My Mouse Story

In the summer of 1985, I attended teen camp. I had already finished my first year of college, but I went anyway, as sort of a "helper". (Truth was, I had nothing better to do as I didn't have a job and had a few weeks before school started again). The camp was Camp Life, in Bear Mountain, New York. We had attended this camp the year before, and it was hands down, the best youth camp I ever attended- and I had gone every year to many different camps. I was looking forward to going back and having a great time again.

Now, let me fill you in on this camp. Can you say rustic? We slept in cabins, where half of the wall was screening. There was one light, and no other electricity in the cabins. The bathroom was a little walk from the cabins and was an older version of porta potties. It was, uh, not nice. But honestly, we didn't care. It was a well run camp, and our church was excited to be back.

The first night, we turned out the one light, and went to bed. It was kind of nice, kind of like sleeping outside, but with a roof and walls. I lay in bed and closed my eyes and was just nodding off when I heard something that jolted me wide awake. I lay still, listening, hoping that I didn't hear what I thought I did. I heard it again, and apparently, so did anyone who wasn't asleep yet. We turned on the light and watched as several mice scurried around on the floor.

Well, we screamed (of course) and ran for the counselor. She was about 8 months pregnant at the time, sleeping on a cot and now had about 4 teenage girls on that cot with her. She patiently told us to back up so she could sit up. We calmed down a little bit and went back to bed. And heard it again and the same thing happened. We tried again and left the light on a little bit, which seemed to keep the mice away. Eventually everyone fell asleep.

That next night was a repeat of the first. I honestly don't know how I slept at all. The third night I decided to sleep on a top bunk which would be farther from the floor where the mice were. Or so I thought. As I lay in bed and desperately tried to sleep, I heard the now familiar scurrying. But this time it seemed closer. I flipped on the light and what I saw gave me nightmares for years afterward. There was a shelf around the top of the cabin, where the screening ended and the wood began. There was also this type of shelf around the middle of the cabin. On these two shelves were mice, all in a row, running from one end of the cabin to the other. Countless mice. Endless mice. Everyone else had managed to fall asleep. Not me. I sat up in bed, terrified, quoting Scripture.

Like I said, I honestly don't know if I slept at all that week. The mice parade happened the last night we were there too. And one time in the day, a squirrel got in the cabin while we were in there. It was a camp that nightmares are made of. It took me quite a while after the camp to not be skittish at noises. I remember going back to college and talking to one of my friends. She took her eyes off my face and looked at something beyond me and made kind of a surprised face. I screamed. I was like that for a few months.

And now you know why mice terrify me, why I have such an unreasonable fear of them and why I am so skittish, even over 23 years later. Why I don't even have to see them- it's enough to think I hear them.

And now you know how better to pray for me!!