not as dead as advertised

Waiting on the mat,

reaching to knock on my door,

little dead brown bat.

On the way to work one Thursday i opened my door to this sight.

Why is a bat out of its home in the dead of winter?
Alone?
How did it get into the house?
Why does it look like it was crawling toward my door?
What killed it?
What am i gonna do with a bat body?
Is this going to make me late for work?

I fetched a paper towel to be its wee funeral shroud and long handles tongs to pick it up since i didn't know if there were diseases involved. Of course, Mr Bat had a death grip on the mat fibers with his claws so i had to kinda pry each hand off which caused him to flip on his back and start moving.
NOT DEAD, PEOPLE, NOT DEAD

And that quickly it went from a clean-up to a rescue operation.
Find a small box, punch holes, line with paper towels, scoop Mr. Bat into the box, give him a little massage to warm him and get the blood moving and then shred more paper towels over top to hold in the heat.
At the emergency vets i got the number of an injured wildlife shelter and headed off to work with my bat in a box. (i told the vet tech, I found an injured bat. to which she said Is it alive? Honestly lady? I am at the vet's, holding a box with holes in it, do you think it is alive?)
I was able to nurse him through most of the day, but his condition was too severe. At least i know he expired in comfort instead of in the hallway.

PSA: taking an injured bat in a box to work in NOT a good way to find out your boss is terrified of all flying animals