My Seussical Life for 2003 October 22

After attending to Atticus in the middle of the night, I heard a popping sound from somewhere in my apartment. I thought at first that maybe Atticus was clapping his hands to irritate me and further conspire against my sleep needs. I rushed into his room to scold him, and found him snoring and deeply asleep. So then I returned to my bed, and tried to relax, until the popping began again.

I rose up again from my bed to stalk the source of this noise. It seemed to be coming from the kitchen. The sound ceased when I entered, so I opened the dishwasher door and thought maybe that would solve the problem. I again returned to lie in my bed. This time, I was disconcerted enough that I could not sleep. I listened for the pop to continue, and now that I was thoroughly awake, and would be until I discovered whether a mouse or some creature was creating the racket, I decided to follow it until I found the source.

Well, I went to the kitchen stood listening; the sound came from a bowl of chickpeas I had left to soak overnight. I picked up the bowl and I could feel the pressure of the popping beans like tiny explosions in the water. I never knew that such a riot might come from a bowl of soaking beans.