LETTER TO…

A Letter to the Animals in the Roof

Sorry, I don’t know your names

Note: Not my possum! “Brush-tailed Possum.” by Laurie R B is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Hello.

I hope you don’t think this is presumptuous, but I feel I know you well enough now to write you this letter. After all, I’ve been here more than a year, and I have heard you going about your business every day. Yes, the ceiling boards are thick, but you’re all quite active and the job you’ve done ripping up the insulation for your soft furnishings has created bare patches. None of you walk on your toes. You’re firmly plantigrade.

Look, I think we’re all glad that the Common Mynahs, which had made their nest in the chimney, have finally gone. I’m not sure if that’s because of the rain or predation (if so, well done you), or whether they had finished nesting for the season. Whatever the reason, I’m grateful that they — and their blood-sucking mites — have disappeared. Oh, those mites! That was an interesting few weeks, wasn’t it? I’m sorry about your ongoing flea situation.

So why am I writing you this letter? I’m sure you have heard (if only because the redistributed insulation lets the sound through) that I will be moving out in the next few months, if not sooner. I don’t know when. It depends on a number of factors.