Scram!

I woke up in the early morning* to an awful stench. It was a little bit chilly, so I covered myself better with my blanket and started to roll over. But that smell was horrendous. What was it? B.O? Something else too? I needed to lay eyes on the source. I grabbed my phone and turned on the flashlight, shining it around my room... and laid eyes on the round shape of a head at the foot of my bed.

"SCRAM!" I yelled, with barely a voice, as the man exploded up from his crouch and dashed out of the room. I followed quickly, yelling "SCRAM!" while holding my blanket, only to find him stuck in my back hallway trying desperately to unlatch all the latches and escape out the back door. 

"SCRAM!" I insisted as I stood at the doorway of my bedroom and he stood at the door to the outside. I was worried he'd change course and come at me, but thankfully he didn't.

He finally got out the door and I followed, yelling again "SCRAM THIEF!" 

My housemate came out of her room, and we started to discuss what had just happened. But then we had to find how he'd gotten in. Had he come into the house earlier and been concealed until then? Had he only just gained entry? We'd reinforced both the front and back doors in the last couple of years, due to thieving on the island becoming more determined. But then we found a hole.

The metal bars on our living room window had been pried apart, with a hole only about the size of a sheet of printer paper for the man to wriggle through. He'd then scouted out his escape route and cut the lock on the inside of the bars at the front door before exploring the bedrooms for things to steal. For whatever reason when sprinting out of my room he didn't go via his prepared route, but instead tried for the back door. 

What did he get for all his efforts? About $35 in cash. He missed my wallet, didn't take any of the electronics, and ran before exploring any other rooms of the house. 

What did I get? A pretty good scare and a new thankfulness for how strongly weed can smell. 

Praise the Father for weed.

* this happened in early May, before I left Clove Island.