Chapter 27
Antonio is restless.
He tries hard to fall asleep, but for hours he tosses and turns inside an empty flowerpot, which is where he and Amlet have finally settled as a safe place for slumber. He forces himself to keep his eyes closed, but he can’t turn off his mind. No matter how hard he tries to push away the thought, there is no getting around the fact that his sister is with monsters. How can Amlet be snoring?
Antonio knows one thing: Mama Possum said to act from your heart. When night falls, he and Amlet will do the right thing. For now he waits. And counts the hours.
Once the sun finally goes down, he presses his face close to Amlet. “Wake up,” he says. It looks to Antonio as if his brother more tightly shuts his eyes. So now he’s louder: “Amlet, you heard me. WAKE UP!” Amlet rolls over and his tail slaps Antonio’s legs. It does not seem like an accident, and so Antonio retailiates (which is when possums use their tail for revenge): He positions his tail and whip-snaps Amlet on the backside.
The sleeping possum is now wide-awake! “Hey! What’re you doing?” He spins, and now Antonio is eye to eye with his brother.
“Don’t pretend to sleep!”
“I wasn’t pretending!”
“Yes, you were!”
“Was not!”
“Was too!”
It doesn’t take long before the two possums are exchanging more than words. Amlet grabs Antonio’s ear and pulls hard. Antonio squeezes Amlet’s nose. Amlet jumps into the air and comes down hard on Antonio’s tail. Antonio then leaps on Amlet’s back and the two possums spin around in a circle.
The fight is on!
Antonio grips his knees into Amlet’s sides and grabs hold of Amlet’s whiskers. He feels certain that Amlet will give up, but his brother is stubborn. He rolls out of the flowerpot with Antonio still on his back and he starts to run. He seems to hope that his brother will be thrown off by his speed.
But it doesn’t work out that way. Instead Antonio releases Amlet’s whiskers and wraps his arms around his brother’s neck. He is now a possum cowboy. He raises an arm into the air and shouts, “Yee-haw!” (He’s not sure how he knows that this is what cowboys say. In fact, he doesn’t really even know what a cowboy is.)
Now Amlet seems to be in a blind rage. He kicks up his back legs in an attempt to toss his brother to the ground, but it doesn’t work. He darts from side to side, but that does nothing. Then he starts running straight to the edge of the gully. Mama Possum warned them not to go down there; at different times of the year the water races through the middle of that crack in the earth.
But Antonio holds on. He doesn’t believe that Amlet truly intends to go over the edge. It’s just a game of chicken.
And then Amlet does the unthinkable. He runs straight over the embankment.
Antonio releases his grip on his brother’s neck, but it is too late. The two possums shoot out into the open air, and for a moment, in free fall, they catch sight of each other. Their arms are spinning like windmills and their tails are swirling like the blades of an engine. Then they grab hands, scream, hit water, and submerge.
It doesn’t take long before they pop up, each safe and in one piece. They move their arms and legs like they are running, but in water, and in no time they pull themselves from the cold stream to the shoreline. They have survived. And more than that, thinks Antonio, it was strangely fun.
Once they are on the muddy bank of the creek they fall into each other’s arms, hugging and laughing, out of their minds to be alive and together. “That was crazy!” shrieks Amlet. “I can’t believe you didn’t let go!”
Antonio sputters back, “Well, I can’t believe you ran off the edge!”
Antonio and his brother hook arms and start moving toward the safety of the tall bushes, when an animal suddenly emerges right in front of them. It is twice their size, with a long nose, a mop of long, dirty hair, and large, piercing black eyes. The animal rears up on its back legs, and towers over the two possum brothers.
Antonio locks eyes with the beast, takes a sniff, and then whispers, “Papa?”
Chapter 28
This possum is bigger than Mama Possum and not nearly as well groomed. He has a big chunk missing from one of his ears and as he opens his mouth to speak, the brothers can see two things: a spotted tongue and the space where two teeth are missing.
They’ve never met their father, but possums have a thing called instinct. And a thing called smell. And this animal just smells like family.
