Tuesday, November 17th, 2020

I feel something squishy as I put my hand down on the kitchen counter in the dark. I can’t identify it by touch. I cross the room and turn on the light. Looking back, I see what I felt. A large slug has come in overnight and climbed up onto the counter. It curls up as I watch. They don’t like being touched. I wonder what to do about it. If it were to stay on the counter, it would probably be injured as I make breakfast. I don’t have much room to maneuver. I detach a paper towel from the roll and pick the slug up with it, as gently as I can, rolling it off the counter’s edge until it drops into a pocket I’ve made in the towel. I carry it outside and place it on the step. From its color, I wonder if I might be mistaken. It could be a segment of a plum. But i haven’t had any plums in the kitchen in months. And it’s moving, very slowly. As usual, it takes me awhile to make breakfast and get dressed. When I head back outside, the slug is gone. I worry that a cat or something might have gotten it. Looking closely, I see a slim shimmer of slime leading from where I had put the slug down into the grass at the steps’ edge. I am relieved. As far as I can tell, the slug is free.