I have never been more in love with Pyewacket as I am tonight. He has parked himself in the front of the bus, waiting to pounce on the mouse.
A week ago, when I began getting the bus ready to travel, I noticed black flecks in the tissue box I keep by my driver’s seat behind the control box. I whipped off the top few tissues and replaced the box, never thinking, “A mouse shit in here.” The day I left, I noticed it again, and did the same thing before adding my protein bar and bottled water to the box for easy grabbing. When I got to Vermont, there seemed to be more in the cardboard box in which I keep gallons of water, and I noticed some by the sink as I ran the dust mop over the floor. There were also more in the tissue box. That was to be my next surprise of the day.
Pye started going bonkers trying to get behind the seat, then under the pedals. He was making a sound I don’t remember hearing before. Then I saw a mouse run over to and around the litter box and try to get back under the seat, but Pye was determined to catch it. I grabbed the dust mop and opened the doors a crack with the idea of swishing it outside, but the critter disappeared between the driver’s seat and the outside wall.
Thinking back, I remember after I had the bus jumped, there was some paper-towel-like stuff with some furry like stuff in it left on the driveway, presumably by the mechanic who came to jump the bus. I remember finding a mangled up roll of paper towels I had mistakenly left under the hood once when I had checked my fluids. There was also a roll down below the tissue box. All the pieces added up. I wanted to think the had decided to relocate to Vermont, but before I went out to look at the stars, I heard something under the sink. Pye heard it too.
The stars Friday night were absofuckinglutely amazing. No light pollution, no air pollution. Just a sense that I was among the stars. And there were so many meteors I almost ran out of wishes. Just as I was getting ready to go back in, the waning crescent moon rose over the mountain. I returned to the bus feeling giddy.
Saturday night was time for good byes because there was no way I would be up when they left in the morning. I got a bounty of goodies to go, all from their land: tomatoes, flowers, herbs, chard, squash, celery. And I made some painted rocks to add to a walkway and was encouraged to take a stone with me to be able to hold the land’s energy.
Falling onto bed, Pye got down and walked to the front of the bus, plunking down so as to prevent a mouse from crossing into the living area. I hung one of my solar lamps off a screw so that he would be able to see in the dark.
(As I post this Sunday night, he’s hanging out on the driver’s seat. I gave him the light again.)