A stranger in the night

I was sitting in my house last night reading a book...nothing too exciting... this is usually how I spend my evenings, winding down by reading a good book and then falling asleep. I don't have electricity so most nights I sit in my house in the dark with my headlamp shinning on my book. As I was sitting on my chair I heard the normal lizards and mice running above in my ceiling... nothing new.... so I continued reading, with my headlamp only on my book. I have a big hole in my ceiling, the panel is too small which leads a gap in the roof from me and the rodents up there. I have never had a problem with this before.... so it wasn't until I heard something very strange and saw shadows flying above my head that I started panicking.

What the heck? I looked up shining my light and saw something swooping down and all around in my house.... I started screaming, fell to the ground and crawled out of my house. With my host father, mother and neighbor friend running over to my rescue, I tried explaining to them through all the excitement that something was in my house..... a bat! but I didn't know the word for it in Mandinka so they just took big sticks and fiercely went in my house as I ran into my parents house.....They shortly after came for me and told me that the creature had flown out and was gone. They did their search for the creature in the dark, so it wasn't very accurate.

Just when I thought I was in the safe zone, I thanked them all for helping me, I locked my door and told them I was going to bed. I sat back in my chair and decided to call Abass and tell him about this crazy event that had just taken place. As I was sitting there, literally about 4 minutes after I closed my door and said good night.... the bat reappeared!!!! it flew right at me and I was screaming my head off. I hung up with Abass and bolted to my bed hiding under my mosquito net, my father heard me screaming again and tried to come and help me again... but I had locked my door... so he watched me as I bravely crawled for the door and tried unlocking it so he could come in.

This was big. Abass kept trying to call back but every time I answered the phone I was screaming or hollering about the bat that was messing with my peaceful evening, it was scary. In the end, my family finally got the bat and killed it. Abass and I were talking on the phone about it later laughing.... he said, "Jessi, its a good thing I wasn't there. " I asked why and then he told me he would of been on the next car out of the village. hahahah.... I have a very brave man. hahaha...

This stranger in the night scared me... but made me realize that still I am hardcore.... shoot, I live in The Gambia.