Unbeknownst to me, while I was away, my room had been subleased for perhaps the entire week. After my 8 hour overnight bus ride and a taxi ride from Lima, all I wanted for Sunday was to come home, change my clothes, and rest. This plan was overthrown the moment my intruder was discovered. It happened at about 11:30am. While trying to extract some trousers from my clothes shelf, I found him...or her, not sure. My first glimpse was the arm... then the tail. I freaked. I screamed. I ran for Arturo. He's 5. My screaming and jumping scared him. I had to go for Efraín. Within moments, it was all over. There was shouting, banging, and before I knew it, there were guts all over my floor. The verdict: a scorpion. When I stepped out for the week, he crawled in.
My host sister tried to stop Efraín from killing it, which I didn't understand. Later, I learned that when you find a scorpion, it's a sign that fortune is in your fortune. But if you kill it, you will lose fortune. Hmm. Technically, I didn't kill it...
I have been a paranoid mess all week. My clothes, shoes, and any other earthly possession is shaken profusely before it's use. I hope these creatures don't settle in packs. There is so much I have to learn. What I've gathered from the locals is that scorpions are kind of like the mice of South America, sort of. But they sting. And hide in your clothes. Crap. I get the willies just writing this. Any advice is welcome. Any comments that would spark cringing and worrying are strictly prohibited.
Just another piece of the adventure. Thank God for brave little boys.
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