Monday, April 5, 2010

I Did Battle With A Scorpion

Friday night was one of those nights we had no power. And due to the holidays and reduced staff, Marc was sleeping at Casa de Esperanza. I had my lantern and read a few minutes before dropping off to sleep. I woke around 12:00 and felt something crawling down my arm. I jerked my arm and then rubbed my arm and hand on the bed to get it off. I immediately felt a sting and thought I had caught my hand on the staple in the magazine I had been reading. I grabbed the lantern and ran to the bathroom. I guess the lantern in the dark bathroom shed more light than the lantern in the dark bedroom. There was no blood and no staple wound, but my hand continued to hurt.

I went back to bed and tossed and turned, trying to find that right position. I grabbed one of the pillows on the bed and hugged it tight, like it was my teddy bear. I was drifting off to sleep again when I felt a horrible sting on my arm. Having had an encounter with a scorpion before, I knew exactly what not only the second sting was, but the first one as well. Again, I grabbed the lantern and ran for the bathroom. The point of sting was red and beginning to swell. I ran back to the bedroom. I was holding that lantern and begin to yank covers and look for the nasty little guy. I turned the pillow over, the one I had been hugging, and there he was. All curled up. I thought he was dead, but I wasn't going to touch him to find out. I grabbed the pillow and returned to the bathroom. My plan was to find something and knock him into the trash. When I did, that he began to move and squirm and landed on the floor. I grabbed a shoe and relentlessly began to beat him to death.

I went back to bed. There was no way to go back to sleep. If one scoprion had been in my bed, there might be another one. Or two. I read by the light of the lantern and finally went back to sleep.

I am pretty paranoid about checking my bed and my shoes and all kinds of places.

Mr. Scorpion might be dead, but after looking at my arm two days later, I don't think I can really claim victory.

Terri

4 comments:

Ginger said...

Terri,
I consider you very brave.

mandnfitz said...

Do you have to pee on scorpion bites like you do on jelly fish bites?

Terri L Tindall said...

When we were at the lake in Oklahoma and a scorpion got me, I was told tobacco would take the poison. There is no tobacco at Casa de Esperanza. And I wasn't going to try your suggestion.

Unknown said...

How is your arm by now?