A Woman, A Dog, A Man, and A ?????

It was shortly after three and I had been to the bathroom and was almost back asleep when I heard a noise. I rose up and as everything was quiet, I lay back down and Oso woofed. Oh. Maybe all was not well. He continued to woof and be restless. I got up and went to the back door where although dark, I could tell there was nothing there. We both headed back to bed and he barked, tail up, looking out the front window. I go into the living room planning on looking out the front windows when the bark became more frantic and he headed to the living room. In the light coming from the condo parking lot and the little night lights we have around, I saw nothing  About to return to bed, I looked down the stairs toward the front door just in time to see it swing open on its own.

Without even thinking I was jumping up and down, banging me hands on the rail and yelling. “NO, NO. GO AWAY!! DEAN!! GO AWAY, WHOEVER YOU ARE, GO AWAY!!! DEAN!!” As I continued to bang and yell, he who can sleep through anything came out of the bedroom. What’s going on? Something opened the front door. Somewhere in all of that, I had turned on lights enough to see that although the door was open, there was nothing there. Dean heads down the stairs with Oso right behind him. He turns on another light by which we could see that the door to the office level below was also open. Down he goes with Oso standing at the top of the stairs watching him. Nothing on that level. He comes back up and searches the lower house level. Nothing there. As he comes back up, I ask him to lock 

the front door which he does. 

Our best guess? A raccoon. The noise? The raccoon jumping against the door to reach the door handle to open it.

Once the excitement died down, I did realize that had it been a bear or a human, once the door opened I would have seen a larger darkness against the already dark doorway. Oso’s bark was not his bear bark. He did not chase whatever it was ~ another clue to its being other than a bear. Give me a big ole, lumbering, scared of loud noises bear any day (or night).

I realized I was scared. It was watching the door open on its own that scared me. Got back in bed, cried a little while Dean held me, and as I turned on my side, I noticed that Oso was on the floor on my side of the bed in protective posture. I guess I slept again at some point because I was dreaming when I woke again at 5:45 and got up. That was enough adventure for one night and I needed an ordinary day to begin. I’ll nap later.