The Singing Hammock    

There is an infinite peace and serenity being one with nature, as I have lived at Heliconia Haven.  I have no electricity, no running water, catch rainwater for fresh water needs, bathe in one of my streams or the river, cook over a wood fire, and use a simple kerosene lantern for reading.  I often sleep in a hammock out on my raised deck.

Occasionally however, one can be a little too close to nature. 
Such was the case one rainy night.

You are probably familiar with the principle of stringed musical instruments.  Any string, taut under tension, can produce some semblance of “music”.  While resting in my hammock,
 I have often plucked its strings to create a little rhythm.

 On this particular night, I was tired from a hard days work and was soundly asleep when I was awakened by some animal crawling around on the thatch roof.  This is a fairly common sound, so it did not distress me.  A little later I could hear the animal moving over the rafters of the house, above my head.  Still, no concern – there are few things that I am afraid of…but, the sound slowly drew closer…I could not see as I had covered my head with a sheet for protection against mosquitoes.

 Then…just beyond my head, I sensed that the animal was on the beam my hammock was tied to…Suddenly, my hammock was singing…the animal was crawling towards my head
and was just inches away…I slowly tensed and executed a fast hard roll to the right, and the animal flew off and disappeared before I could unravel myself from the hammock and covering sheet.  I never did learn what it was.  Nothing dangerous, I am sure,
probably just a possum.  Still…I will never forget that “singing hammock”.

Manatee Slaughter  One Stormy Night  Nite-Nite   Army Ants  The Singing Hammock  Bird Stories
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