other morning – about 4am early – to the sound of the wind howling around outside. Usually I like the sound of a storm when you’re tucked up in bed, but this was a more-than-is-comfortable sort of a storm. Windows rattling, wind whistling, tent lifting kindof a storm. As I lay in bed and listened, I thought I heard the sound of someone or something on the gravel in the carpark outside my window. In fact it sounded just like a bike being wheeled across the ground. I knew there were two bikes in the carpark that night. And I knew that the owners had had a particularly hard days biking the day before and would not be going for a leisurely ride at 4am in the morning. Someone was stealing the bikes. I jumped out of bed and moving the curtain open just a slit, looked out to the carpark below me. Nothing. Then the sound of gravel again. I got up, peered out the door this time, making sure there was no-one out on the balcony waiting to get me, then I cautiously stepped outside n my pajamas into the dull grey of the early early morning. Just in time to see the offender rushing down the stairs. I dashed after, intent on the catch, but before I could stamp down a foot and trap the bastard, the wind whipped him up and out of my reach. A plastic bag, and not even a big one, had got me out of bed at four in the morning in the middle of a howling storm. Once more that bag did rush up the stairs swirl around outside my door, running its wispy fingers along my door. And once more did I get out of bed to try to catch it. And once more did it lead me down the stairs onto the gravel in bare feet, before whipping away, laughing all the while. I still hear that laugh in my dreams.

The weather has been violent for the last week at least. Im talking sideways rain ramming the windows kind of violent. Its the wind thats the worst. Ive never seen weather like it. which is maybe why I rather prefer this kindof drama to the boring grey drizzle Ive become used to in Ireland.

The problem with the wind is, combine it with the autumn equinox and a full moon and you have a recipe for crazy. Last weekend when I was working and these three natural phenomena coincided, all the crazies came out of the woodwork. One of them was certifiably crazy – had a letter to prove it and all. Another was sent to drive me crazy and did nearly succeed. Ive never seriously wanted to scream as much as I did when dealing with this particular nutter. I had to consciously try really hard to stop my mouth from opening and letting loose. And all weekend I was hearing stories of people acting just plain loopy. Fearing I too would succumb to the effects of the wind, and already feeling the effects of cabin fever, or hostel fever as may be more appropriate, I decided yesterday that I’d have to blow my recent attempts at saving and get away to Galway sometime soon.

Continuing with the theme of nighttime offenders, three times early this morning someone tried to open my door which opens onto a balcony. The first time I had that horrible horrible experience where my mind woke up and knew someone was trying to get in, but my body hadnt yet awoken and for a nightmarish second I was paralyzed. Then I convinced myself I was dreaming and that I hadnt heard anything and that I hadnt woken up paralyzed. Until someone tried to open my door again. This time I just couldnt be bothered getting up. I figured it was someone who had forgotten the code downstairs and was trying to find an alternate way in and thought my door looked like a possibility. Which makes sense since it is a door. So Im just getting back to sleep and I hear a rattle. No a scuttle. Like some multi-legged scary thing scuttling across the lolly wrappers strewn across my room. I jumped up, turned on the light, examined the wrappers. Nothing. I get back into bed. THEN about a sleep hour or so later (sleep hours often only corrolulate to several minutes of real time) Im almost asleep – who should come a door rattling but the crazy door rattler of the night again! Obviously mine looked like a magic door – rattle three times and it will open. This third time I was just pissed off and figured I’d have to stop the madness, especially since they sounded kind of frantic from the way they were trying to tear my wonky door from its hinges. I got up and sure enough the door rattler had forgotten the code and thought my door was another way inside. Wrong. Back to bed finally for another few sleep hours of rest. And then… a whisper of a scratch….and again…under my bed…I jumped up, turned on the light and pulled my bed out from the wall. Its got to be a mouse right? I did find a small hole but none of the usual small brown deposits of evidence of a mouse. Maybe its a ghost mouse. I blocked up the hole turned off the light and got back into bed, but there’s no way I could sleep knowing there was possibly a ghost mouse under my bed, so I resigned to get up at 6.30am.

I got dressed, thinking this would be a good day to get away, let the ghost mouse have the room to himself for a bit. So I go to put on my earrings and find one of them is missing. I search high and low and finally find it under my bed! And then I see Im dealing with something a little more serious here. This is not a case of a mere ghost mouse, as ghost mice can make noise but have trouble moving inanimate objects (unless they are of the poltergeist variety), this is obviously an alien mouse with the telepathic power to move objects. An alien mouse who likes to dress up at that. Possibly even a transvestite alien mouse. Sounds a bit crazy really doesnt it?I mean of all the accessories a transvestite alien mouse could choose, my earrings are not exactly high fashion…..

At this point you’ll probably be very relieved to know that I did make it to Galway for a bit of a sanity review. I spent the rest of the day after my eventful morning in the city, sheltered from the wind. And today back in Doolin, the sun is shining and probably will do for a record of five minutes today. The wind is still here. And my earrings are all where I left them. I guess my friend the transvestite alien mouse realized his mistake and found someone else with a decent jewelelry collection.

This entry was posted on Friday, September 30th, 2005 at 5:30 pm and is filed under Ah Sweet Doolin. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.