The Rat Dahlia

Well, we have survived day one of lockdown but with a hiss and a roar - LITERALLY! 

This morning my beloved cat, Teddy, decided that two vulnerable girls in a trying time such as this apocalypse needed a bit of love. His love language must be Gift Giving. So we received his gift in the form of a very large, very decapitated RAT!

I am not one to cope well with these things. Sharks and snakes are at the upper level of my phobia but rodents top the list, so this gift of a dead rat splayed out like a ritual sacrifice with striking similarities to the famous crime of the Black Dahlia felt like the most unwanted gift of my life. Those who know me well understand that I love true crime, so I understand that my darling Teddy thought this gift would be right up my alley. But actually, I love clothes, chocolate and flowers. I do not love the terrifying corpse of a giant rat! 

Thankfully my lockdown buddy, flatmate and favourite person in all the world, Elspeth, is brave, strong and basically a hero. We both did a lot of screaming, hyperventilating and general freaking out, but with some well thought out crime scene clean-up equipment including socks as gloves, a pool cue as a body mover and a large cardboard box as a coffin, Elspeth saved the day!  

I am considering my application to nominate her as 2020 New Zealander of the year. There are all sorts of ways to be brave in a lockdown.