ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — It wasn’t unusual for Donna Osmond to hear sounds from outside her St. John’s home on a wintry day.
So, when she heard a thud on the side of her house last week, she thought nothing of it.
“It was like a dull thump on the wall,” said Osmond, who lives in the Cowan Heights area of St. John’s.
“I just thought it was the weather. It was minus eight out and it was normal to hear creaking outside from the frost.”
But what caused the sound turned out to be something more piercing than the cold.
The following day, when discussing with her husband what she had heard from outside the wall the day before, he told her that he had seen an arrow sticking out of the side of their house.
“He had been out clearing snow off our vehicles and happened to look up and see it. He had forgotten to tell me,” Osmond said. “I couldn’t believe it.”
The arrow — which is just over two feet long and has a pink and white tail — had punctured the siding of the house, near a window.
It didn’t penetrate through the inside of the wall, as it was discovered to have hit a stud, but it was in the exact spot on the other side of the wall where she had been sitting, in an area between her living room and dining room.
“It could have easily gone through the Gyproc and could’ve hit me,” she said. “Or it could’ve been shot through the window and hit me.”
Osmond doesn’t know where it came from, but her home is located near Kitty Gaul Park, and judging from the angle of the arrow, she figures it struck the house in a downward direction.
She reported the incident to the RNC. She also called the provincial department that handles wildlife enforcement, which had a representative at the house within two hours to take photos, but later determined it was a case for the RNC, as it occurred in the city, Osmond said.
A few days later, Osmond decided to share her experience with a post on the Cowan Heights community group on Facebook. She’s received more than 100 comments, including a few from other residents who had similar experiences.
“The same thing happened to my neighbour on Frecker Drive,” one man wrote.
Another woman wrote, “I’m glad it didn’t strike a person or an animal.”
Osmond is, too. While her children are grown and moved out, she said there are many younger children in the neighbourhood, including in the park.
“This is a huge safety concern. … It could have easily killed someone,” she said. “These are weapons. It’s a criminal offence and in the same category as a gunshot. People need to be aware how dangerous this is.”
In the meantime, the arrow is still in the side of Osmond’s house and she figures it will be difficult to pry it out.
“It won’t be easy,” she said. “We’ll deal with it in the spring.”
