An Unexpected Visitor

The Day a Rat Fell Through the Ceiling

I had a completely different Substack post planned this week. Then this morning happened.

My alarm went off at 6 am, as did Rachel’s. She turned hers off and didn’t move, so I did the same. I’ve been feeling particularly tired this week, so I was quite relieved to discover Rachel was in no hurry to get up. I rolled over and drifted back to sleep.

At 6.30, I heard someone walking around in the hallway outside, which is unusual for our children before about 7.15.

There was a knock at the bedroom door, and Layla appeared in our room.

‘Sorry to wake you. You’re not going to believe what just happened.’

‘What is it?’ groaned Rachel.

‘So…’ began Layla. If I were about to say what Layla was about to divulge, I’d have been bleating it out in a state of panic. But she was remarkably calm. ‘…I heard this big crashing sound in my bedroom coming from the roof. So I got my torch, and the poster on my ceiling is hanging down and there’s a hole where one of the light fittings was.’

‘Huh?’ I said, sitting up in bed.

‘And then I shined my torch on the floor, and there’s a big rat scurrying around on the carpet.’

‘Oh my God!’ said Rachel. ‘A rat came through your ceiling?’

‘Yes.’

‘Where is it now?’

‘I don’t know.’