POSSUM HIDE AND SEEK

HAVE YOU EVER PLAYED POSSUM HIDE AND SEEK?  I HAVE AND IT WASN’T ANY FUN.  LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT IT.

BACK WHEN I WAS ABOUT 14 YEARS OLD I HAD A RUNNING BUDDY NAMED SWEETPEA.  HE AND I DID EVERYTHING TOGETHER.  HUNT, FISH AND HANG OUT WHEN THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE WE COULD THINK OF TO DO.  WHICH WASN’T VERY OFTEN.

SWEETPEA HAD A DOG HE NAMED HAMBONE.  ACTUALLY HE WAS JUST A BIG PUPPY.  HE WAS PART RED BONE HOUND, PART BIRD DOG AND SEVEN OR EIGHT PARTS SOMETHING ELSE.  HE WAS ABOUT NINE MONTHS OLD.  HE WAS ALL FEET, HEAD AND TAIL. 

HE WOULD TRIP OVER HIS OWN FEET AND CHASE HIS TAIL IN CIRCLES.  WHEN YOU SCRATCHED HIM BEHIND THE EAR HIS HIND FOOT WOULD SCRATCH THE AIR LIKE HE WAS THE ONE SCRATCHING HIS EAR.  WE WOULD LAUGH AT HIM UNTIL WE WOULD BE ROLLING ON THE GROUND.  THEN HE WOULD COME OVER AND LICK OUR FACE AS IF TO SAY THAT’S ALL RIGHT I LOVE YOU TOO.

ONE DAY SWEETPEA AND I DECIDED TO GO FISHING AT THE T&P LAKE IN THE WOODS BEHIND MY HOUSE.  WE GOT A SHOVEL AND WENT TO THE BACK SIDE OF OUR GARDEN AND STARTED DIGGING FOR WORMS.  JUST AS SOON AS HAMBONE SAW US DIGGING HE STARTED DIGGING A HOLE OF HIS OWN.  HE DUG UP ENOUGH WORMS TO FILL OUR CAN IN NO TIME.

WE GOT OUR FISHING POLES AND OFF WE GO FOR THE LAKE.  HAMBONE IS RUNNING AROUND US, SOME TIMES IN FRONT, SOME TIMES BEHIND AND SOME TIMES UNDER OUR FEET.  WHEN HE WOULD SCARE UP A GRASSHOPPER AND IT WOULD JUMP HE WOULD JUMP AFTER IT.  THEN HE WOULD STICK HIS NOSE DOWN TO IT TO SMELL IT AND IT WOULD JUMP AGAIN.  OUR WALK TO THE LAKE WAS NEVER DULL.

JUST AS WE GOT TO THE LAKE HAMBONE SAW A POSSUM RUNNING ON THE GROUND.  HE LET OUT A BIG “WOOF” AND TOOK OFF AFTER IT.  NOW MOST OF THE TIME POSSUMS WILL SHULL UP AND PLAY DEAD WHEN THEY ARE CORNERED.  BUT THIS ONE DIDN’T.  IT BACKED UP TO A TREE AND STARTED HISSING AT HAMBONE.  THIS IS THE FIRST POSSUM HE HAS EVER SEEN AND HE JUST WANTED TO SEE WHAT IT WAS.

HE STUCK HIS NOSE UP TO THE POSSUM TO GET A GOOD SMELL OF IT.  THAT’S WHEN THE POSSUM BIT HAMBONE ON THE NOSE.  IT NOT ONLY BIT HIM, IT HUNG ON.  POOR HAMBONE WAS RUNNING AROUND IN CIRCLES HOWLING AND TRYING TO GET LOOSE.  FINALLY THE POSSUM LET GO AND RAN UP A TREE.  HAMBONE TOOK OFF RUNNING BACK UP THE TRAIL AND WE DIDN’T SEE HIM THE REST OF THE DAY.

TWO MONTHS LATER SWEETPEA AND I WERE GOING FOR A WALK JUST AT DARK AND HAMBONE WAS WITH US.  AS WE WALKED ALONG THE EDGE OF THE WOODS BEHIND MY HOUSE HAMBONE SPOTTED A POSSUM ON THE GROUND.  HE HAD NOT FORGOTTEN HIS LAST EXPERIENCE WITH A POSSUM AND HE WAS OUT FOR REVENGE.

