Exhausted Adventurer

Last night my son forgot to close the front door after feeding the hedgehogs in the backyard. Unfortunately I noticed only a couple of hours later that the door was open and Merlin was gone. I was frantic and looked for him everywhere but I couldn't find him - even though the big kitties were "helping" me (even the black shadow appeared again and used the opportunity to sneak into the house and hide under the kitchen couch). At about 2:30 a.m. I gave up and went to sleep - only to get up again at 6 a.m. to send my son searching. As soon as he was gone Merlin returned on his own, soaking wet and with bazillions of tiny burrs in his fur. I am incredibly relieved because Merlin isn't fixed yet and would never survive an encounter with an angry rival or a hungry fox - but at the same time I have felt as if someone had dropped a piano on me since this morning. Maybe I should have slept all day like Merlin.