Photo by Nathalia Segato on Unsplash

One early morning, as I was slumbering on my cot upstairs, I heard a blood-curdling scream coming from downstairs. Jarred awake and with my heart in my throat, I went to investigate. As I crept to look over the balcony, more screams came.

As I peered to look down below, I saw a bat swooping about, trying to find a way to escape its own terror. The screams were coming from either my mom or perhaps from the mom of the other family living with us. We were living in a big, drafty, old…