Kwento Ni Nanay

*The Raccoon*

BONUSSSSSSS!

My father once told me when I was little that the easiest way to trap a raccoon was to put a shiny object in a Pringles can. At first it puzzled me, how would that trap a coon? Honestly I was too young to understand. But he explained to me. Raccoons are extremely attracted to shiny objects. When a raccoon spots a shiny object, their immediate response is to examine it. If said object was in a Pringles can, the raccoon would stick its paws into the long can and grab the object. However, when the raccoon would try to pull the shiny object out of the can, it would get its paws stuck. There was no way to pull both its paws and the object out, and the raccoon wasn't clever enough to find another way, so it would just remain stuck. It could just let go of the object and pull its paws free, however the raccoon was so attracted to the object that it could not let it go. It would just sit there for hours, or even days. Eventually a hunter would come around and kill the damn thing. The most puzzling thing is, the raccoon would not let go. Even to save its own life.

While a very irrelevant and weird fact my father told me, it still did teach me a lesson of attachment. A lesson I obviously needed to learn again.

It was the summer between ninth and tenth grade. My father was drunk again and my mother was pissed at me. I failed science class, a class I always hated, and my mother refused to send me to summer school because it cost too much. She chewed me out for an hour straight before I stormed out the back door into the back field.

I sat for hours, picking at the grass, swearing under my breath, trying to calm my nerves. The night was darkening, a hazy dusk lurking in the western sky after the sun has finally set. In the middle of nowhere with no street lights and few cars, it gets very dark at night. As the night drew on it began to grow darker. I didn't care, I just didn't want to go back into that goddamn house after the dinner table extravaganza. So I sat, picking blades of grass. Thinking as grasshoppers chirped. But that's the thing, usually their melodic songs are loud and lurk into the late hours, but even at eight thirty their songs sounded quiet, and hushed as the minutes went by. It grew dark and my parents shouting grew quieter along with the grasshoppers. I eventually came to the conclusion their asses weren't going to come out and look for me. Good, I don't want to come inside.

Soon enough it was really dark, the porch light was the only thing that allowed my eyes to see. I stared endlessly into the dark forest behind my house. I have always been afraid of it but tonight it offers comfort. Just then, I swear I saw something. I squinted my eyes to make them focus, and I saw it again. A light in the distance. The forest stretches for miles, and there aren't any roads. I would be surprised if a car could make it a few feet back there in the thick brush. I sat there for a few more moments, examining as the light came and faded again, growing even more curious the more I looked at it. I began to wonder if it was morse code, which I had no clue how to read. It seemed to be flashing straight at me, drawing me closer. Eventually I stood up, brushing the blades of grass of my lap. I began to make my way toward the forest. I stopped for a moment, and looked over my shoulder at my house. Just a peek and I'll be back to this hellhole, I thought. I continued to walk.

I reached the forest, stepping over broken tree branches and avoiding thorn bushes. As I got closer to the light, it seemed to get farther away. Somebody must be playing a game with me, I thought. Maybe they were cute teenage boys. Probably not. As I followed it, it continued to draw farther away. Something occurred to me, maybe I shouldn't be back here. I turned to see the porch light of my house flickering. A chill ran down my spine, but something kept me from returning home. Curiosity? Or was it something else?

As I walked the light seemed to stop moving away. I picked up my pace. As I got closer, it disappeared completely. Odd…

Crash. I flipped around to see a huge tree laying flat on the ground behind me. Another crash. I flipped back around to see another. Just then, I felt like I heard a voice. “Hello?” I called quietly. It came again, more audible this time.