HE MADE A RUN AT THE POSSUM AND CAUGHT IT IN HIS MOUTH.  HE STARTED SHAKING IT LIKE IT WAS A RAG DOLL.  AS WE WATCHED WE SAW BABY POSSUMS FLYING EVERYWHERE.  THE POSSUM WAS A MAMA AND HAD A BUNCH OF LITTLE POSSUMS RIDING ON HER.  THEY WERE ABOUT THE SIZE OF A RAT.

SWEETPEA AND I CAUGHT SEVEN OF THEM AND I TOOK THEM HOME WITH ME.  I GOT A CARDBOARD BOX OUT OF THE GARAGE AND WE PUT THEM IN IT.  I TOOK THE BOX INTO MY BEDROOM AND PUT IT ON THE TOP SHELF OF MY CLOSET.   MY CLOSET DOESN’T HAVE A DOOR ON IT, IT JUST HAS A CURTAIN I PULL ACROSS IT.

ALONG ABOUT TWO O’CLOCK THAT NIGHT MY MOTHER LETS OUT A SCREAM THE WAKES EVERYONE UP.  DAD TURNED ON THE LIGHT AND THERE ON MOTHERS BED IS ONE OF THE BABY POSSUMS.  THEY HAD TURNED THE BED SPREAD BACK OVER THE FOOT OF THE BED AND IT HUNG DOWN TO THE FLOOR.  THE POSSUM PROBABLY CRAWLED UP THE BED SPREAD AND GOT ON THEIR BED.

MOTHER AND DAD JUST HAD A SHEET PULLED UP ON THEM AND WHEN THE POSSUM RAN ACROSS HER LEGS IT WOKE HER UP.  THE FIRST THING DAD DID WAS YELL “LOREN” AND THE NEXT THING HE DID WAS TO REACH DOWN AND CATCH TO POSSUM.

WHEN I HEARD THE SOUND OF DAD’S VOICE I JUMPED OUT OF BED AND WENT RUNNING.  WHEN I GOT TO THEIR BEDROOM DAD HELD UP THE POSSUM AND ASK ME IF I KNEW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS. 

I HAD TO CONFESS THAT I DID AND TOLD HIM ABOUT CATCHING THE SEVEN BABY POSSUMS AND PUTTING THEM IN A CARDBOARD BOX IN MY CLOSET.  WE WENT TO THE BOX AND I GOT IT DOWN FROM THE SHELF AND LOOKED IN IT.  IT WAS EMPTY!

MOTHER SAID NO ONE WAS GOING BACK TO BED UNTIL WE FOUND ALL SEVEN OF THOSE POSSUMS AND PUT THEM OUTSIDE.  SO THE BIG POSSUM HUNT WAS ON.  I WAS WISHING WE HAD HAMBONE THERE TO HELP US BUT WE DIDN’T. 

WE FINALLY FOUND SIX OF THE BABY POSSUMS AND PUT THEM OUT BUT FOR THE LIFE OF ME I COULDN’T FIND THAT SEVENTH ONE.  I DIDN’T GET TO GO BACK TO BED EITHER.

THE NEXT DAY I WENT TO SWEETPEA’S HOME AND TOLD HIM WHAT HAD HAPPENED.  HE BROUGHT HAMBONE UP TO MY HOUSE AND WE LED HIM THROUGH THE HOUSE HOPING HE COULD FIND THE MISSING POSSUM.  BUT HE DIDN’T HAVE ANY BETTER LUCK THAN I HAD. 

I WASN’T LOOKING FORWARD TO ANOTHER NIGHT WITHOUT ANY SLEEP SO I ASKED DAD IF I COULD GO CAMPING WITH SWEETPEA.  HE SAID I COULD GO BUT DON’T BRING ANYMORE POSSUMS HOME WITH YOU.  I THINK HE WAS GLAD TO GET RED OF ME FOR A WHILE.

SO THAT NIGHT SWEETPEA, HAMBONE AND I WENT CAMPING DOWN AT T&P LAKE.  HAMBONE DIDN’T FIND ANY POSSUMS THAT NIGHT BUT WHAT HE DID FIND IS A WHOLE NOTHER STORY FOR A DIFFERENT TIME.