It's 2 am. And there's a strange tapping noise, like someone knocking gently on glass. I am unable to tell, with the bedroom door closed.
I turn out the lights, to make me less visible, and wait a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dark.
I listen at the door and still hear the noise. Irregular but somewhat organized rhythmic tapping. There is one other person home, sleeping on the opposite end of the house. And once asleep, sleeps like the dead.
I open the door and take a quick visual of the upstairs, almost all of which I can see from the doorway. I am not yet visible to the front door, but will be shortly as I have to pass the door with sheer curtained sidelights on either side. (This is my only way downstairs) I don't see anything upstairs, and peek around the corner to check the landing and front door, the porch light is off, and in the 30 seconds or so I watch for, I see no movement. (Damn, I was hoping it was Lola!). I hear the tapping again, and it's definitely coming from downstairs. I tread softly down the stairs as it occurs to me I do not know if any of the stairs has a squeak. (After living here for a year, I feel I should know this). As I continue downstairs the tapping stops and I hear a soft thunk. My black cat meets me in the doorway as I open the door. This is comforting, because he can be very skittish. If anything was amiss... I'd have never seen him. He'd be in hiding. Still mostly on alert I scan the basement (easy to go since except for the studs... It's still all open). I hear the tapping again and it's easy to locate the source even in the semi darkness. There's a fluffy tail peeking out from the mini blind that covers the basement window. That's the source of the tapping. I walk over and pull up the blind by its string, and there sits Boris. Tapping the glass. As I look out the window into the snow covered yard, I see the small rabbit. About 5 feet from the house facing North. It's completely still. If it hadn't been for the contrast of the snowy ground, I'd never have seen it.
Me..."Boris... You're an idiot"
Boris....(continues tapping on the window)
Back upstairs, it occurs to me that I heard this noise over the furnace and blower. And the dog, the ever faithful hound that protects against raping and pillaging from Fed Ex, UPS, the mailman and all manner of unseen danger.... Has apparently no clue anything is going on. She's happily curled up in the other bedroom, snoring away.
Back in bed, my heart beating at a more sedate, close to normal rate.... it occurs to me that I need night sights for my Glock.
