It was about 6cm long. Grey. And fast. Damn fast.

I was in the middle of a sensual feast, halfway through writing a chocolate body paint sex scene when I heard the screaming from downstairs.

I ran, only to discover one daughter standing on the coffee table, the other on the kitchen bench, my cat Cleo sitting next to the cat door looking very smug, and my first ever mouse in the house streaking across the floor.

I thought screaming and jumping on furniture was a myth. Apparently not.

I joined my daughter on the coffee table, and we all stood there awhile, wondering what to do. As the only adult in the house it was incumbent upon me to find a solution to this tricky state of affairs.

Could I get to the laundry and find my broom, somehow sweep it out of the house? Er…no. What if it crawled up the handle?

Could I let my cat finish… no. Too mean. Too messy.

So I did what any sensible gal would do in this situation. I crept to the phone and rang my significant other, who was just heading into the gym for a relaxing sauna and spa.

And he, of course, did what any sensible man would do in this situation. He laughed.

But to his credit he also came home, and calmly herded the little creature towards and eventually out the back door into the garden. Too late in the end to go for his sauna, but not too late to show the girls and I that even the smallest things can expose a real-life hero in our midst.

Sometimes it is good to step outside our fictional world for a time, and to remember that even in our everyday lives, no matter how unlikely the situation, there are people out there willing to step up and be heroes.

That said, nothing beats the enticing hero of our imagination, right? Hmm, now where was I? A drizzle of chocolate body paint across a perfect set of abs…