Rats!

While my aunt was cooking supper for me, all of sudden she screamed. I ran to the kitchen and asked her what happened. She pointed to the stove and I saw a long tail under cooking stove, it's a rat!

Despite my best attempt to catch it using a plier, the rat escape. Don't ever underestimate the strength and speed of this animal. Later my aunt setup a trap using a rat cage with a bait inside. A short while later, it caught the rat!

While I recalled my grandma used to dispose any rats she caught by putting it under the hot sun, I assumed my aunt would do the same tomorrow morning. But I was wrong, she calmly told me to follow her outside the house to release the rat somewhere into the bushes. This is a pleasant and meaningful surprise for me, she's actually practicing the First Precept (refrain from killing) right in front of me. This episode taught me to respect all living beings no matter big or small, beautiful or ugly. The way my aunt handled it, the rat won't be pest in my house and yet no harm comes to it. Thanks aunt for this lesson in wisdom and compassion.