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Tuesday night I heard Dolphin banging around on the stove, knocking things off. When I went to investigate, he told me there was something chirping in the fan vent above the stove. Oh, dear!

It was still chirping Wednesday morning, but by Wednesday evening it was only flapping and flopping around. I called animal control, which said they don't do that kind of thing. So I Googled pest control and critter removal, emailing several businesses. Thursday morning the bird was quiet. Thursday evening I got home (having taught all day) to a phone message; they'd come out and try to help. HalleluJah!

He came Friday. He went into the attic but couldn't find anything, because there's a pipe or something in the way. He said helpfully, "My specialty is bugs." And went away. Sigh.

So I called Reed, a college guy who helps with the youth group, and a friend of mine. "Help!" I said. "I'm feeling muchly like a damsel in distress!"

Reed came over after youth group, and left about 11 p.m.. He took the fan and motor out of the hood, but there was nothing above it. Then he went into the attic (chinning himself to get through the hatch, 'cause I don't own a ladder) and crawled over to the pipe. He detached the pipe and shone his flashlight down it.

"Hey, Elsi!" he called. "Good news! It's still alive!"

"Wonderful!" said I.

"And there's bad news, too," he went on.

"Oh?"

"Yeah ... it's not a bird."

"What? I heard it chirping! What is it?"

"I think it's a squirrel."

I had one of those long-handled grabber tools and passed it up to him, along with a box and his gloves. Eventually he retrieved the thing ("It's HOT up here!" he said several times) and closed it into the box. "It's a chipmunk!"

He passed the box down to me, and took the little guy into the foothills to release him, thinking hopeful thoughts. I suppose the chirping could have been chittering ...

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