Shadow Hare

So goes the report, "A costume-wearing superhero calling himself "Shadow Hare" has vowed to clean up the streets of Cincinnati by fighting crime on the streets".

The best part is, he won't be generating the debate - albeit a good one - from The Dark Knight. Can each one of us get up and take the law into our own hands, if we mean well? If justice isn't served by the authorities-that-be, can we choose the lesser evil (to take control of that which isn't ours, rather than to helplessly watch people suffer)? Will Robin Hood ever be proclaimed a superhero? Is it possible not to act, if one really has a conscience? Or is dressing up as a superhero to fight crime, socially unacceptable, and best left to the big screen?

These questions seem all the more pertinent for me, as a Pakistani, when the writ of the government has clearly been broken in the northern areas of my country. But then, aren't the Taliban doing the same? Offering speedy justice?

Is there a solution somewhere in the midst of this debate? Yes, says the report, "The mysterious masked man is...armed with handcuffs, a Taser and pepper spray, which can be legally carried in the city." Good civic sense!

Squeaky. Paranormal.

So I had a paranormal experience last night.

My sleep cycle is too sensitive for me to be able to control it. One bad day, or one late night, and it takes me days to get my act together. Last night, was the beginning of another chaotic routine. I happened to catch a very interesting episode of ER - a show I used to watch eagerly with my sister, late in the night, before I got married and moved out. In the middle of the show, I heard some weird taps; the kinds that typically come from throwing rubber balls on wooden surfaces. Soft yet hard. I then heard some loud and clear squeaking that I've never heard before (and hope to never hear again). A lizard.

So I had this paranormal experience last night.

A lizard entered our room from under the door, rushed behind a curtain, and began squeaking. Not once. Not twice. A few times. In the dark of the night, it seemed like a lot. I shivered. I woke up a tired husband, just about getting ready to snore.

"Did you hear that?" I asked him. He probably thought somebody had broken in. "No. What happened?", his eyes bloodshot. Not from anger, but from sleep. Deep sleep. "Wait for it. There's a lizard, squeaking." He shuffled over to the other side instantly. But I had achieved it. I had managed to put him on high alert. The next time that damn thing squeaked, he heard it.

I lay on my bed. Scared. Unable to put my treacherous feet on the floor. I picked up my mobile phone and pointed its browser to google. "Do lizards squeak?" I found a lot. They squeak when in pain or excited. For the love of God, I thought, let it be pain. Let it be pain. Let it die. I have already had an encounter with two mating lizards this season, and I can't handle more. I can't understand how people can write about these little "harmless" creatures and oh-so-fondly. I actually found this blog: Things that go squeak in the night. I'm sorry, but I refuse to be smitten by these "little guys". That just wouldn't be normal. That would be paranormal.

So I had a paranormal experience last night. Have you ever?