Things That Go “Bump” In the Night

As a man 60 years, I am inclined to get up in the middle of the night one or more times as a matter of routine.  But I am not used to being awakened in the early morning hours by commotion.  This has happened only 4 times since we moved into our house in Kumasi.  The first episode was due to the Man of God preaching in the streets (in Twi) at about 4 am.   I have written about this episode in a previous blog entry.  I was also awakened one night by Joseph, knocking on my bedroom door.  He rousted Suzy and I from our bed to inform us that Kwame was suffering with severe throat and neck pain and was unable to sleep — and he apparently did not want anyone else to sleep either.  So, we administered some analgesics and warm saltwater gargles.  I started an antibiotic the following morning and took him to see an ENT specialist at Komfo Anokye Hospital who diagnosed a peritonsillar abscess and recommended antibiotics and peroxide gargles.  The problem resolved itself slowly over the next few days and has not recurred since.  And Kwame is now back to eating whole crabs, with their shells.

The two other episodes were more problematic.  During December, Suzy and I were awakened by a few salvoes of what we later learned was gunfire.  Joseph initially thought that this was the work of the police who periodically patrol the neighborhood and fire weapons to let any would-be criminals know that they are around.  This explanation never sounded plausible to me, and in fact, it proved not to be so.  Last month, we learned from a neighborhood “security” meeting that the incident was due to one of our neighbors discharging his own rifle.  Apparently, a night-watchman stationed on a roof at the head of the Kotei New Site Road spotted some “intruders” entering the neighborhood with guns during the early morning hours.  He immediately phoned the neighbor with the rifle, who then came outside and began firing his weapon into the air, letting the armed intruders know that they could expect lethal resistance.  This was apparently an effective intervention, since the intruders had second thoughts and left the area, according to the night-watchman.

The confirmed explanation for this event actually seemed less credible than the previous explanation.  And it is a bit more unsettling to consider the possibility that armed robbers have already focused their attention on our little neighborhood.  It makes one wonder if the razor wire over our wall and bars on our windows are a sufficient deterrent.  At dinner last Sunday evening, my Department Head informed us that he has electrified razor wire and four guard dogs at his house.  And he walks a different dog every morning for his own good health but also to let any onlookers know how many dogs he has.

So, in this background of acute paranoia, Suzy and I lay mesmerized last night after being awakened by a crash at 2:30am that came either from inside the house or nearby, outside.  We waited for another sound that might indicate what was happening, but there were no whispering voices or stealthy footsteps, no doors creaking open, no groans from the inept burglar having fallen over the wall onto our potted tomato and garden egg plants.  After 10 or so minutes of active listening and surveying the compound through our bedroom windows, Suzy decided to venture out of the bedroom, ever ready for a fight.  I quickly dressed and followed her.  The living and dining rooms were intact.  Turning on the lights elicited no response.  But when Suzy opened the door to the back hallway, the cause of the crash became clear.  The floor was littered with faux ceiling tiles and wooden splinters.  One strip of faux tile was hanging from the lighting fixture, and the electrical wiring, attic beams, and corrugated roofing were all exposed through a gaping hole in the ceiling (see photos below).

There were some rotting and sagging pieces of wood protruding from the hole, and I was concerned that the rest of the ceiling might soon yield to gravity as well.  So, I roused Joseph, who knows all the secrets of our house.  He had heard the crash but assumed that it came from somewhere else and went back to sleep.  He was astonished to see the hole in the ceiling, but he also quickly identified the cause. Termites, not burglars, had brought the ceiling down.

It seems that the falling ceiling also had a history of which we were unaware.  Joseph explained everything as we sawed off a heavy bamboo pole to support what was left of the sagging infrastructure.  Apparently, at some time in the mythical past, the hallway ceiling was of plaster, like the rest of the house.  But large chunks were periodically raining on the occupants.  So, the landlord instructed Joseph and friends to put up an alternate ceiling of faux tiles.  Joseph recalls that when they replaced the cross-beams to which the tiles are nailed, they ran out of wood at the end of the hallway nearest to our bedroom.  So, the original wood, old and untreated for termites was left in place, and the new ceiling tiles were nailed to it.  These supporting beams were now broken or crumbling.  Joseph reassured us that the rest of the ceiling was supported by relatively new wood.  Moreover, the beams supporting the roof were fully intact and had been treated against termites.  So, we only have to be concerned about the ceiling falling on us, not the roof.

Picture taken the following night after fallen tiles and wood debris was swept up.

The collapse exposed the termite-modified wood and the corrugated roofing

Skype works sometimes and it is possible to have a video call to the U.