The Sage at Night Catches a Possum

This has nothing to do with converting, I'm afraid.

Biding time until I move closer to Eugene, I work at one of the worst jobs ever:  night audit at a hotel.  It's not physically difficult; in fact I'd prefer menial labor.  I spend about 2 hours doing bookkeeping type work and 6 hours just sitting and staring out the window, reading or fooling around online.  Some folks would like that, I suppose.  I find it brain depleting. 

About midnight I saw a cat chasing a baby possum out in the hotel parking lot.  So I got up from my chair, chased the cat away, rushed back inside, found a box, crept along behind the possum as it hugged the wall until I could whisk the box over the little rat-like critter.  Then I went inside, closed up the box, cut a few air holes in it and told myself I'd put on gloves to check it for injury when I got home, then let it loose in my barn, which has deep litter, high rafters and no longer holds any goats or sheep, damn it.  I checked in a customer.  I forgot all about the possum for about an hour. 

I peeked in the still closed box and was shocked to find it was gone!  Duh!  Possums can climb trees, even little ones... I guess they can climb boxes, too!  It occured to me that maybe rat-like critters would not be welcome in high end hotels with bakeries and cafes.  Trying to ignore my smarting, recently cracked rib, I bent down to check under the sofa and the overstuffed chairs.  I looked in the bakery and bathroom.  I went upstairs to the upper lobby and checked under the sofa and chairs up there.  Hmmmm.... no possum. 

So I sat back down, imagining myself explaining to the owner why people were screaming in the cafe.  Honestly, since I'm moving in June, it's past time for me to update my resume, anyway.   

I started worrying about the little possum.  What if they poisoned it or caught it in a trap?  What if Cesar, the maintenance man, chased it with a shovel?  I was so MAD at myself!  So I got back up and started looking for it again.  The cat was prowling in the parking lot again, I suppose looking for the possum, too.

Three hours later, no possum.  I started looking on Craigslist for jobs. 

Four hours later, no possum.  I sat back down to do my nightly accounting when suddenly I saw a flash of movement by the elevator.  I grabbed the box, cornered the possum and GOT IT!  This time I taped the box shut.

I brought a whole litter of baby possums into the house when I was little.  Mother marched me to the doctor for a rabies shot.  Apparently that didn't dampen my love of the little critters.