“Papa! Who you calling Papa?” The imposing possum growls as he leans forward, prompting Antonio to wonder if he might attack. But it turns out the old marsupial is just moving in to get a better whiff. His nostrils flare and his eyebrows arch as he takes in a deep breath. Whatever scent they give off wipes the scowl off the big possum’s face.
“Well, well, well. This is a surprise. A big, unexpected turn of e-vents,” says the possum.
Antonio and Amlet both nod. They aren’t certain what to think. This possum (who they now can see has long, dirty feet and a matted, oily coat) appears to be sizing them up in a new way. “You two are mine. I can smell that.”
Antonio and Amlet are relieved that he doesn’t look like he’s going to do something extreme, like try to eat them. Instead, their father lowers himself to the ground. “I’m known around these parts as Big Poss.”
Amlet finds his voice. “So is that what we should call you?”
Big Poss reaches out and grabs Amlet by the tail. He lifts him off the ground and swings him around in a circle. “Of course! You of all possums should call me that! You got another idea, Fur-Ball?” And with that, he lets go of Amlet, who flies through the air and lands hard.
Big Poss leans over Amlet, and his hot breath makes a small cloud in the air as he asks, “What do you answer to, small fry?”
The now-bruised possum looks up from the ground and with a wobbly voice says, “My name is Amlet.”
One of Big Poss’s arms grips his belly and he laughs. “Amlet? Did your mother name you that?”
Amlet doesn’t answer, but Antonio pipes up: “We were allowed to figure out our own names. Mama Possum is progressive.”
Big Poss’s eyes go wide. “So she’s ‘progressive,’ is she? What’s that make you, little critter? The brainy baby?”
Antonio is quick to answer. “We don’t believe in labels. Or bullying.”
Big Poss bursts out laughing, but this time really hard. He grabs his stomach with both his hands and he jiggles from the tip of his jagged ear to the end of his thumping tail. He drops to the ground and rubs his back against the dirt. Amlet and Antonio don’t know if he’s scratching an itch or purposefully covering his fur in more mud, or both. “You young ones are a big surprise. So how you two ankle-biters feel about shredding for scraps together?”
Amlet perks up. “Shredding for scraps?”
But Antonio shakes his head. “We’re hungry, but we’ve got a problem more important right now than our appetite.”
Big Poss stares with a blank expression. “Is that so?”
Antonio nods. “Our sister’s trapped in a monster den.”
Instead of looking sympathetic, Big Poss is amused. “How’d she get trapped?”
Amlet decides to stick to the basic facts. “She was on top of a monster house and fell down a well.”
Big Poss runs his fingernails through the hair on top of his head, which causes the fur to fluff up in a wild and interesting way. “There aren’t wells on top of monster houses. A well is a hole with water at the bottom.”
Amlet holds his ground. “This was a big hole. I can’t say if there was water below.”
Big Poss continues to work on his fur-style; he runs a fingernail down the side of his scalp to form a part, and then moves a big mound of his mop forward. He’s consumed with his grooming, but is able to answer: ?
??That’s called a chimney. And right now I’m thinking your mama didn’t give you an education in the practical side of the theater of life. What was she doing when you were bitty babies?”
Amlet answers, “Mama saved me from an owl attack. She taught us all kinds of important stuff.”
Big Poss doesn’t seem impressed. “Yeah, is that so? So what’s the most important thing in the world, according to her?”
Amlet squeezes his eyes shut and forces himself to concentrate. They were taught so many things as performers. Mama said many times that they should never be afraid to make a fool of themselves by asking a question. Amlet’s not sure how to say this, so he kicks Antonio in hopes that he will answer their father. Antonio’s eyes meet his father’s. “The most important thing in the world is family. That’s why we’re going to help our sister.”
Big Poss spins around and gets right in Antonio’s face. Even though his pointy teeth are broken and stained, they still look capable. “Is that so?”
