As her eyes adjusted, the terrifying phantom vanished. Standing bared-teeth in the corner was a very large, very stressed-out beaver. Its wide, leathery tail was the culprit behind the heavy thumping. The utter absurdity of the situation washed over her, instantly melting away her terror. Realizing the poor animal was just as frightened as she had been, Sarah slowly slid down the doorframe. She sat flat on the floor to make herself seem as non-threatening as possible, keeping her hands visible.
“Hey there, buddy,” she whispered gently. “You’re okay.” Sensing the danger had passed, the beaver gradually stopped thumping its tail and calmed down. Sarah’s first instinct was to simply open the back door and shoo it outside. However, she paused. If she just let it loose in the neighborhood, the confused creature might wander onto the main road or climb into someone else’s house and endanger itself.
No, it was best to let professionals handle this. She carefully reached into her pocket, pulled out her phone, and dialed animal protective services.