The Hunter - part 3

Knowing that possums don’t get in much hurry, I lit another cigarette and thought over a new plan of action. It looked like the critter was heading downwind along the fence toward the woods and I knew I would have to sack him before he got there for up a big tree he would go and I wasn’t in any mood for more climbing. Then I heard a noise; something big was making its way along the fence in my direction. At first I figured it was a wandering cow but I remembered the farmer wasn’t using the pasture in winter. I jumped to my feet ready to run away; I was a 16 year old boy with a creative imagination and at that moment I was creating a lot of things which could do me much harm in a cold, lonely field at midnight. I flicked my light toward the noise and saw my uncle walking toward me and the burden of imminent and lingering pain or death was lifted from my shoulders.
“What are you doing out here, Roy”, I squeaked?
“You go first”, he replied.
“I’m about to catch a possum for granny.”
“Havin’ a possum toss you out of a simmon tree is a new way of catching one.”
He lit one of his long Pall Mall cigarettes.
“Well, yeah I guess he won the first round,” My voice had become meek.
“I was over to Rick’s and just started toward home when I saw someone coming across the field in the moonlight so I headed over. Didn’t know it was you ’til I heard you cussin’.”
“The critter has gone off down the fence toward the woods,” I told him.
“Well, get your coat and let’s get to the house; it ain’t getting any warmer out here. Don’t you have to go to school tomorrow?”
“Yep, I’m going to school but I ain’t leaving this field without that critter.”
“You better not stay out much longer or your mammy will skin you.”
“This won’t take long”, I said.
I thought I heard him snicker as he turned toward home.
Roy was right about it not getting any warmer so I put my coat on and headed along the tangles to the point where I last saw the glowing eyes of my quarry. I stopped and listened, but heard nothing but a freshening breeze slipping through the barberry thorns. Easing on, I flashed the light into every place he could hide, but saw nothing. Then a few yards ahead of me, I caught a glimpse of a small animal daring out of and quickly back into the messy growth along the fence. Got him now, I thought. I got my sack ready and moved a little quicker to where I saw him and then shined the light into the bushes where two eyes glowed back at me. He once again came into the edge of the field and began ambling away from me. He looks different, I thought but my lust for the capture had my mind set on one track. Being upwind of the critter, I didn’t realize there was another, very strong smell in front of me, and I did several things at once; I flicked my light on him just as I made my lunge to put the sack over him, I saw that I was about to bag a skunk, I tried to stop in mid air, and I thought, Oh, shit!
I was able to barely twist my body and pull the sack away from the stinking devil which had just reared on his front feet with his tail high in the air and was turning loose on me with his most potent perfume. The only good thing to come out of my peculiar situation was that the sack blocked most of the disgusting spray, especially from my face and particularly from my eyes. However, most of my coat, pants, hands, and boots caught some large droplets of hellish foulness.
When I hit the ground I was rolling and kept doing so until I figured I was far enough away from ol’ stripe that it would be safe to get up and run and run I did right in Uncle Roy’s tracks until I was home. It was obvious in my brain that my life as a free human being might just end when the family was awakened to my careless escapade; I would be grounded at hard labor until I was 50.

To be continued … Crime and Punishment

(Part four will be the conclusion … I promise)

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