Our arts editor is no stranger to home invasion. Last week the details of the invasion itself were revealed. In this week's installment we will discuss the consequences.

Our editor, being no coward, waited a mere trifle of time, barely a week, before returning to the window accessed by the vicious squirrel and quickly throwing it open long enough to remove the screen frame. On further investigation of the windows of his house he discovered that the screen of his bedroom window had also been torn. He experienced a small moment of virtual terror at the thought of what might have happened if he'd made the mistake of sleeping with the bedroom window open. “There but for the grace of God ...” he thought and you must trust that this is accurate in its telling as he is the one telling it.

But what of the damages? There were holes in the ceiling of the basement room where the squirrel was first discovered, and surely that devil must have done other damage. He was, after all, a devious and more than likely blood thirsty rodent.

We assume because of their size that the squirrel is less dangerous than say a cornered possum, but has anyone ever seen a possum bully a squirrel? No. And is it not likely that the reason for that is that possums and beavers and skunks and other wild and vicious rodents are aware of the potential for carnage that a squirrel could wreak? Come to think of it, no one has ever heard of a bear or even a mosquito standing up to a squirrel. Is that not worth a thought or two?

So with anxious caution (you never know what kind of ambush or trap a squirrel might have laid for you) but dogged determination, the arts editor, with help from his girlfriend, pulled down the ceiling tiles in order to ascertain the extent of the damage.

Being the brave soul that he is, our man let his girlfriend take the lead so that she would have the first warning of any trap that may have been discovered and thus have the most time to protect herself from its abilities to cause harm. He's good that way.

And was a trap discovered? Was there ever any doubt? Well, yes, there was some doubt, but in the end a trap was discovered. One that had been laid with malicious intent. And one that very nearly succeeded. As the ceiling tiles were being carefully removed in twos and threes and sometimes fives by the arts editors cautious friend, she discovered a deadfall of pine cones waiting to take its potentially deadly toll on the unsuspecting humans.

Had it not been for the caution the arts editor had advised, there surely might have been an incident of epic damage to one or both of the people working cautiously to rehabilitate the damaged basement.

With a great deal of calculation by our hero, the arts editor determined the exact safest place to stand and once there, he observed from the next room, the horror that might have befallen them as his friend pulled another ten bulging tiles out all at once and seven bushels of pine cones cascaded down upon and around her. Thank heavens they had taken safety precautions.

....

The ceiling has now been removed. The pine cones, and the hundreds of thousands of seeds have been cleaned up and carted out of doors. The new ceiling tiles have been ordered and their arrival is imminent. New screening has been installed in the windows screen frame. The bedroom window remains shut. There is little or no sign of the damage caused by the insertion of the vicious, one rodent squirrel force into the editors home.

But what of the invisible wounds? They are there. Our editor still jumps whenever someone goes down into his basement and makes scratching noises on the floor beneath his office while he's trying to work. Those around him are very understanding and try not to do that more than once or twice a week. He still cannot look at a window screen without visibly shaking. And while walking outdoors, he has to cross the street whenever there is a chance that he might be required to encounter a pine cone.

Will time heal these issues for him? We can do nothing but wait ... and see.