A few days after the day tripper possum had been so bold as to pee on my verandah table, I spotted it again in daylight. It was in the yard, eating something in the grass at various places, but I couldn’t see just what. I watched for a while but it came no closer.
This was odd behaviour and reminded me of another daytime possum long ago, apparently blind. And yet this one seemed healthy.
But the day after, it became clear that I was wrong. On the track near my shed, a splash of yellowish orange caught my eye. Fungi? No.
A possum, the right size for my day tripper, now stiff and unmoving, its thick greyish fur rain-spotted, its undersides far more vivid in colour that I had realised before. Its prehensile tail tip would no longer be needed to hang on to anything.
The trip had ended. I would never know why.
I am not very good at moving dead bodies, but I managed this little one, while silently apologising that I had once thought it bold.
Yes, Denis, death of any creature, human or otherwise, often reminds us of other deaths we’ve grieved over doesn’t it?
Hi Sharyn
Really sensitive treatment of the story of life and death.
I am off to a funeral later this morning, so it is quite poignant to me, personally.
Cheers
Denis
Amen Trevor! My Dad’s last ‘place’ is in his own miniature cabin in my garden – so I can say ‘Hi’.
It found a nice safe place in the end. Went to a friend’s funeral only yesterday.’Hope we all find a nice safe place….
Hi Fleur & DWG,
‘Reality bites’ has several meanings and this is one.
And your idea of the last supper, so to speak, is a nice note DWG.
Well, I never expected the “Possum Tail” to end this way!! I was hoping it found a mate and they lived happily ever after. Just be sure, the little possum sensing that the end was near, knew he had found a refuge and took advantage of it!! Reality is not always a pleasant thing! DWG
Poor little thing. I hate reality sometimes.