Smart Bat?

Today is bat weather and earlier tonight as I watched the last episodes of Downton Abbey's season 2 with the dogs, I saw a piece of plaster fall from the living room ceiling, from where I think they keep appearing (there have been 2 or 3 bats in July), and I thought, "I bet I'll see a bat tonight." I fervently hoped I was wrong.

David came back from Worcester and he and Chris, our houseguest, went to bed. I woke up around 4 feeling high blood sugar so I went downstairs to test it and take some meds. As my foot hit the ground on the first floor I heard that plaster sound and a whirring and I knew that my prediction had come true, before even seeing the creature flying around the kitchen. "Shit." I muttered and noticed that both dogs were off somewhere, prob in David's room, so I did something I've been wanting to try all summer. I went over to one of the windows in the living room and opened the top half, removing the screen so there was a wide space leading to the front yard (outdoors). I choose this window because it was at the end of a straight shot of space, meaning the bat could fly through the dining room into the living room and with any luck, keep flying in the same trajectory out this window. Also, it was the easiest to clear of any impediments. I went back to bed.

Of course I couldn't sleep. For a half hour or more I lay there, worried about the open window, worried about the  chaos the bat made in my house whenever they come to visit and Pickles sees them and chases them around barking. I hoped that the bat would escape and eat a giant load of mosquitoes to make up for all of the ones I was letting in my house. After that long sleepless time, I started to imagine one of those pesky squirrels who live in the neighbors front porch finding its way into the screenless window and then what a chaos that would make. It worried me.

I got up out of bed and hoped I would be able to muster the courage to go downstairs and check the premises. I couldn't imagine doing it but I put on my robe and a hat that I had at hand and went downstairs. In the bathroom I grabbed a large coffee table book to fend off anything flying at my head. I peeked down the stairs for flying movement. Nothing. Hoping for the best, I continued downstairs and found nothing flying around, nothing hanging on walls, no squirrels either.

I took care of my business from way back prebat times, all the while looking around for movement. Nothing. I closed the screen and went upstairs, feeling hopeful but skittish. Perhaps now I can go back to resting, now that I saved a bat's life.