Mouse Trap City

I was working late a couple of nights ago and the lighting system at work operates on a movement sensor basis.

During the night, the adjoining offices are dark and spooky and a little bit sinister. Even more sinister when I know that no one else is around. As much as I don't like the dark offices, I also don't enjoy the long walk to the vending machines. I know a shortcut through the building which cuts down the long walk along the corridor to about half the time.

As I was entering one of the large empty office spaces, I noticed something odd on the carpet. The item was a square tray with circles in the centre. As I got deeper into the empty office space, the light sensor came on and I could then see that there were several square trays on the floor. At this point, I'm already half way to the vending machine when I realise that the trays on the floor are sticky glue traps for mice. Initially, my brain was a bit slow in working out that I had a problem on my hands. Things started falling into place while I was still heading in the direction of the vending machine - my mind was thinking turn back now while my legs were moving forward. When the vending machine was in clear sight, to my horror, I saw a sea of glue traps and dead mice stuck to them.

Not only were the mice on the traps, but unfortunately some of them were not quite dead yet and jerking, squirming and squealing. I can't remember feeling this horrified in a long time but all I know is I ran for my life like the devil was on my tail.

My mind was racing as I was running because my over-active imagination started to think about me accidentally stepping on a glue trap with a mouse stuck to it and the trap being stuck to me.

I got out alive and ran back to my office. I switched off my PC, put on my coat, grabbed my bag, ran down the corridor, hit the lift button, ran through the car park, got in my car, locked the door, turned on the ignition and drove home like the clappers.

Then of course I couldn't switch off when I got home and when I finally did catch a wink of sleep, I had a nightmare that I was in my kitchen cooking and when I took the lid off the massive bubbling pot to stir the contents, there were red, raw mice with grey fur peeling off and sharp pointy fangs and they were leaping out of the boiling water... and then the screaming started all over again.

Anyone for Shoes?

The August Mayfield Diaries