In Response to Anita Marie’s “One”
May 4, 2008Anita Marie, your story, “One” hit a chord with me:
Last night I was driving home from a friend’s house and I had to go past this cemetery. It’s a small cemetery out behind the Target parking lot and over some train tracks. Pretty desolate. It’s the old fashioned kind of cemetery with tall tombstones– not the flat boring head plates they have on graves these days. And there were all these tall, drippy dark trees and ground mist and spooky stuff like that. So I thought to myself: I could be in an Anita Marie story where some weird ghost-dude tries to hitch a ride and then disappears out my front seat– you know, the classic scary story you tell kids around a campfire while eating ‘Smores. I really was thinking that as I drove by.
Anyway, while I’m lost in that daydream (er, rather nightmare) all of a sudden I see a pair of beady eyes shining at me. I slammed on the brakes. This big ol’ possum goes waddling across the road in front of me. I didn’t feel a bump, but I also didn’t see him in my rear view mirror either so I don’t know if the little bugger made it or not.
So I start thinking that maybe it was a ghost-possum? A night spirit that jumps out and scares the bejeezzus out of motorists? I dunno– it was just getting way too weird out there so I hightailed it on home real quick.
So now I’m thinking what if I really did hit a possum. Aside from the fact that I would feel bad about that in general, more specifically I’m also thinking that I will be haunted by the spirit of a thoroughly miffed marsupial…… That is an unhappy prospect.
Don’t ever think, A.M., that your stories don’t influence your readers…………
L.Gloyd 08
L.
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Possums are tough- they’ve chased my cats up trees- so sure I’d go with the Zombie Ghost Possum theory.
a.m
Dang. So what’ll I do? Wear garlic or something?
Do what my cats did…head for a tree.
Lori, Friday night I was driving home from an art event. I have to drive through about 30 minutes of pure country road where houses are several miles apart and there’s mostly large open fields (at least at this time of year). For the first time in my life, I hit a possum. Or, I thought it was! It came out of nowhere, I heard a thump and then looking back in the rear view mirror — there was nothing. Now, I’m wondering did I see a possum ghost? Gives me chills just thinking about it
LOL. Is there a campfire happening on Rainbow Beach? Feels like a pyjama party could happen, or a creepy-story-telling-on-the-beach-kind-of-night thing…
Uh-oh, are we all being stalked by the Zombie Ghost-Possum? Everyone, be afraid, be very afraid.
Monika, what a brilliant idea. Okay, who’s got the bottle of green stuff?
LOL, get your blankets out, gals…who knows how to start a good bonfire on Rainbow Beach??
Don’t let Anita Marie make the bonfire… she gets a little carried away…and…well..you remember what happened last time…
Lori…that fire thing wasn’t MY idea.
I don’t think it was.
Ummmm…shoot where’s the delete thing ?!!
Hey, Joanne! Are you taking notes? The next urban legend will be the story of the Zombie Ghost-Possum and remember, it all started here! I think that warrants a whole chapter in your next book.
A.M., give me those matches, puhleeezzzzz, before you hurt someone………
PS
Anybody seen my chocolate flavored lipgloss?
NEVERMIND WHY.
Just help me find it.
am
Hey, everyone, I have to go out for a few minutes. Don’t blow up the internet while I’m out okay?
Cheers.
AM, I’ll pick up the lipgloss on the way back. Yes, I know what you use it for……..
Oh sure.
Way to tell us to not have any fun.
Fine! Just don’t come running to me when you put someone’s eye out.
Whoo Hooo- you heard we get an eye!
A neighbor caught a possum once, and brought it over to show me close-up. This was when I lived in Northern California. The possum was not impressed and neither was I…he snarled and I stuck my tongue out at him. I can imagine if you hit a possum with a car he’d be really miffed and come back to haunt you forever.
Vi
Of course, for those of you who thumped possums, then didn’t see them in the rear view mirror, did you check the back seat?
Of course, for those of you who thumped possums, then didn’t see them in the rear view mirror, did you check the back seat?
I hear Zombie Ghost Possums hitch rides in the back seat of your car, but when you arrive at whatever hollow tree they’ve asked you to take them to, they’re no longer in the back seat. There’s just a lingering smell of lilac perfume. And if you knock on the hollow tree, another possum will come out and tell you that you’re the tenth person to show up there asking about your missing passenger, who really died about five years back, the victim of an unfortunate roadway encounter with a Chevy Nova. Then the living possum will cut off your conversation by faking sleep, sending you back to your car to wonder.
This IS how folklore happens!