Another story from my mispent youth....
By ElicBxn
@ElicBxn (64169)
United States
July 18, 2009 6:15am CST
I went to college at Southwest Texas State University and stayed one semester in the high rise dorm called "The Woman's Residential Tower." Since I was only there the spring semester, it had to be in the spring of 1973.
A bat got into the dorm on my floor. There were girls opening their doors, screaming and slamming them again. There was one girl telling others to just stay in their rooms. I came out, told her to go down to the lobby and tell people not to come up to this floor so the elevator wouldn't offer the bat another place to go. I then turned out the lights on the floor and once it was dark and quiet, the bat settled down on the ceiling.
An upper class man came out of her room and offered her tall hamper to catch it - if I did the catching. That was fine with me, so I put the hamper over it on the ceiling. Then she offered her art board, if I'd do the sliding.
Now, I'm 5' nothing, she held the hamper while I stood on a table to slide the board over. We lowered it, then carried it to the window and she shoved it out as I pulled the board out of the way.
Then, as you might've guessed, I had to look in the hamper to make sure the bat was gone!
And ALL I got out of the adventure was a good story...
5 people like this
13 responses
@dragon54u (31633)
• United States
18 Jul 09
I've never understood women's fear of bats and other things. It's ridiculous. I'm glad you kept a cool head and were able to remove the poor thing without injuring it. It's a miracle that it wasn't hurt by those hysterical dumb idiots!
The hamper trick is very handy! I use a similar technique to catch spiders and other beneficial bugs when they wander into my house. When I lived in the desert I used to do that with scorpions and tarantulas, although I could usually herd the tarantulas out the door without capture.
4 people like this
@BarBaraPrz (51811)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
18 Jul 09
Tarantula herder... hmm...
[i]rollin' rollin' rollin'
head 'em up
move 'em out
Rawhiiide![/i]
2 people like this
@ElicBxn (64169)
• United States
18 Jul 09
In fact, yesterday at work, I did the same thing for a spider at my client's. And once, before I retired, I was recruited to remove a bug from the lady who hated me's office. I have to say, she hated the bug more than me, but then hated having to be grateful!
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (169439)
• United States
18 Jul 09
Now that is the kind of thing I would do. I am an animal rescuer at heart, and so is hubby. I will keep the method in mind, as we have bats at our day service location right now, and everyone else will freak.
3 people like this
@jillmalitz (5131)
• United States
18 Jul 09
That's a good story. A good case of necessity is the mother of invention.
2 people like this
@BarBaraPrz (51811)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
18 Jul 09
Good for you and your cool-headed thinking! 
It is a good story. Thanks for sharing.
It is a good story. Thanks for sharing.
3 people like this
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
18 Jul 09
U did get a good story & u forgot to mention how brave u were to do that. I have never had any dealings w/bats & don't want to.
. Hope ur mom is doing well. Have a good weekend.
. Hope ur mom is doing well. Have a good weekend.2 people like this
That's pretty funny! My sister was always the one people got in the dorm when there was something that needed to be caught. She and her roommate.
@barehugs (8973)
• Canada
18 Jul 09
When my son attended Toronto's York University, he moved onto the campus and lived in a co-ed dorm. This was about 15 years ago when the co-ed dorm was a new concept. Some time later, his Mother and I dropped in for a visit. We took the elevator up to the 4th floor, and proceeded down the hall to his room. On our way we met a student who asked us who we were visiting. We told her his name and she called to my son to inform him of a pending visit. Just as we approached the room, another girl scurried out of his room and hurried down the hall.
After we had visited for a while, I asked about the washroom facilities, and my son replied. " Oh, just down the hall on your right, and don't be surprised if a girl comes out of a stall while you are there!" "Oh thats ok" I replied, "I really don't need to go that bad!"
1 person likes this
@Maggiepie (7816)
• United States
18 Jul 09
[b]I don't recall you ever telling me this story! But I can picture it well; you have a tendency to get into weird situations...just like yours truly.
And don't try claiming you did tell it to me; you aren't always right, y'know...
Brobdingnaggianingly yours, 
Maggiepie
"WHERE'S THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE?"[/b]
And don't try claiming you did tell it to me; you aren't always right, y'know...
Brobdingnaggianingly yours,
Maggiepie
"WHERE'S THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE?"[/b]1 person likes this
@tamarafireheart (15384)
•
18 Jul 09
Hi Elic,
What a wonderful bat story though so be proud, and that was very brave of you to do that, but I am not afraid of the bat, I actually think they so sweet, the one I got off my cat was little black one with a fluff of hair on his head, it was so soft, like cotton wool, but you did well girl.
Tamara
1 person likes this
@commanderxo (1494)
• Canada
26 Jul 09
It IS a good story, so long as you didn't go "batty" over it.
Hehehehe
cdrxo
1 person likes this
@commanderxo (1494)
• Canada
26 Jul 09
Better stay away from little league baseball too!
cdrxo
1 person likes this
@Opal26 (17679)
• United States
19 Jul 09
Hey Elic! That's what makes you you! You are so cool and such
an incredible creature lover! Even a bat wouldn't scare you
from trying to spare it's life! I think that you were always
destined to be a carer of animals forever! You are just one
of the most sweetest and caring people I have ever known! You
would do anything to keep any kind of animal or anything alive!
I think you are the most wonderful person that I know and I
am proud to know you! And I think that all the animals that
you have saved and taken care of in your life are so lucky
to have been saved by you! May God Bless you and keep your
forever ElicBxn! Love always, Opal/Leslie
1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (64169)
• United States
19 Jul 09
you are so kind, Opal. I just don't think that animals are, by their nature, bad. Even at 19 I knew that the bat was more scared then the girls were. I appreciated the other gal for trying to help the bat, but until it was able to settle down, nobody was going to catch that critter.
@scififan43 (2434)
• United States
20 Jul 09
were you realy that scared of the bat? or was that everone easle in the drom?
you shoud have named the bat Adam as in Adam West tvs batman lol. but great story here.
@ElicBxn (64169)
• United States
20 Jul 09
I can't say I was terrified of the bat, I was leery of the bat - you know, bats and rabies... I think the other girls were MUCH more afraid of the bat than I was, I knew it didn't want to interact with us as much (or maybe more) than we didn't want to interact with it - probably had more contact with wild animals than they did, even at that young age.
If I were to have a pet bat I might name it Adam, I wrote a Batman story after all - might name it Bruce instead...
