Possums From Over The Hedge Novels & Stories

“Ooops! Polly, the gate’s closed!” “It’s okay. We can crawl here!” Polly referring to the small opening under the gate. “You can! I can’t! That’s too narrow an opening for me!” Pilita sounded defeated. “Right. Let’s find another way there at the back.” Polly suggested. On their way to the backyard, Mickey greeted them. “I see you two are in for an adventure, huh!… Okay, see that bougainvillea plant over there? You can pass through that. The concrete fence behind it is completely gone. Just be careful of the thorns you two!”

Huge rose bush beds and smatters of geraniums, fuchsias, and chrysanthemums livened up the garden space. "Oh look! A tiny fish pond right below the apple tree!" Callie was thrilled, but I was nervous. "You think this is really where they live?" "I don't know, these look like family homes." She said while trying to push the fence gate to open. A cold hiss sent chills down our spines and we heard, "Password?" We both grabbed each other's hands nervously. It felt like there was an invisible serpent guarding the entrance and hissing at us.

A family of possums were making themselves comfortable under the picnic table. The only one mildly amused was Joel. He laid out on the porch, watching the cha0s. He was the only reason the boars did not overrun her aunt’s vegetable garden. Aunt Rose’s flower bed wasn’t so lucky. They destroyed it, eating the tulip bulbs. “This is a disaster,” her aunt said, one hand on her cheek and the other wrapped around her waist. “Make them leave, Gail.” She glanced up at her aunt. “I don’t even understand how I made them come here or why they’re staying. I think getting them to leave is beyond me at the moment.”

The great hourglass that Van told them hovers lazily above the tree tops. No one dares to come close to the forest. It looks more intimidating when seen here. It just occurred to Van that Grizzlebark never told him any on what might lurk there. “I’ll check if it’s safe there, you stay here,” Van said in a fit of gallantry. “Not so fast Van, we will go with you,” Alice replied harshly. A small hedge separates the backwoods from them. Van puts a toe, and the hourglass comes to life. Sand begins to drain from its upper bulb.

Illina explained with a smile on her face. Emma stared at the animals in shock. She had seen a hedgehog before, but not a streaked one. “We have hedgehogs too,” she cut in, glancing between the animals and Illina with shock. “I just haven’t seen any streaked ones. How on earth do they exist, and we don’t see them?” Illina chuckled. “There are a lot of things that exist you may not know. Come on, you can hold them if it pleases you.”

I might not be able to read it clearly, but it’s undeniably there. We walk a few more yards, and he huffs a sigh, actually looks over at me, and says, “There are animals out there.” We’re animals. Also, I didn’t see or smell any carnivores at all, only your garden-variety big vermin—raccoons, possums, and groundhogs. He knits his brow. “You might not smell them, but a predator can and will encroach on our territory at any time.” I just keep walking. We’re almost to the hill leading to home. So freaking close.

It wasn't even in my planned route. He started apologizing over and over so I let it rest. That was three days ago. Any suspicions from my little outing with Owin would have worn off by now. I stood before the sky-high hedge, wondering what could be behind it. If there was really poison, this place would have been buried. Somehow I had a strange feeling that this could be the place I was searching for. With a cautious push of the engulfing branches and leaves, a careful step, and a slow slithering of my body, I stepped into what seemed to be...

“You keep to the hedges tomorrow. The fae have been lively.” “Define lively,” I said. “Taking things that aren’t theirs and returning them wrong,” he said. “There’s a story about the witches in the bush—” Maeve snorted. “He means the hedge-witches. Not the ones with costumes and candles. The old craft in the thorn and the gorse. They keep the line between polite and feral.” “Do they keep wolves out?” I asked. “If the wolf knows how to listen,” Niall said. “Most don’t.”

As Mama Hazel and Theo arrived back home, the day was far from over. They decided to have a special picnic in the backyard, complete with sandwiches, fruit, and homemade lemonade. Theo helped Mama Hazel set up the picnic blanket, his face beaming with excitement as he arranged the food just so. Theo's laughter filled the air as they enjoyed their picnic, the sun shining brightly overhead, birds chirping in the trees, and a gentle breeze rustling the leaves. Mama Hazel watched Theo with a heart full of love, marveling at the pure joy and innocence that radiated from him.

I said as I got to my feet. We walked slowly along the garden paths that cut past the immaculately trimmed shaped hedges, rows of neat flower gardens that were lit up with fairy garden torches, some were of gnomes and stone-carved hedgehogs and rabbits. It looked pretty now, so I could only wonder how much better it looked in the daylight. “So, I’m assuming the conversation with my mother wasn’t a good one?” He asked, breaking the silence. “No. It definitely wasn’t the highlight of the evening, but it’ll be the only thing I won’t forget for a while”.