The Uninvited Guest

This is what I saw in my field this morning on the way to school. Not this very possum, but one that looked just like him. He was facing me, standing like some hulking behemoth in the field by the barn, acting like he owned the place.

He was creepy. Not because I've never seen a possum. I've seen plenty. The most frightening encounter was when I looked out the laundry room door one morning and saw a possum munching away at the dog dish. Right up on the porch he was, a mere two feet away, separated from me only by a hollow metal door.

No, this one was creepy because he was BIG. And he was not the normal possum color of silvery white with black-tipped fur. This one looked like our black-and-white cat. Only uglier. He was a regular piebald. A pinto. A painted possum not often seen around these parts. I've never seen one this color not-playing dead on the road.

Pictures proclaim him to be a Virginia Opossum. Seems like he's expanded his range right over here to Missouri. I don't even know what we call Missouri Opossums besides possums. Maybe they're all Virginia Opossums. But the ones in my neighborhood are not black-and-white.

But I did not like the look of this fellow. He was kind of like this:

And this:

I want to see a normal possum. Not one of these impostors. When you get right down to it, I'd rather not see a possum at all. If you're a possum-lover, here's a link for you. You're welcome. But don't expect me to join your ranks.