The Mystery

 

The Mystery

If we want to freshen the air in the house, we open all the windows and have a good breeze running through. I also have reed diffusers in the porch and the cloakroom with a citrus scent. These give a subtle, unobtrusive, fresh, warm smell.

On Friday, the day before Bethan and Robert were due to visit us, I noticed an unpleasant smell in the sitting room. I had recently bought a different diffuser. It was so strong that the aroma caught in the back of my throat and gave me a headache. I moved it to the porch, where it continued to choke me when I went to the front door.

I tried a different one, which smelt fresher, but again, it eventually irritated my throat.

We wondered if there had been a chemical reaction somehow, though with what we couldn’t imagine. Eventually, I put the diffusers in the garden, but the nauseating smell remained indoors. Meanwhile, Barry took the dogs out for a walk, leaving me to continue last minute tasks.

I thought the revolting smell might be coming in from outside, and wondered if maybe it was the drains, so I shut the patio doors. The smell remained. I opened the doors again to allow some fresh air in. The smell seemed to gain in intensity, and I could not pinpoint the source.

When Bethan ‘phoned to say they were on their way, I thought that I must warn her of the awful smell. That way they could change their plans if they decided they didn’t want to share the odour with us. I would have understood completely, and rather fancied being somewhere else entirely myself.

However, they continued their journey and arrived just after midday. They noticed the smell – how could they not? – but said it was not as disgusting as I had suggested.

We had a very pleasant day together, but the smell lingered, and I was sure it was increasing. Just before Bethan and Robert left to return home, they traced the smell to a cupboard housing electronic equipment. Opening its doors released an almost overpowering malodorous stench.

As soon as the front door had closed behind them, Barry put on his head torch and started searching. There was nothing in the cupboard that shouldn’t be there, but on the floor behind it, among the wires, was the decomposing body of a mouse. It was swiftly removed and consigned to the bin and the smell dissipated almost immediately.

I believe we have Jellicoe to thank for this unexpected and undesirable gift. When he catches mice, he likes to bring them into the house. They are not always extinct. Obviously, he had brought one in while we were not in the room and it had had enough strength to escape, only to die behind the cupboard, poor little thing.

We are relieved that the drains are not problematic and that the floorboards will not have to be lifted. We will continue to do what we did the other day, and that is, to shut the patio door if we are not in the sitting room, to prevent Jellicoe bringing his prizes indoors.

Indeed, a couple of days ago, he was yelling at the door to be let in. As I opened the door, I noticed a lifeless mouse on the patio. Once they are dead, Jellicoe is no longer interested in them. Fortunately, he does not eat them. It’s better than being overrun with mice, anyway.