Antonio doesn’t blink. Amlet doesn’t move. Then Big Poss shouts, “The wheel has come full circle: I am here! Family wins!” He tucks and rolls and then pops up on his feet. “You critters are with Big Poss now. Follow and learn from a seasoned performer!”
Amlet sputters, “B-but what about our sister?”
Big Poss shakes his body, and bits of mud fly in all directions. Most of it hits Amlet and Antonio. “We’ll see what we can do about her. What’s the squeak’s name?”
Antonio wipes some of the mud from his arms. “Appleblossom. She’s Appleblossom the possum.”
Big Poss laughs again. “We’re not following a script now! This is all ad-lib.” He swings around, and his hips sway from side to side. It takes a moment for the brother possums to realize that their father is singing.
Off we go, not fast not slow, looking high, looking low.
We’re on a road show.
Off we move, nothing to prove, looking high, looking low.
We’re on a road show.
He clicks his tongue and somehow finds a way to clap his hands, all the while making tracks as he disappears into a hedge.
Antonio and Amlet have no choice but to follow his muddy tail.
Chapter 29
Big Poss (or “Big Boss,” which Antonio silently decides would be a better name) emerges onto the cement path behind a row of monster houses. He stops under a streetlight (which Antonio and Amlet both think is bold and even dangerous) and makes a proclamation: “This will be my first lesson as your Big Poss. Think of it as a master class in theater.”
Amlet can’t stop himself. “Mama says to avoid lights.”
His father shoots him a look. “Let’s not drag her into everything.”
Big Poss then fluffs the fur between his ears and strikes a pose. When he next speaks he uses a deep voice with lots of projection. “Do you know why alleys are the greatest places in the world?” Antonio and Amlet don’t say anything because they aren’t sure what an alley is, but Big Poss answers his own question: “Alleys have garbage cans. Now stand back. This is a life lesson. Watch the maestro perform.”
Big Poss takes off in what looks like a run but has a lot of wobble and not a lot of speed. The oversized marsupial crosses the alley in this strange manner of movement, grunting as he advances. He then lowers his skull and slams headfirst into an enormous trash receptacle.
A loud thud echoes down the quiet alley. Both Antonio and Amlet gasp in shock as the garbage container rocks and then teeters and finally falls over.
But it isn’t just the garbage container that goes down hard.
So does Big Poss.
The oversized possum is knocked right off his feet from the self-imposed head-on collision. Now he’s on his back with his arms stretched out.
Antonio and Amlet take off across the alley. “Are you okay?” Antonio asks.
Amlet runs in a circle around the body as Big Poss’s low, sad, voice moans, “I’m . . . going to . . . ask . . . you . . . to do . . . something . . . for me . . . ”
Antonio and Amlet lean close. Antonio grabs his father’s front paw and holds it tight. “Anything, Big Poss!” Amlet follows his example and clutches his father’s back foot.
Big Poss strains to speak, causing his two sons to lean even closer. “What . . . I . . . need . . . you . . . to do . . . is . . . important . . . ”
Antonio’s eyes flood with tears. “Yes, Papa . . . ”
Big Poss’s voice growls, “It’s Big Poss, not Papa . . . even to you two.”
Antonio nods. “Yes, anything, Big Poss. Just tell us.”
Big Poss exhales slowly and then inhales long and deep. It’s a very tense moment as he makes his request: “While I’m on my back like this . . . ” His voice trails out to nothing.
The two young possums wait.
And wait.
It feels as if their hearts are breaking.
Finally Big Poss finds the strength to continue. “While I’m on my back like this—RUB MY BELLY!”
Big Poss squeals as he shoots up to a sitting position. Antonio and Amlet scream. Big Poss then roars with laughter as he chokes on his words. “What a performance! Am I wrong? Who’s your daddy now? Who’s an actor? Who’s a major star?”
Antonio and Amlet are speechless. Big Poss shoots them a harsh look. “Applause is the accepted form of acknowledgment.”
Antonio and Amlet bring their hands together and clap. It’s not very enthusiastic.
