Aloha Fridays: Chicken Traps - the story continues

This post is a continuation of my previous post from last Friday's story of A rat, a soup can, and the clothesline.

In the hurricane house my parents moved into when they first arrived in American Samoa in 1977, the back wall had rotted away and the thin bottom kitchen cupboard doors served as the only barrier between the outside jungle and us.

During the night the house became infested with rats and mice who managed to squirm their way into the house while we slept.  Some ventured out during the daylight hours, only to be accosted by shrill screams and a smack with the business end of a broom. 

My parents decided to wage war against the varmints.  But because they had three young children under the age of 5 roaming about the house, they decided to take the war to the rats and mice in the surrounding jungle.  It would not do to wage a war with the rat and mice by setting traps inside the house where tender little toes and fingers could get hurt.

So one evening before bedtime, my father and mother booby-trapped the backyard with rat traps where the rodents travelled by night to come into our house through the rotted wall.

The following morning they were awakened by the strangest noises coming from the back yard.  Peeking out the backdoor, they discovered several chickens had set off the rat traps and were thrashing about in panic.  Well, as you might have expected, you can't mend a chicken's leg.  And these chickens belonged to the neighbor down the way a bit. 

The nieghbor came by when he heard the commotion and put the poor creatures out of their misery. They had chicken for supper that night and the next.

Undaunted, my parents continued with their diabolical plans of eliminating every rodent in the village of Auasi.  And, once again, in the morning, they found chickens in the rat traps.  The neighbors had to eat chicken again. 

Mom and Dad eventually decided that in order to stay on friendly terms with the neighbors, they would have to stop killing their chickens and figure out another way to destroy the rats and mice.

But that is another story.....