unwelcome guest

"Could you pass a bucket down here please? Quickly. There's a rat in the shop and it's hiding under the skirts...now it's in children's wear."

Michelle and I cower on the stairs as Francis the volunteer takes on the unwelcome guest armed with a purple bucket, a broom and a no nonsense look. A crowd of blokes from the bookies next door gather to watch the drama from a safe distance and an elderly woman abandons her walking frame/shopping trolley to join in the chase. Other customers chip in with their observations

"It's the size of a small kitten"
"I saw it walking past Flaming Wok and then it just tuned right and came straight in here..."

The rat scuttles from childrens wear to bric a brac. The man from the newsagents appears and his weapon of choice is a golf club from our window display.

"We don't need to kill it." says Francis, sternly

The rat is trapped in the corner by our shoe rack and manouvered into the bucket. The old woman falls over in the excitement and the men from the bookies abandon their ciggies to help her up. Francis walks calmly to the fire exit and lets the rat free.

"Francis took on a rat and she isn't even wearing socks." says Michelle, clearly blown away by her bravery. " Get the kettle on while I fill in an incident report sheet..."