Last night I met my first live possum. I wasn't in the safe confines of my car and the possum in question was not splattered across the road as I'm accustomed to seeing.

No, this poor creature, missing the pulchritude of most of God's creatures, decided to meet me in the most unlikely place...my driveway.

I had to make a late night run to the grocery store and I was walking down my driveway to find my car when I heard a rustling in the grass. I stopped and studied my surroundings for movement. The street light gave me a glimpse of two green eyes. I thought "aww, it's a kitten...here kitty, kitty, kitty..." I moved in to see the sweet thing when from out of the darkness came a sight worse than, well, worse than anything I could type. The thing charged with it's beady eyes, pointy snout and sharp jagged teeth, hissing all the way. I screamed, promptly falling on my backside and rushing on my hands and knees so that it wouldn't carry me into the belly of the earth. I ran to my car, looking back over my shoulder to check for the face of death that was surely approaching. Where was he? Had he called in the dark forces to surround my car?

I made it...

But where was he?

And now he's waiting for me to return...

I'm never walking outside again...in the nighttime...by myself...

Wednesday, September 21, 2005 | 8:48 AM | LINK |