Group+B

This page is for Group B only:
 * 1) **Hannon**
 * 2) **Holloway**
 * 3) **Johnson**
 * 4) **Linthicum**
 * 5) **May**
 * 6) **Mixon**
 * 7) **Nguyen**
 * 8) **Perryman**

=Catching a Skunk is Tricky Business=


 * The fat thing was too big to fit in that bucket. I don't know why it thought it could hide in there. I'm telling you, when it laid eyes on me, it jumped out like there's no tomorrow and ran under the table so fast that all I saw was a streak of fur. I grabbed the broom...**

And chased that fat skunk all throughout the house! Mama was screaming at the top of her lungs and at the same time I was trying not to get sprayed by the skunk as I finally got it cornered in the kitchen. Luckily we have a door that leads out of the kitchen and into the backyard, so I made sure he could not double cross me and run out of the kitchen and back into the house. So the plan was set. All I needed to do was somehow get the door open without scaring the skunk and get him out now! With the plan in place, I hoped everything was going to go to plan, until… (D. Mixon) my little sister came running in the kitchen door. Once she saw the skunk in the kitchen she began screaming so loud that it scared the skunk. With all the screaming going on the skunk took off running into the dining room where food was on the table. My sister was running up and down the stairs and the skunk was running around the dining room table. I was able to corner the skunk before he jumped on the table and destroyed dinner. My dad came running out of the bathroom to see what was going on and.... (N. Holloway) stared at that skunk as if he had seen him before. Mama came running into the dining room screaming he's back, he's back. Faster then I've seen him move before with the button of his pants still undone and toilet paper stuck to his shoe, he grabbed the broom from me and said, "stand back, he's all mine." Dad crouched like a tiger poised to attack. He lurched at the skunk and took a mighty swing, missing him by inches. With the back draft of the broom he blew the napkins off the table and his follow through ripped the curtains from the wall. Regaining his poise, Dad stepped back to analize the situation and... (B. Hannan)

decided that an aggressive approach was not the answer. He instructed me to get some salad from the table and make a trail that would lead the skunk right out the door. When I was finished, we all stood back quietly and watched the skunk start eating the lettuce and walking towards the door. Just as he was getting into the kitchen, here came my little sister running down the stairs screaming again. The skunk turned around and started running up the stairs towards my bedroom. Just as he got to the top of the stairs ....(J May)

As soon as the skunk got to the top of the stairs it skidded into the bathroom door! Thankfully we have hardwood floors. He then found himself unable to go anywhere because all of the doors were closed. His only move was to admit defeat and be banished from this house forever. So I told papa to get ahold of the trashcan and broom so that we can finally get him in the trashcan and out of the house. A solid plan indeed, until… (D. Mixon) dad tried to run the skunk into the trash can. Just as he was about to close the lid, the skunk sprayed day right in the face. Forgetting about catching the skunk, dad threw down the trashcan and ran out of the bathroom. He was on his way down the strairs with the skunk right behind him, when dad tripped and began to roll down the stairs. Just as he was getting to his feet....(J May)

the skunk scrambled up his back. Dad fell back to the floor as the skunk ran into the living room. "Oh no!" said Mama. "Don't let him get near the new couch!" Dad, Mama, and I hurried into the living room where we saw the skunk running frantically in circles. I kept swatting at him with the broom and Dad scratched mercilessly at the new marks on his back. "I sure hope he doesn't have a disease." said Dad. The odor filling the house was unlike anything we have ever smelled. Mama, still screaming about the couch, grabbed the broom and... (A Johnson)

and began beating at the floor around her feet as if daring the skunk to come near her. I became frozen by the commotion until my sister yelled, "Watch out!". I turned to see the skunk racing right at me with his tail held high. Luckily my sister had enough sense to take a casing off of one of the couch pillows and toss it to me. I figured it was now or never. Me or the skunk, man versus wild. With my family looking on,I took a deep breath, crouched down and... ( D Nguyen)

