Playing Dead in Oncoming Traffic

Today on the way to a shuttle bus my college offers to a main hub for the area, my friends and I found a possum running along the campus center's walls. We decided to follow it with a flash light, wondering where it was going to go. After a relatively short moment it halted and we could clearly make out it's unseasonably large torso. It was probably pregnant, otherwise it wouldn't've been as likely to run like it did afterward. Our intent was never to hurt it, only to study. The observation as it ran away after staying still in a flashlight beam was more than enough to consider the study successful.

This pregnant possum probably went to a hole somewhere, likely the back of the campus center, and told its family all about the evening. It probably discussed the way it was stalked, and how it valiantly fought off the horrible ape-beasts. It would've brought the bodies back as evidence, but several others came out to pull the corpse away to prevent vultures from stealing the remains. It was a hell of a fight though, that much can be said.

We all exaggerate the stories in our everyday life in conversation, it's too easy not to. With spoken words, they don't linger on the page for readers to break apart. With spoken words, they're gone in an instant after conception. Exaggeration allows them to linger longer in the air, and hopefully imprint the desired effect on the mind of your listener. That effect is always in your favor. You wouldn't describe your misstep during a "DONT WALK" sign as your negligence nearly getting you hit by a car. You'd say that some crazy asshole nearly plowed you down, and you had to jump out of the way.

Whenever it can be helped, I personally feel that this kind of blatant horse shit should be avoided at all costs. I could've said the possum attacked us, or that it looked rabid, or any number of other plausable lies. I elected not to, because I have a conscience.

Tonight I lack the inspiration to write. I probably terrified a mother-to-be nearly into labor, I don't feel I've earned the voice tonight.