The Rat

When we were living out in the country, Mom woke up one night to a loud scream from my sister, Shari.  Of course Mom rushed in and Shari was freaking out by what appeared to be a very large rat on the floor.  Mom, assuming it was one of my stuffed animals, told her it was just a toy and to go back to bed.  That morning though when they turned the light on, she discovered not only was it a rat, it was a huge sewer rat that managed to get in the house and die in Shari’s room.  It seems our neighbor was having her septic tank cleaned at the time and the best we can figure is that it came from there.  Shari never let Mom forget that the rat was real and not a stuffed animal.