It is a little-known fact that most moles start off smaller than they finally appear. Some of them are initially completely invisible, and when they do show up no one expects them to be as big or as numerous as they are. The audible "pop", or smoke, that we'd expect to announce their arrival rarely happens. It turns out, that like certain Moroccan spies, moles often go unnoticed for years, growing slowly, and making friends. Just as spies may disguise their Fez by making it look like an ordinary upturned pot with a little tail (worn inconspicuously on their heads), moles, too, can mask their existance. By growing one or several long hairs, luxuriously curled above them, they can "ride low", as the saying goes.
During the incubation period, moles will normally avoid physical contact with other moles, but do not live completely isolated. Thriving social-networking sites, such as Molebook and MoleSpace, are testimony to their innate gregariousness - and a risk to their health. More than a few "sleeper" moles have been detected and killed after carelessly chatting with what they thought was just the "mole next door". Some, apparently unable to cope with the solitude, even agreed to go on sunset bike rides (a favorite pastime of both Moroccans and moles), only to discover that while the sun also rises, certain moles don't.
For those moles that manage to stay undercover long enough to lay down roots, life continues to be constant struggle for survival. Danger lurks behind even ordinary household items. Things we would consider as innocuous beauty products, such as forks, sand paper, cheese graters, all seem specifically designed to make mole life difficult, and short.
Coming soon: What drives moles?
