Things that go ‘bite’ in the night

A terrible thought really, in bed alone or with your significant other nestled down for some well deserved sleep. You aren’t aware of the army of things that await you. You have no idea that tucked under the mattress buttons are a small battalion of 6 legged creatures awaiting the call to charge! Smaller still, millions of mites lurk in the spring coils sharpening their ninja like skills ready to ascend and feast on sleeping tissue. Then there are the unthinkable hairy creatures that wait behind the portraits on the wall, they are solitary night hunters that move with amazing speed seeking their food by picking off the other small invaders one by one.
Your defenses are reduced to a twitch or a brush with your hand. You have no idea as you dream that another world is awake and thriving on your very existence. You don’t see the trail of ants moving up and down your night stand unimpeded as they raid your chip bag and drinking from your glass of water.
If you scratch, it’s to no avail since you just send tiny flakes of skin tissue up in a small cloud that only excites the mites more and more until it is frenzy. If you roll over you may just catch your 8 legged friend by surprise and her only recourse is to bite you in an effort to escape. The bed bugs use a numbing solution so you’ll hardly notice their biting in your slumber. The ants have now found the feast of chip crumbs you didn’t brush all the way on to the floor. They send out chemical signals to bring more troops to clean up the mess but if you were to awake it would hardly seem like a favor.
This onslaught wages all through the dark hours and as night wears on and bellies are getting full the morning light begins to creep into the room. Outside the birds sing in the morning and the invaders begin their retreat. Back to the buttons and seams out of sight, down the legs of the nightstand and into the electrical socket where it is safe. The only casualty who didn’t make it tucked beneath your shoulder near her bite mark which will be barely noticeable in a few hours.
You awaken slowly, stretch and yawn. A good morning kiss and you roll out to begin your day. Toothbrush in hand you emerge from the bathroom to straighten the bed. A small spider catches your eye limping on the floor and he escapes under the bed. “I’ll get you when I get home from work” you declare with confidence. You add the task to your mental lists of things to do as you rotate and stretch your sore shoulder.
Your day begins but for millions of others, their day is done and it’s time for them to snuggle down for a well deserved rest.