The Tieback

At 3 a.m., I was awoken by a frantic pounding on my door and a rough voice that ordered, "Everyone away from the windows and get to the hallway! Someone's throwing rocks at our windows!" All 8 children complied without an argument. As we sat, huddled in the darkness of the passageway, the menfolk rushed outside with their choice of protection and hounds at their feet. We waited. And waited. Worry grew. Drowsy heads nodded.

Soon, a reluctant man trudged down the hall, "All clear. I made a mistake." As we roused from our position of "safety", the story came to light. Our guests were sound asleep in bed when the loud CRACK came. Startled for a moment, they were about to slip back into sleep mode when a number of smaller POP POP POP's were heard. A loud crash brought them both to the floor, attempting to crawl for the passageway. It was only after the men ran outside yelling at the unseen tsotsis (thieves) that they began to question the source of the noise. Upon further investigation of the window, it was noted that the curtain tie-back was jammed between the pane of glass and the security bars. Pressure upon a small crack in the glass mounted until the framework could hold it no longer. Hence, all the commotion. 

As we climbed back under the covers, some groaned and some of us erupted in laughter, imagining 11 people cowering in a passageway, afraid of a curtain tieback. We will give our "alert-man" credit, as it very well could have been someone throwing rocks, but for now, we're all safe and sound! I can't help but smile. Never a dull moment when you get these 2 families together : D