The day we outwitted the Scorpion King

Every so often something happens to remind us we live in the desert.

Last night it was finding our first fully-grown scorpion in the house...in our bathroom.

Eeek.

I guess we should count ourselves lucky really, we've been here 11 months now and only found the tiniest baby scorpion in a hallway a few months back, and now this one.

There is however some dispute about the one we found in the bathroom. Mr Devyne will tell you some nonsense about it being 2 inches long, rather slow moving and not particularly scary. I on the other hand, am not worried that you can't handle the truth and will tell it to you straight...I was frightened for my life, the lives of my 'babies' and the future of the human race.

Unfortunately, I forgot my bloggers-code and instead of immediately grabbing a camera to take a picture to show you what he looked like, I grabbed Mr Devyne and shouted 'kill it! kill it'. I do apologise. I will try not to let you all down again.

Here instead is an accurate pictorial representation of what I found on the bathroom floor:

 

You can trust me, I'm a qualified journalist (yes I really am), I would NEVER blow anything of proportion or enjoy spreading a bit of fear just to enhance my story...

My second 'Unfortunately' of the night was that in leaving 'The Perp' alone in the bathroom whilst I ran like a big girlie to get Mr Devyne, I forgot that 'The Perp' might NOT have the decency to stay in the same place I spotted him in, that he might actually crawl away and hide. Which he did.

Just as we were about to give up our intensive search with a black light (translation for Brits: UV light - scorpions glow very brightly under UV) all around the bathroom, bedroom and closet, we turned to see the Scorpion King making a break for it, scuttleling away without due care or attention, loitering with intent to make his way under a skirting board and in possession of a scorpion-like look about him. He was definitely guilty of being a scorpion. And I swear I saw a flick-knife sticking out of his back pocket too.

So Mr Devyne splatted him with a wooden mallet.

Job done. Squished scorpion all over the bathroom floor...good thing it's tiled not carpeted.

On the plus side, I've now seen how fast they move (not particularly) and how brightly they shine under a black light/UV (they are very, very luminous) and convinced myself that if I spot one, I could probably manage dealing with it....probably. Unless scorpions are the Sopranos of the animal kingdom and have now put a price on my head for sentencing their vicious, homicidal, blood-thirsty leader to a splattering.

I may have to sleep with a black light and a wooden mallet under my pillow for the next few months...