It began one night...

CHAPTER 1

Crunch, crunch.

That's how it began. It was 3 a.m. and I was up for no apparent reason. Out to the living room I went to see if anything was on television. And then I heard it.

Crunch, crunch.

Huh, sounds like something's on the roof. Oh well. Minutes passed, channels were surfed, nothing was on. And then...

Crunch, crunch, crunch...crunch.

Panic set in immediately. Oh that wasn't on the roof. That was in the roof. My brain immediately started to triage the situation.

1. Maybe I was just hearing it.

2. No, you definitely weren't just hearing it.

3. Why was it crunching? Oh yes, when we had our rock roof replaced with shingles, thousands of little bits and pieces of rock were left on the attic floor. Whatever it is, it's crunching on those rocks.

4. Can it get out of the attic and into our home?

5. CAN IT GET OUT OF THE ATTIC AND INTO OUR HOME?

6. I need to wake up Niki right now and tell her of this development.

7. Don't wake up Niki right now and tell her of this development.

8. What in the world are we going to do about this?

9. I mean, honestly, how are we going to deal with this?

10. Maybe I was just hearing it.

So, I put the television on mute and began listening again. Minutes passed. Nothing. And then...

Crunch, crunch.

Oh, there's something there.