Things that go bump in the night

It was an odd kind of crash. It woke me up just 30 minutes after I had fallen asleep.  Things that go bump in the night definitely get my attention.

Waking up to a strange noise is never on the top of my list.  I prefer my sounds…familiar.

I know where all the creaks and groans are on the staircase.  I even use them as a sort of security system.  They alert me when one of the kids is trying to sneak upstairs.  Sorry kiddos, there are too many loose steps to navigate that ascent without waking up Mom.  Better be home by curfew next time.

I know how the roof sounds as it cools off after a very hot day.  I know the pitter patter of doggie feet as they patrol the premises.  I know the sound the raccoon makes as he tries to dislodge the bird feeder from its tether in the garden. I know the sound of the heater kicking on, the air conditioner kicking off, the crunch of gravel as someone drives up to the house.  I even know the hoot of the little owl that hangs out in the big oak tree.  I know them all.

This muted crash wasn’t any of those things.

In some magical way, I registered in my deep sleep, the type of sound and the direction and the level that it came from.  It was downstairs, inside, and somewhere by the one closet.  Don’t ask me how I knew this all.  I woke up after the crash, not before, not during.  And yet I still knew where to look.

Turns out it was a baseball that had rolled off a shelf.  Someone had used it and not put it back in place as securely as hoped.  Things that go bump in the night?  Identified, dealt with, and put back to rights.

So why was I still awake?

Because I realized that I would be the only one investigating strange noises from now on.  Husband #2 and I would no longer roam the dark halls together attempting to find the source of a strange noise.  Even though we joked about it, there would be no second person with a finger poised on the last button to dial 9-1-1 while the other person held a (insert your favorite weapon of choice here — gun, baseball bat, bull whip, harpoon).  Only one would be around to investigate strange noises.

Another ghostly reminder that there is no “Team” in “I”.