Pest Control
Quirin and Varian were strolling through Old Corona, talking to neighbors.
"Hello Burt, Lorrie. How's the harvest?" Quirin asked.
"Much better, now that I've caught that thieving blighter." Burt answered proudly.
"What blighter?" Varian wondered.
"It's a nasty little raccoon. Probably crawling with disease." Lorrie said distastefully. "We've still got it, in that trap over there."
Varian ran to the trap. The raccoon was staring at him with wide eyes, obviously in distress. A shiny metal trap encase it's left hind leg and, was that blood? Varian felt woozy just looking at it.
"I'll have you out in just a second." Varian reassured the mammal as he sprung the trap. Finally free, the raccoon limped away.
"And don't come back, you filthy beast!" Burt roared. "I can't stand those rotten creatures, always making a nuisance of themselves."
"It's not his fault! He doesn't mean to cause trouble!" Varian insisted.
"Where have I heard that before?" muttered Burt. His friend snickered.
Varian ignored them. "Poor little guy was just hungry." he mused, mentally resolving to bring the creature a ham sandwich as soon as no adults were around.
"Whatever you do, don't feed him!" Quirin snapped. "If that raccoon thinks it can get an easy meal, you'll be stuck with him forever."
Stuck with the raccoon. That was it. "I know what to do!" Varian announced. "Wait right there!" he called as he ran back to his lab, full of plans for his next invention.
THE END
Varian mentions building a humane trap for the raccoons in What The Hair? So I imagine the citizens of Old Corona made use of less humane traps before.