The house is very nice, fairly new and made of concrete walls with old fashioned tin plate ceilings.  Like any farm house, there are animals who share the space, both inside and outside. 

I got up to pee around 3 am, not too unusual for me but not welcomed. I didn’t turn on the light for the short trip to the bathroom. No need, it was just a few feet away. Turning on the light just wakes up the brain way more than is necessary and definitely inhibits going quickly back to sleep.

As I closed the bedroom door, slowly and quietly so as to not wake the host, I had trouble getting it to close completely. Odd, I thought, it had closed easily in the past. I was keen to get the bedroom door to latch completely because I had heard and seen a bat when I opened the door to go to the bathroom. I didn’t know where the bat was but figured it wasn’t in my bedroom and that a door firmly closed was important for keeping it out. My host had warned me that the farmhouse attracted bats. I had seen one loop through the living room the previous evening. Bats, like bees, are super important so I was happy to share the space as long as it didn’t get personal.

Returning to the bedroom after my morning shower, I saw what looked like feathers poking through between the door and the door sill. When I opened the door to investigate, everything became clear.

The bat must have landed on the door sill while I was in the toilet. When I first tried to close the door, it was trapped. Each time I opened and closed the door to try to get it to latch, the bat was squished just a bit more until I finally closed the door. It didn’t make a sound. 

I felt terrible! Bats are important and I had accidentally killed one. It hung in the doorway, frozen in the moment of death. So sad and so unlikely… and somehow soooo funny and creepy. 

So, here’s to you little friend! I am sorry our meeting had such a tragic ending for you.