Gunfire last night

Awoke to an unfamiliar sound, 2:15am. Maybe the wind whipping something around, maybe power out, maybe armed robbers climbing the fence.

Laid back in bed straining my ears for any further sounds. Heard a rattle, not close, is that what a machine gun actually sounds like? I only know from the TV and I know that is wrong. I thought about the supposedly distinctive sound an AK-47 makes when fired towards you. (Another thing I know from TV).

I got up and moved to the other room to put one more wall between myself and where the sounds seemed to be coming from. After a while with nothing, I ducked back into bed keeping low and feeling vaguely foolish. Looking out the window was probably a bad idea, I couldn't see much anyway unless the robbers were in the back yard in which case looking out was probably a real bad idea but I was tempted.

Laying there I then heard what sounded like fireworks, then I knew it was gunfire, the witnesses always say that it sounded like fireworks. After while I drifted off and slept late into the morning.

In the morning took my usual bike ride and tried to judge if there was menace in the air. Not really, just the sun, the watchmen at the house gates, the chop bars going strong with breakfast for the construction workers, the small group of men standing hoping for a job across the street from a construction site pouring concrete today, small groups of men walking back to town after not getting hired, a couple policemen sitting in the shade. I stopped to ask them what had happened.

Boatload of robbers had landed from the lagoon and entered two houses. Beat up two watchmen one homeowner and took a smallish amount of cash. One policeman wounded in the leg and taken to hospital. Our watchman said the robbers were chased back to their boat and escaped. And that he would protect me so don't worry.

I could tell which houses it was by the jam of cars parked in front. Lots of well dressed looking people milling about although few in uniform. I wonder who they all were. Relatives, detectives, politicians, generally important people? I imagined that the two standing in the street talking away on cell phones were reporters dictating the story. We'll see what's in the newspaper tomorrow.

This afternoon's rain is announcing itself with great gusts of wind. I love the way the bursts of air play out across the water. Blooming flowers of ripples over the waves. Five gallon water jug blowing around the driveway. I wonder when they will ever pick it up? Dinner with Bob tonight at the Chinese place.