Last night at what turned out to be around 2:15 I awoke from a dream where I heard footsteps.. When they continued after I awoke I thought the elderly twins who live above me were stirring. But, as I lay there in bed I could tell the sound was coming from below me...and I've never heard noises like this (or any, for that matter) from my downstairs neighbor. Who was stealthily prowling my bedroom? Suddenly, like a bolt from the blue I remembered! Last night when I was putting the last play group to bed I couldn't lure Amadeus out from his hidey hole...he obviously wasn't ready to hit the sack! I had decided to take out the trash and work on getting him to bed when I came back in. Great idea...except that I ran into a neighbor whose dog was attacked by another neighbor's pit bull earlier in the week and she obviously needed to talk about it...and I forgot about Amadeus being loose by the time I came back in.. I did my bedtime routine and fell asleep...only to awakened by the ghostly noises of Amadeus slithering in the box springs near enough to my head for me to hear him.. You can imagine I was very careful about getting out of bed! I walked around to the hole I'd made to get Ozzie out over the weekend and tapped on the frame. My dear deaf boy came immediately and sniffed my hand. Of course as soon as I tried to reach in and catch him he moved away! I got up off the floor and headed for the ferretone, which I drizzled on one of my hands and offered to Amadeus through the hole. Little by little I moved my hand further away. Within moments his shoulders were out and I could get a firm but gentle hold and pull him out. I let him finish his midnight snack on my bed, petting him w/ my free hand. When he was done I picked him up, kissed him good night, and put him in the cage w/ Shiloh. These little critters have added so much to my life...I just wish I could say that SLEEP was one of them! Have a great Thanksgiving if your in the U.S., if not, have a great day! Pat and the party animals (Tess, Shiloh, Amadeus, Ozzie, Sonny, and Sadie) [Posted in FML issue 2876]