Chuckie Gets Skunked
"Your father was right… you have a skunk alright."Gary Gest of Gest Pest said as he walked back into the Pickles' home. Switching off the head lamp he had been using he smiled as he removed his gloves.
"Great," Stu muttered, patting Spike on the head; the dog would spend the night inside.
"Smart to call me. A lot of people think they can handle a skunk. But skunk spray is nasty stuff. It can cause nausea and vomiting, severe anemia, and if it gets in the eyes it's like pepper spray."
"Oh dear!" Didi said.
The Pest control man nodded, glancing at Tommy and Chuckie who were looking through the glass door to the backyard. "And skunks during the day like to hide in tight spots… same spots little ones like to explore. If one of these two had stumbled onto it-"
Didi gasped, imagining Tommy happily playing in the backyard, her sitting at the deck table… only for her baby to scream in pain, running about with red swollen eyes, throwing up all over the place before falling down and shaking-
"I want it gone!" she said. "Now!"
"It will be gone," Gest stated, used to mothers' panicking about this. "I've set up live traps in your yard with bait. The skunk goes in there, gets trapped. I come the next morning with my gear, package it up, spray some chems to get rid of the stink, and then take the critter out to the woods and release it. Believe me, skunks prefer the woods to neighborhoods."
While this was going on Tommy and Chuckie continued to press their faces to the window. "Tommy, what is a skunk?"
"I don't know," Tommy admitted. "But my mommy sure doesn't like it."
"I hope we don't ever see one."
"Oh, don't worry Chuckie, the only thing out there is the black kitty!" Tommy waved at the 'black kitty' that was now walking up to the door. But then his little eyes went wide in horror. "Oh no, Chuckie! What if the skunk hurts that kitty?"
His friend gasped. "What do we do?"
"We have to help him!" Tommy began to bang on the glass. "Kitty! Kitty come on!" the 'kitty' looked at the babies and hunched over. "Come on! You have to get inside! The skunk might-" The 'kitty' lifted its tail… and yellow misty goo shot out of its butt, scaring the babies. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Tommy screamed, Chuckie joining him, the babies crying in terror.
"Tommy! Chuckie!" Didi and Chas ran over, scooping up the frightened tots. "Look at the window!"
"Skunk alright," Gest said. "Don't worry, it will wash off."
Tommy and Chuckie were soon put to bed. Tommy had thought the kitty was nice but it had just tried to pee on them! That wasn't nice at all! He wasn't upset at all when the Pest Guy took the 'kitty' away the next morning, thrilled that by the afternoon he got his yard back.