This plastic rat has been making appearances in lots of places over the past few days

I recently retrieved this rather gruesome toy from its hiding place in the garage. Since then it has appeared in many unexpected places, including lounging on Katie’s chair, lurking behind the bathroom door, tucked up in our bed, and enjoying a meal in the cat food storage bin. Its discovery is frequently accompanied by a loud shriek of some sort.

This reminded of a time when I stayed with my uncle. I’d bought a load of novelty toys equipped with rubber suckers and springs. I would leave them in hiding places around the house and they’d spring out unexpectedly. It rapidly turned into a competition, which culminated with my uncle climbing up on the kitchen roof to put one on the bathroom window sill while I was taking a bath.

Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.