Boogers on the Wall

Here is a picture of the second craziest thing I have seen in a campsite bathroom. This squirrel was drowned in the toilet.

My boys are always telling me how brave they are. They swear they are brave enough to watch scary shows on Netflix, brave enough to tell scary stories with their friends, etc. But when it all comes down to it, they are chicken.

They won’t even stay in the house by themselves after we put them in bed if my husband and I are outside working in the yard. One night they sat on the top step of our deck in their pajamas getting eaten alive by mosquitoes while we bagged up weeds in the backyard – all because they heard “noises” in the house.

I have to give them some credit. They will kill spiders and chase away snakes for me. But I was reminded just how scared they truly are when we were face-to-face with a flapping fanged creature this past weekend during a camping trip.

It was late at night and we all went to the bathrooms to get ready for bed. I headed to the women’s but then forgot that my toothbrush was with my husband and our boys. So I went to the men’s restroom (there were no other men around.)

As if the smell and sight of the men’s bathroom wasn’t scary enough – there wasn’t even soap by the dingy sink – there was a small, furry nocturnal animal hanging from the corner of the ceiling.

My boys wouldn’t take their eyes off it as they brushed their teeth. It was fine for a while, until it started twitching. That’s when my oldest son started screaming and the brown and black creature took flight.

We were trapped in a small cement room with a swooping bat. It was flapping and flying all over our heads. My boys were all screaming at the top of their lungs – which probably only made the bat flap harder. I’m sure it couldn’t echo locate its way out of that room.

While all four of the men in my life stood screaming with their hands over their heads I took quick action. I hunched over, opened the bathroom door and the spooky little thing flew out into the night.

It was the craziest thing I have ever seen in a campsite bathroom. And I once found a drowned squirrel in a toilet staring straight up at me.

My boys proved how brave they were that night. Now I’ll admit it was thrilling and shocking, but they were SO scared. I thought they would have been more intrigued than terrified. They love animals and they love capturing animals.

Besides my second son dressed up like Dracula for nearly a year straight. Isn’t he half bat?

We will never forget the night we were attacked by a bat in the bathroom. Luckily I could think clearly enough to rescue our family. I guess I am the only one who is bat brave.