But Big Poss rolls over onto all fours and heads to the toppled container. “The show’s over. Don’t just stand there with your tails flapping in the wind!”
Antonio and Amlet watch as Big Poss grabs the plastic bag that’s wedged inside the toppled receptacle. He looks over his shoulder and shouts, “Give me some help over here!” Antonio and Amlet scramble to his side and the three possums pull out the lumpy, black bag.
It smells like a real find.
Big Poss’s eyes flash with excitement as he uses his teeth to rip into the thick plastic. Once he has a hole in the sack he bellows, “The world’s mine oyster!” In seconds he’s tossing things into piles and yelling out an inventory: “Teabag, ripped paper sack with splash of corn oil, pizza box with scraps of sausage, coffee grounds in dried filter, stale cereal, bread crusts, peanut shells, wine cork, wine cork, wine cork, moldy cheese rind, milk carton, waxed paper wrapping from butter cube, some jelly in the bottom of a jar, egg shells, toothpick, hard noodles in tangy red sauce, greasy lamb bone, carrot tops, dried peas, muffin cup with blueberry and yellow cake stuck to the sides, eggplant top, banana skin!” He then turns to his sons as he shouts, “It’s a FEAST!”
Antonio and Amlet look at the contents of the plastic bag, which are now scattered everywhere. Mama taught them to be very careful in their search for food. They were told to always leave an area clean and tidy.
The two possums watch as their father’s nose plunges into a glass jar. When he pulls it out, there is a large glob of marmalade on the end. It’s bright orange with a curling rind of citrus that Big Poss’s tongue instantly sweeps into his mouth. His lips stretch back into a toothy smile. “Don’t be shy, little bugalugs!”
Antonio and Amlet make their way to the scattered heaps, and as Big Poss devours the garbage, they search for treasure to call their own.
Chapter 30
Hours later, Antonio and Amlet still haven’t been able to get Big Poss’s attention away from the garbage cans. Big Poss is chewing an empty yogurt container and spitting out plastic pieces when Antonio begs, “We have to stop eating and do something to help Appleblossom.”
Big Poss stops spewing white chunks and looks up. Maybe he’s finally full, because he says, “Your sister?”
“She’s trapped in a monster house—remember?”
Big Poss’s eyes narrow and he whispers, “I’ve taken this time to formulate a pla
n.” Antonio and Amlet exhale with relief, even though the plan has not been revealed.
“You have?” says Amlet. “That’s great! Tell us.”
Big Poss rises up on his back legs and gives his body a shake. Scraps from his meal fly in all directions. He then runs his fingers through the fur on the top of his head and works at fashioning his wild hair into his signature style.
Antonio and Amlet wait patiently.
Their father pulls on his tail to straighten it. He grabs a prickly weed from a crack in the dark asphalt and uses it to scrub his teeth. He tosses the plant, smacks his lips, and he bellows, “Are you ready to TUMBLE?”
Big Poss then springs forward and his front paws hit the ground as he kicks his back feet high into the air. His tail arches in a somewhat graceful manner as he executes a fairly decent cartwheel.
Amlet just stares, but Antonio says, “So the plan is to do cartwheels?”
Big Poss raises his arms high in the air. “Staging is very important. I thought you would have studied that in acting class.”
Amlet answers with a touch of sarcasm, “Maybe we didn’t have enough instruction.”
Big Poss clears his throat and steps forward into the spot created by the streetlight. It’s dramatic, but looks dangerous. His voice is filled with weight and importance as he delivers his message: “We must go and find your mother.”
Antonio can’t hide his anger. “Your big plan is to find Mama Possum?! If that was your big plan, why didn’t you tell us hours ago?”
“And how do you intend to find her?” says Amlet. “We haven’t seen her in days!”
Big Poss doesn’t seem the least bit bothered by the fact that Antonio and Amlet are both yelling. He barely shrugs. “Oh, trust me, ankle-biters. This won’t be hard. Your mother loves to hop and bop. She most especially loves to dance in the moonlight.”