The Uninvited House Guest

My parent's house was recently visited by a 'possum that had decided their attic would be a lovely space for his new art studio and quickly began nightly renovations.  Naturally they were not pleased with this noisy, ungracious, inconsiderate and non-paying renter.  After all, they hadn't had one of those since I moved out.  They spent several nights laying awake while this little fellow busily scratched out his new floor plan, presumably right above their bed.

Desperate times call for desperate measures and my resourceful dad hatched a plan for eviction.  I had no trouble figuring out his method when I showed up the following weekend and the scent of moth balls nearly knocked me back out of the front door.  It was quite apparent that he had purchased a whole bucket and had sent someone up into the attic to sprinkle them around like bunches of tiny Easter eggs.  LETHAL Easter eggs.  Easter eggs that smelled like death and a thousand retirement home closets.  It may have actually worked if the scent hadn't been strong enough to drive my parents out of the house first.  As an alternative to moving out, they removed the excess moth balls and the smell eventually dissipated.  Well sort of. 

About a week after, my dad went out to the front yard to investigate why his dogs were going nuts and he found them pouncing around the base of a large tree.  He grabbed a flashlight and his pellet gun and peered up into the darkness.  Staring back at him with a face that he would later describe to me as "kind of cute" was a 'possum.  Without further ado or any warning to put his tiny 'possum hands where he could see them, my dad took a shot.  The critter dropped like a rock.  End of story?  Not quite.  My dad would later mention to us that he was pretty sure that it was the same 'possum that had been in his attic.  I asked him how he could possibly know such a thing and at that moment Roy casually pointed out, "The 'possum was juggling a trio of moth balls."