Since I'm telling stories tonight (refer to FJORDS thread), here's one about my possum encounters:
When I lived in Knoxville, our two-story house had a crawl space. One spring our family room began to have a deadly-sweet odor. We thought a bird had died in the fireplace; so, we built a fire and the odor went away...only to return a few days later. Finally, my husband (at the time), went in the crawl space to investigate. He found two dead possums in the very back behind a support column. The odor was horrible and a neighbor stood in the doorway and talked to my husband as he pulled out the dead animals (hoping to distract him from the awful odor). End of story? No.
The next winter, I heard funny sounds near the heat vents in the kitchen and family rooms, like an animal sratching around to find a comfortable, warm place. When I walked near the vents, I would hear a "hisssss." So, I would stomp near the vents. The animal would "Hisssss" and I would stomp again. I was determined to get rid of whatever was down there. So, I grabbed a pot and spoon, went to the vent and banged away. My family thought I had gone crazy.
Later that winter, my husband was transferred to Roanoke. I was left in Knoxville (with the kids) to sell the house and wait for our new one to be finished. One night, a horrible noise came from underneath our house. Thump...kaboom...screech...kaboom...thud. Something was running and screeching and bouncing off the floorboards. I thought a creature was going to rip through the floor at any minute. I called my neighbor's husband to come check things out. And, of course, not a sound came from underneath our house. I'm convinced it was some type of possum mating ritual.
Later, after we moved, I heard that the next spring the new owners had the same deadly-sweet smell. And, guess what they found in the crawl space? You're right, two possums!
I also have a friend who has a possum for a housepet. However, that is a story I'm trying to sell to a magazine. I'll let you know where to find it, once it's published.
