Perpetual Ruminations

Unexpected Guest

We had the mobile tent (pop-up camper) opened up to clean it, winterize it, and get it ready to store for the winter.  After my wife cleaned it out, it was left set up so we could run antifreeze through the water system, but since I didn't have any on hand, it had to wait for a few days.

I picked up a few gallons of RV antifreeze and waited until my wife had a few days off to assist me with running it through the system, and when we went out to do this, discovered the battery was dead. I hooked up the battery charger and as soon as it was charging, the lights came on as well as the water pump. We were sure everything was turned off, but it's always possible we forgot to shut stuff down.

After winterizing the water system, I turned off the lights, the water pump, and the main power switch, but left it set up while I charged the battery. I was using a low amp setting on the charger so it would take a few days to bring the battery back up, so I left it parked in front of the garage until I could make room to store the LP gas bottles and battery for the winter.

After a few days passed, I went out to close it up and park it beside the garage. I knew one bottle of LP gas was about empty, but the second bottle was filled before our last camping trip just in case we needed it. We didn't, so I was going to move it over to the HiLo camper to run the furnace in it while I worked on it. But, when I went out to the pop-up, the lights were on, the furnace was running, and the bottle of gas was empty!

I also noticed that someone had taken the couch cushions from their storage space and put them back on the couch, as well as cushions for one of the benches, and the table was set up instead of down for storage. Someone had been staying inside the camper!

Who? I have no idea. If we lived in a larger town I would say vagrants, but we are out in the country and don't have this problem.  If it was kids they would have likely left a mess inside. I checked with the neighbors on each side of us, but nobody noticed anything.

The pop-up is now closed down, locked and parked beside the garage for the winter. Problem solved, right? Last night, or actually around one o'clock this morning, Bellah woke me  up grumbling at something. I dismissed it at first, but she continued to act like she had heard something. So, I got out of bed and looked out through the windows but didn't see anything. I was just about to go back to bed when I heard something as well.

I quickly slipped some sweat pants and a jacket on, grabbed the flashlight and went out the back door. Before I could get around the corner of the house, I heard the door on the HiLo slam!  I hustled around the corner but there was nobody in sight. However, there was a light on inside the HiLo.

I went inside the camper and found it empty, but someone had been inside and turned the light on. I know, because my wife would have seen the light on when she got home from work earlier that evening. That is also locked up now, as are the vehicles. I'm also thinking of getting a security camera installed.