Chapter 3: The strange visitor

"I can't believe it! The mirror broke? Oh no..." The woman saw in horror that I was laying on the crack in the cement underneath the ladder. She stepped back, inch by inch, and then ran toward the park area, screaming all the way.

What's her problem? Sure, I broke a mirror, and fell on a crack that was right under this ladder, which is supposed to be the worst case of bad luck ever, but it can't be that bad.

I stood up straight, moving out from under the ladder slowly to not get hit on the head by the ladder, and proceeded to walk forward toward the shattered mirror. I stood over it and saw how the hearts on the border were all cracked, and the glass was shattered into many shards.

Guess I better avoid the glass so I don't get cut.

I slowly turned around, got on my fours, and proceeded to head back to the park to see where the woman went. I just put my foot off of the cement, when the painter on top of the ladder shrieked.

"Oh no... SKUNK! Get away, or I will call animal protection!" The painter seemed to be yelling at me.

But I wasn't a skunk, not at all! People didn't complain about this before. I proceeded to walk back to one of the mirror shards and turned around. I quickly saw that a white stripe was suddenly on my back!

Oh great. Now I really do look like one of those awful smelling skunks. I better hurry to the fountain to get this paint off.

I turned around and ran as quickly as I could. I couldn't go looking for that strange woman now, not with this ugly stripe on. I passed by the antique shop, and as I passed by, the line that had formed near the antique shop broke apart, with all of the people quickly running away from me. I started to run faster, worried that something bad would happen out of this. I reached the gate and jumped over the fence, landing on the grass. By the time I was on the grass, I was panting heavily.

I need to be more careful around those white paint cans. If I get a white paint stripe on my back again, who knows how the humans will react.

I slowly walked toward the fountain on my fours, gasping for air as I slowly approached the fountain. I then proceeded to jump into the water, only to collapse right over my leaf bed. I blacked out from exhaustion...

I woke up after a while, slowly standing up straight.

I can't believe I passed out from all of that running. Note to self: Don't run so much unless you need to.

I used my right paw and felt my tail. I looked at my finger and saw that it had a little bit of the white paint on it. The white paint was still on my tail. I saw the fountain, and I started to jump into the fountain, when I was interrupted by a strange voice coming from nearby.

"Ah, there you are!" From what I could tell from the voice, it had a french accent.

Wait a minute, a french accent? But ships rarely come to this town! After all, it is only the start of spring, and it's too cold to make the trip here.

Then I smelt it. An awful odor, that smelled like it was locked in one of those "Gyms" I see in the town for months! Before I could investigate, I felt the odor get very close to me, and then I felt arms covering me tightly.

"Ah, le petite femme skunk! I have got you, and now we will spend our time at the casbah!" I turned my head backwards, and I could see a black cat with a white stripe just like mine standing up straight behind me. He then put his arms around me again, and proceeded to kiss me. Then the odor intensified, and the putrid smell entered my nose even more.

Whatever was creating that smell was very close, and I needed to know what it was. But then a thought hit me.

Wait a minute. "Femme Skunk?" Doesn't that mean female skunk? If that is what he meant, then that means... He is in love with me! He is the one stinking up the place!

As he continued to kiss me, I crouched down and ran on my fours, with no time to jump into the fountain. The french skunk did not want to give up, however. He also got on his fours, and started hopping toward me.

"Hey! Come here! Let zee arms of love surround you! Where are you going, mon cherie?" I proceeded to run faster, even if that would mean I would pass out again. I had to get away from his odor. The awful odor was still stuck in my nose, giving me a minor headache.

I ran until I came to a fence, it was the fence that blocked the park from the forest. I knew this would be my chance to lose him. I jumped over the fence and continued running on my fours. But he still wouldn't quit.

"Ah, so you are taking zee hard route, no? Oh well then. Time for me to jump!" He did a high jump on his fours and made it over the fence.

What the heck! He jumped over the fence! I have to find some way to stop him. I have to.

But once again, he suddenly came from behind me, and proceeded to hug around my neck.

"Don't go looking for zee casbah on your own, I will take you there!" Why won't he get that I am not a skunk? How aggressive can you get?

The odor entered my nose again, the putrid stench, it was getting stronger with every kiss he gave me. Eventually it got so strong, I screamed.

"AHH! LET ME GO! THE ODOR IS AWFUL!" I tried and tried to let him know that I wasn't a skunk, but he seemed to not be paying attention to me.

I knew the only way I could not pass out was to hold my breath. If I did that long enough, maybe someone would stop him, or maybe he would give up from me not talking to him. I held my breath, in an attempt to block his stink. My checks turned bright red as I tried to hold it as tight as I could. But I couldn't take it anymore. I stopped holding my breath, and breathed in the amount of stink in the air from the skunk.

The smelly little pest! I will find someway to tell him I am not a skunk! Then he will leave me be!

Then I slowly began to pass out. I knew that this skunk was in love, but why did he had to bring such an awful, paralyzing odor?

I then passed out in his arms, as he proceeded to carry me to somewhere in the forest...