Adventure for the Day

A couple weeks ago, the girl who sits across the cubicle wall from me in the office found evidence of mice in her bag of almonds. After this revelation, the whole office was prompted to check their food at their desks.

I would never have guessed the amount of food that started showing up. People pulled out apples, bananas, hot chocolate mix (okay, maybe that was me), protein bars, Hershey's kisses, popcorn, lunchables (yes, lunchables, of the kiddie variety... apparently they were on sale at ShopRite), and all manner of other goodies. We could have fed an army.

Lots of people had mice nibbles in their food, and droppings in their drawers. The mice (or one very dedicated mouse) seemed to particularly like chocolate. Good taste, I say.

So we called facilities to come set traps, but I thought they never came. In the meantime we all locked down our desks, and kept a sharp eye out. Although a little furry streak was spotted a couple times, usually late at night when it was uncorroborated, no mouse was ever caught.

And then my cubicle started smelling a little... off. My cube mates cleaned out their desks, and I made sure all my gym clothes were washed. One student never sits at his desk, so we were afraid he had something molding away in there, but we didn't want to rummage through his drawers without permission.

But then today, the girl who originally sounded the alarm (who sits over the cubicle wall from me) wandered over to ask if we thought something smelled off. I said it did, but we couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Have you checked the traps, she asked? Cue dumb looks.

Turns out facilities people had set traps, I just didn't notice. And there was a mouse in one. RIght under my desk, in the corner. I poked my head under, and there he was. Staring back at me.

I am, unfortunately, too squeamish to wiggle my way under a desk and retrieve a three day old dead mouse which looks at me from cold, unblinking eyes. One of the other boys carted it off, and I think he just earned himself lunch from me.

And the girl who started it all, who blew the whistle and then discovered the source of the smell, asked the guy in her cubicle why he hadn't mentioned the faint odor. "Because," he said, "I thought it was you....".