Seven year old Francesca Williams has a really good reason to be afraid of the dark these days.
The British girl, who lives in Symonds Yat, Herefordshire, was bitten on her arm and cheeks by a rat while she was soundly asleep in her bed.
Yes, it’s the stuff nightmares and horror films are made of.
It was 2:30a.m. when Williams parents were awoken by her cries and screams. Thinking she’s had a bad dream they didn’t rush to her room. But when they opened the door and saw her arm and cheeks covered in blood, things changed from casual to anxious.
“She was crying and said a big brown animal had bitten her,” mom Wendy, 35, tells media, “She said she woke up after feeling something crawling on her leg and when she moved it bit her.”
Seeing the blood they knew this wasn’t a story from the imagination of a child. Mom stayed with Williams and Dad went to get the family dog who found the 1-foot long rat hiding under the bed and immediately killed it.
The family says there were no signs of any rats being in their house and are still puzzled as to how it got in.
Williams was checked at hospital for any infection passed on from the rat and is cleared.
So let this be a warning. Next time you feel something moving on you while you sleep you might want to stay very still. Very very still. Or sleep with a few cats.
