UNWANTED HOUSE GUEST

The night was January 15th, 2007. The time was 3:45am. One of my roommates, Jayna, was on the night shift at the hospital, and my other roommate, Alicia, and I lay peacefully sleeping in our cozy beds. Alicia was awoken out of a deep sleep as a result of hearing strange noises coming from our living room and her bathroom. She phoned Jayna and asked if she had gotten home early, but Jayna replied that she was still at work. Alicia then called my cell phone from her cell phone to ask if I was up and doing something in the living room. When I told her "no", it was then that I heard something I don't ever want to hear again. Whispering, Alicia said, "I think someone is in our house, Debra. I have been hearing noises outside my door, and Jayna is still at work." I got out of bed, quietly locked my bedroom door, and headed for my bathroom, where I locked myself in there as well. I confirmed that Alicia had already locked her door, and I decided to phone my dad. Alicia was so certain of her assumptions that she said she was going to call 911.

As I leaned up against my bathroom counter, I could feel my heart beat throughout my entire body. My stomach was churning, my hands were shaking, and my voice was trembling. Suddenly, the urge to pee came upon me, but 1) I did not want to make any noise and 2) I had this image of a burglar barging in on me as I was taking care of business. The window above my toilet was also something I did not want to step foot in front of. So I'm told that people can't see through them, but what does that mean to me?? You know I'm paranoid about that kind of stuff! So as I leaned against the counter waiting for answers, I realized I had not even checked behind my shower curtain (despite the fact that it's somewhat see-through). Once that was clear, I stood there staring down the closet door in my bathroom. "Should I open it to ensure no one is hiding or do I not due to the fear of making a noise someone may hear?" After what had seemed like 20 minutes later (although really only a minute or two), I called Dad so he could talk to me and attempt to calm me down. My dad is amazing at most everything, but I gotta be honest.. I didn't have much faith in him this time!

As my dad pulled into my neighborhood, he turned off his lights and noticed two cars parked in the street with their tail lights on. I had told him that mine and Alicia's cars would (or rather SHOULD) have been the only two in our driveway. Upon closer inspection, he noted that the two cars were indeed police vehicles. My two thoughts were this: Either those cops had gotten here extremely fast after respondong to Alicia's 911 call or there is something else going on and the person they are after is in MY house!!

I felt as if my entire body was one big heart beat about to explode. Just as I'm getting informed on what is happening around me, an unknown number shows up on my phone. Again, I have two thoughts: The dispatcher from 911 is attempting to talk to me or the suspect inside my house somehow found out my cell phone number and wants to know where I am!! On the other end was a lady with the police department - I can't remember her name, which is odd for me. (I think God could have called me at this very moment and I would have said, "who is this again?")

I was informed that the police were walking around the outside my house and ensuring that the scene was safe. She asked me if I was hearing any noises and I said, "Mam, to be honest with you, I'm trying not to listen for anything right now. If I hear something, I'm going to freak out and I just may jump out the window!" She asked if I could see the cops and it is then that I explained to her that I was locked inside my bathroom which was locked inside my bedroom. I told her that the windows in my bedroom faced the street and that if I looked outside, the cops would be able to see me. She instructed me to do so, and when I peaked through my blinds, I saw a cop standing in my neighbors driveway and my dad's vehicle in the street. I wanted nothing more than to bust through those windows and run to Dad.

I had confidence in the cops that they knew what they were doing, but I nonchalantly stated to the dispatcher, "That cop is in the wrong driveway. I am in the house to the right of him." Approximately one minute later (although it felt like 10), I saw Alicia walk out onto our driveway. It caught me by surprise, and I gasped in shock. The dispatcher asked if I was okay and I told her what had happened. She said that she knew Alicia would be walking out because it was now safe to do so. Well when was anyone going to tell me this?! My heart was fatigued from pumping so hard and my limbs were tired from shaking.

As I started to unlock my door and walk out into the living room, I started to second guess. "Was it actually safe to do so? Sure, the cops said there was no evidence of a forced entry, but had they indeed checked the right house? Did they circle my house or David's, my neighbor's?!" As I joined the rest of the crew outside, Alicia and I went over near my dad for hugs and a sense of safety. The cops searched the entire house and claimed that it was clear. As I walked up the driveway, my car had beeped as if someone had locked or unlocked it. Alicia tugged on the handle, noticed it was locked, and we peaked inside to make sure no one was in it. I told the cops this, as they stood in our foyer, and they a really strange facial expression came across them. ("This doesn't look good," I thought.) "Well.. where are your keys?", they asked. "They are supposed to be in my bedroom." So we checked, and there they were sitting on my floor. Apparently as the cop was checking under my bed, looking for monsters or the boogey man, his boot or something hit the button that signaled the beep.

Alicia was boggled by all of the noises and swore she never would have made the call or initiated this had she not heard something. Alicia and I stood there, puzzled about what had just happened, and nervous because we knew they'd be leaving soon despite the fact we still didn't know what the noise was. The police understood and we thanked them for responding so quickly.

As my dad, Alicia, and I all double checked everything, we knew we would not be returning to our peaceful sleep in our cozy beds that night. My dad had left, and Alicia and I stayed standing there, discussing what had happened. We called Jayna to tell her we were safe, but that we still weren't too sure what had happened or what the noises were. Just as about the conversation was going to end, I noticed something move in our office. I nearly fell off the couch as I witnessed this unrecognizeable movement. It appeared to be a sock or big dust ball that made its way from the closet door to a part of the room that was not viewable from where I was. As I replayed this site in my head, I realized what it may have been.

The noises and the scares and the chaos all originated because the Albino African black clawed, underwater frog Jayna and Alicia purchased years ago had escaped from it's aquarium!!! It has escaped before at our old apartment and was quite loud when making its rounds. Its wetness and sliminess caused hair or dust or other particles to stick to it, thus creating what I had seen move in the office. Jayna, Alicia, and I were laughing hysterically (with some few choice words coming out of the mouths of Alicia and I) as we realized what had happened. When this frog gets around the house, it makes a sound similar to one you would make if you slightly slap or tap your thigh with your hand. So as the frog took a field trip into the bathroom near Alicia and made its way around the house, it sounded like footsteps and other strange, unknown noises.

If there's one take home lesson from this entire experience, it's this: IF IT HOPS, DON'T CALL THE COPS.