I have a pet

I woke up the other night to the sounds of slithering or scraping along the edge of my tent. I laid there until I was certain I would be able to see any wildlife Sudan has to offer without screaming. Once I had the nerve, I turned on my headlamp and looked in the corner. Luckily, nothing. The intruder was still outside and that was enough for me to fall back asleep.

The next day, I was bragging about barely escaping the grip of a huge python or boa. Rejuvenated. Happy to be alive. Then Sam Sorre, one of my coworkers here, said, ���No man, that was probably a hedgehog.���

The next night, at around 1 a.m. (and 3 a.m., and 4 a.m., and so on), I heard similar sounds. While I didn���t scream this time either, there was clearly something moving under my tent. You have to imagine all the possible things it could be. I was certain it was a huge dangerous python, or a cat-sized scorpion, or one of each fighting each other. I really considered these possibilities; I was really groggy. I wanted to get out of my tent to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, but the movement was right under my entrance, and what if the slithering mass under my tent was an enormous snake head and the other 30 feet were just outside waiting to wrap me up? I���m a wuss. I held it in until the first sight of sunlight. And, believe it or not, I survived.

This day started with an accomplishment greater that the previous. I looked underneath the tent to see remnants of the beast I had scared away again, but it was still there. A one-pound hedgehog. Of course Sam was right and of course I���m an idiot.

Still not certain if I wanted a roommate, Kelly and I Wikipedia���d hedgehogs because I had no idea how high they jump and how many humans they eat. It turns out they only eat bugs, and actually scare away snakes. And interestingly enough, Wikipedia reports:

���In 2006, McDonald's changed the design of their McFlurry containers to be more hedgehog-friendly. Previously, hedgehogs would get their heads stuck in the container as they tried to lick the remaining food from inside the cup.���

They���re totally harmless and I really feel terrible about hitting it with my novel last night. I am now sharing a tent with my new pet hedgehog named McFlurry.