Elmo was an average skunk born into an average skunk family. He had seven brothers and sisters, and at first they happily shared the same den until they reached pre-pubescence. At this point in their lives there were some changes. What before were sweet smelling brothers and sisters, now were eye watering foul smelling bad odor mills.
The expression," In your face!" took on a new meaning for Elmo. He realized that it was time to seek new horizons. Holding his breath and wiping his watery eyes, he bid his brothers and sisters farewell and set out to seek his fortune in the big world.
He knocked about the countryside for a few months enjoying the fresh air and the abundance of bugs and berries, which were his basic diet. All was well until September when Elmo sensed that cooler weather was approaching, and that he could no longer sleep comfortably under the stars.
There were several abandoned barns in his area that could provide Elmo shelter, but Elmo was a social creature and preferred a more urban setting in which to spend his winter. With this in mind, Elmo headed for the nearest town while avoiding the main highways in the area.
For several nights Elmo inspected the town's neighborhoods trying to decide which one best suited his needs. He preferred a house that had a very dark and warm foundation with easy digging around the edges. All skunks love darkness day and night.
He finally made his selection; and after two nights digging, Elmo had completed his entry under the house. He was delighted with his house choice because the foundation was totally dark during the daytime when he slept. Elmo was very comfortable here and could have had a good home except for one thing.
That pre- pubescence thing had gotten worse for Elmo over the past few months; and try as he might, Elmo could not hold down his skunk odor. This skunk odor quickly caused a ruckus in the house under which Elmo resided. The homeowner decided that Elmo had to go.
The owner first tried to fill in Elmo's entry hole; but each time the owner filled in the entry hole, Elmo dug another. Next the owner tried baited traps, but Elmo was too smart for that trick. Sometimes during the day the owner would stomp on the floor, hoping that the noise would frighten Elmo. Elmo was not frightened.
Someone told the homeowner that skunks hated light, and the way to rid the foundation of Elmo was to put a light under the house. To the homeowner this seemed like a good idea, and he immediately began to arrange for a light to be put under the house. Better than just a light for the skunk, thought the homeowner, why not put a strobe light under the house.
After some searching, the homeowner secured a strobe light and put it under the house using a badly worn electric extension cord. This strobe light did upset Elmo. When he first saw the light he stomped his front feet trying to frighten the light away. When this did not work, Elmo did what skunks instinctively do when irritated.
He stood on his front legs, turned his body until his derriere pointed toward the hated light. Then he released a stream of the odor that we all recognize toward the light. That was a grave mistake on Elmo's part. He learned a timely lesson about electricity.
The steady stream of skunk smell that Elmo directed toward the strobe light created an electrical connection to Elmo. This electrical connection sent Elmo flying from under the house making what ever skunk sounds he could make. For a moment he looked like last year's Christmas lights streaking across the homeowner's yard.
When Elmo finally stopped running, he realized the he was a
changed skunk. His once beautiful black fur with its white stripes
had taken on a colorful psychedelic hue; and worst of all, he
had lost his familiar skunk odor. Life would be different now
for Elmo, the Electric Skunk.