A Light in the Attic

There's a blanket that is folded over the back of the rocker in Colt's room. The blanket is one that my friend Autumn made as a baby gift back in April – one side is lime green, the other has a flame-like print. It matches Colt's room well and has been on the back of that chair for at least 6 months. We use it when we play on the floor in the living room. Anyway. The point is that it – like most things in our house – has a place. It gets folded – lime green side out – and put on the back of the rocker.

Midweek sometime I noticed that the blanket was folded neatly. And on the back of the rocker. But it was folded flame side out. I have NEVER folded it this way. No particular reason – I just haven't. The OCD in me folds it the same way every time. So Jeff was walking by the room and I asked him if he had the blanket out playing on the floor. He said no. I secretly didn't believe him and jokingly surmised that "it must be the guy who lives in the attic".

Side note: I watch entirely too much Dateline and recently saw two different stories about families who had strangers living in either their attic or their closets. It has freaked me out ever since.

So the rest of the week, we joked about the Guy in the Attic and systematically started blaming things on him. Somebody left the TV on all day when no one was home. Guy in the Attic! Who used all the hot water? Guy in the Attic!

Friday night, we went to dinner with Becky and I started telling her about the Guy in the Attic. She listened to me go on and on about the families I had seen on TV and the weird homeless people who lived in their attics and came down during the day and ate their food and slept in their beds.

And when I told her we had our very own Guy in the Attic and that he had refolded a blanket in Colt's room and given himself away. She nonchalantly burst my bubble. "Oh, I did that." What?!

Becky had come over to babysit on Tuesday when we went to the basketball game. And disguised as the Guy in the Attic – had used the blanket to play on the floor with Colt. Jeff laughed harder than anyone as he was officially exonerated. Ha! It was Becky all along! Jeff and Becky spent the rest of dinner making fun of me and my Guy in the Attic nonsense.

But today – the Guy in the Attic struck again. A few weeks ago, I bought a big plastic tub in which to store our Christmas tree until next year. It didn't quite fit and the tub (and tree) has been sitting in our living room – waiting for me to return it to the store. I would not have had to BUY a big plastic tub if SOMEONE hadn't thrown away the original Christmas tree box. But no one was talking and the Guy in the Attic was taking the fall. Until today! I decided to take one last look up in the attic (ironically) to be sure the Christmas tree box was not up there. And guess what! That crazy Guy in the Attic — trying to play a trick on me! He had hidden it right there in the attic – plain as day!

So the Christmas tree was officially stowed – in its rightful box. Up there in the attic for the Guy in the Attic to enjoy until next December.

We even decided that after almost a year of living in this house, it was time to change the light bulb in the attic so we will no longer have to juggle a flashlight while avoiding stepping through the ceiling of the pantry… At least now the Guy in the Attic will be able to read at night.