Corona, With a Twist of Lyme

It was 3 a.m. and I heard a sound, or thought I did. I ran to my window, threw open the sash, and stared in alarm at the pale-faced bloodsucker waiting there for me. My robes were flying around me, the moonlight in my face, my bodice heaving. No, you won't get me this time, creature of darkness!!!

The evil devil's spawn tried to bite me, but I was even faster. Grabbing the broadsword, Amoracchius, I girded my loins with faith; I lifted it high above my head. Moonlight glinted off the blade. I shouted: "In nomine Christe! FORZARE!" and the creature exploded. Yes! Another blood-sucker blown to bits!

Well, yes, it did happen SOMETHING like that. I WAS attacked by a bloodsucker in the middle of the night, but it was a tick, which I apparently acquired, quite by accident, on our jaunt into the gamelands the evening prior.

I woke at 3 a.m. - probably by the sound of my husband's coughing - and felt something itchy near my left shoulder blade, just behind my armpit. As my hand reached up to touch it, I knew instantly what it was: a tick!

I knew that I should wait till morning and ask my husband to take it off me, but I just couldn't bear the thought of the filthy thing imbedding itself further into my little rare body. Mouthparts grasping, the exchange of liquids, wow, gross, man. Ticks carry nasty diseases, such as Lyme disease. Do Not Want! In a reversal of things, I who love to eat had now BECOME THE SNACK!

So I ripped that sucker right out of my skin, and squished it into a tissue; wrapping it up tight, I put it on the bedside table to examine further when daylight arrived. But of course, you know what happened for the next two hours: my skin crawled, I thought I felt MORE of the evil minions trying to give me the devil's kiss.

I finally got out the bedside lantern and had a look. No, there were no more ticks on me. And I realized, to my horror, that I had been trying to rip my own freckles off my skin. That's how your skin gets when you have been bitten by a tick: suspicious, twitchy.

When my husband woke up, I told him all about my middle-of-the-night bite. "If I start to turn into a vampire, you must stake me without hesitation!" I ordered him. "Um, OK," he said, placidly; a little too quickly. "But that's VAMPIRES, not ticks!" he added. Well, OK then.*

And then I unwrapped the tissue, and there the creature was, still moving, still alive. I put it on a little plate and surrounded it with my Guardians of the Good (which is to say: the Crittergators), keeping it at bay. And they chanted at it, but that didn't really help subdue it. It tried to crawl under them, seeking to hide from me.

I try to keep things gentle on these pages, dear readers, but I have to admit that then I SQUISHED THAT SUCKER!!!! I am not sure that I have ever murdered the star of one of my photo shoots before. But THIS WAS THE DAY!! And then I washed the plate and washed the Crittergators in liquid antibacterial soap, and washed my hands too.

And we gave thanks that the evil creature was dead, dead, DEAD!!!!

The soundtrack song for this frightening encounter with pure evil is this one: Queen, with Another One Bites the Dust.

Bonus: CDC information on preventing tick bites.

*Also of note: my husband suggested perhaps I had been reading too many Harry Dresden books. And those of you who are readers of his works will remember the sword Amoracchius, which is also known by several other names, including this one you may recognize: Excalibur! Coincidentally, the latest book of his I just finished reading was Grave Peril, which does feature vampires.

And a P.S. about my bite and Lyme disease: The tick in this photo appears to be a small dog tick. Lyme disease is more typically carried by deer ticks, which look different and are MUCH smaller. It is also true that the tick needs to be imbedded in you for 36 to 48 hours for the disease to be transmitted. Still, we are keeping an eye on my bite, and watching for the red bull's-eye rash that is an indicator of Lyme infection. Words of wisdom, courtesy of my husband: "Well, at least you have something DIFFERENT to worry about NOW!" Well, thank goodness for small favors!

Some sobering statistics, as of the posting of this blip:
Coronavirus cases in the U.S., per the CDC: 85,000+
Coronavirus cases in PA, per the state of PA: 2,751
Coronavirus cases in Cente County, where I live: 15
Number of PA counties under "stay at home" orders: 19 out of 67 (does not yet include my county, but probably will within a week or so) - UPDATE LATER THE SAME DAY: Three more counties have been added; Centre County has now been added to that list!!!