who would have thought skunks could jump?!?! He leaped over me and sprayed me while he was in mid-air! That just built the commotion up even more!! Everyone was counting on me and I was too! I couldn't even defeat this skunk! He was just a furry animal that smelled bad and I couldn't even catch him! Anyways, after he sprayed me everyone started running towards me and the skunk and they jumped to try to trap the skunk. One after the other, they were piled up on top of each other, surely they caught the skunk! Finally, when all the screaming stopped, one by one each person got off of the pile so we could see if Dad, who was on bottom, captured the skunk. Mom got up, then sister, then me, and then Dad. When Dad got up.... (M. Perryman)

he held the pillow casing proudly in his hands as we watched the skunk head out of the living room into the foyer. "Let's trap him!" Dad said, closing the doors around the foyer. We crept quietly forward- Mama with the broom, me with the pillow casing, and Dad, still scratching his claw marks. Mama swept the skunk into the pillow casing. It was hissing and spraying as we walked quickly to the door... (A. Johnson)

only to realize that releasing the skunk into the neighborhood wouldn't do any body any good. It just wouldn't be fair to the other neighbors if we were free of the wily animal only to have it bringing disaster to others. We were going to have to call animal control. Catching the skunk was a dilemma already, now we had to figure out how to keep it until the right caretakers got to our house. Mom and sissy went to the kitchen to look up and call the animal control while dad and I went out to the backyard. "Now son, listen here" my dad began, "I think we should go ahead and put him into that old dog carrier.". How hard could that be if we already had him caught in the pillow case? Boy, was I about to find out. (D Nguyen)

Dad still holding the pillow case in his hands as the skunk wiggled and shock inside. The skunk was so crazy that he almost got out the pillow case. Dad found some rope to tie around the pillow case to keep the skunk inside. While dad was doing that I got the dog carrier so that we could release the skunk inside. After dad had tied the skunk up in the pillow case we sat it inside the dog carrier just in case the rope came untied. Just as we were about to close the gate to the carrier the rope came untied and the skunk was running around the back yard. Dad and I were able to get the skunk corned by the fence.... (N. holloway) Out of breath with my hands on my knees, I stared at the skunk whose backside was pressed up firmly against the fence. It had been almost one hour since this little pest came into our lives and as far as I was concerned, it was one hour too many. I looked over at my Dad and he looked back at me and smiled. "It's experiences like these that bring a family together," he said. I laughed and thought to myself that this has been one family adventure we'll never forget. Talking out the corner of his mouth, Dad whispered, "grab the pillow case by your foot and when I charge, jump on him and hold tight." I can't say I liked the plan, but at this point we were out of options. I looked back at Dad who with his right hand started the countdown. Three, Two, one... (B. Hannan)   "WAIIIIIITTTTT!" shouted the animal control guy. He was rushing over to us to capture the skunk and you wouldn't believe your eyes! He started talking to the skunk real nice and cutsey and the skunk rolled over wanting the man to pet him. The man picked up the skunk without putting up a fight. This whole time we had been chasing, panicking, and getting banged up, for what?!? This skunk just played us like a fiddle. The man put the skunk down and the skunk was waiting patiently until... (M. Perryman) there came a soft knocking at the front door. While we watched the animal control guy handle the skunk with a calmness that only comes with vast experience, mama answered the door. Wouldn't you know it was Dennis from next door, a close friend of Sissy's. You could hear the excitement in his voice when he asked mama, "have you seen my pet skunk Aubie?" to which mama replied, "I believe I have!" Turning towards the back yard in a loud yell, mama announced Dennis’s entrance and that “Aubie’s owner had finally arrived.” As we turned to see what she was talking about, Aubie up and jumped in the animal control guy’s face and gave him a wet juicy lick he will soon not forget. With that, the skunk took off running in circles in the back yard, the control guy not far behind. As dad, sissy and I stood, we could clearly see that Dennis was relieved; yet agitated. Tired of looking for the skunk for over an hour, Dennis took from his pants pocket a silent skunk-whistle and began to blow. Harder and harder he blew, until, as if time stood still, Aubie stopped, stood up on his two hind legs and. . . . . (T. Linthicum)