a night out with the slugs

All last night I thought something was going to happen. Maybe it was because Linda's brand new 2009 Toyota Matrix was rear ended by some D-bag Boner 23 year old (*#%*#Q*(&$(#. But really everyone is ok so we ate our dinner and went to bed and it was no big deal. Linda's car will be fixed and if we need to, a call to Michael Hupy will be in order, simple as that.

As I lay trying to go to sleep I just had this feeling "something" was going to happen. The air seemd thick, and opressive, I couldn't fall asleep no matter what I tried to think about or not think about.

I did fall asleep, finally. And when I woke up this morning I stumbled toward the bedroom door and did the first thing I always do in the morning, let the cats out of their bedroom. I opened the door. At this point usually I am bowled over by Begonia. NOTHING. I open the door wider, Ray was sitting on the ironing board looking out of a screenless window down to the one story drop below to the forest floor. Well its not really a forest but it is a heavily wooded area that gives way after about 110ft to a lawn of the yard beside us. You can barely see through to their yard. It is a steep enbankment that makes our first floor apartment berooms windows seem like they are actually second story. Begonia was not in the room. I snatched Ray up and walked back to the bedroom and said "Linda you need to wake up NOW".
She was immediately awake.

"Begonia got out the window, or fell out"

I put on my not fit for the outdoors purple bathrobe that doesnt stay closed and my glasses and crutched my little self outside. Now any of you who know Begonia know that he used to be indoor outdoor and would come home to a shrill call of "Biiiiiiiiiiiii-gooooooooooonnniaa" I would yell it really high and he would scramble out of whatever bush he was in and come home. But it has been a solid year since he has been outside for more than 4 seconds.

Linda came out and scaled down the brick wall to the wooded area below. She retrieved the screen and looked around while I let out my soprano "Biiiiiiiii-goooooooniaaaaa". It was 6:18 am.

I called for a while and Linda made sure she couldn't see a sign of injury (blood). Linda could barely make it back up the stone wall. We went back in the house to be sure he wasn't just sleeping in the closet and we would feel like idiots. But alas, Linda noticed definate deep scratch marks on the window sill. He had FALLEN out, tried to prevent it but ultimately fell.

I was about to start crying when Linda said "I see him!!" I looked out there he was in the woods coming toward the window.

I dashed outside and told Linda to hold off. When Begonia is scared he only really trusts me and no one else. I called my little call and Begonia hopped the same wall Linda couldn't scale with ease. He was panting and growling, while at the same time rubbing all over me. After a few attempts with my "barely there" robe flapping around SURELY showing my ...area.....he let me hold him long enough to get him inside. He was wet and seemed to have "slugs" (we are fairly certain thats what they were) on his stomach as well as burrs and other leaves. He panted for a solid 45 minutes until he calmed down enough to just be breathing really hard.

The report I got 10 minutes ago from Linda stated that he was currently eating a spider. No harm no foul, Begonia is ok. AND I made it work on time.