Window Skunks

Recently, new neighbours moved next door to me, yet besides a couple of conversations on the driveway, I have yet to get to know them properly. I dreamed that they had opened up an art appreciation society, with monthly gatherings at their home to discuss the woman's favourite artist, an impenetrable modernist from Los Angeles, who, to my shame, I pretended also to be a fan of to curry favour. Starved of intellectual conversation, I was desperate to be accepted into their inner circle, but unfortunately I drank too much wine and was unable to coherently converse about the artist at hand. I spent the afternoon embarrassing myself to the point where my imposter syndrome was laid bare for all to see. Feeling not a little sheepish, I retired next door to hang my head in shame.

For some obscure dream reason, my wife and I were also new homeowners in our house, and we explored the three stories of our new abode, discussing where our furniture would go. When we reached the second floor bedroom, we saw a large bay window with two panes of glass, forming a sort of lounge space within where one could sit on cushions, drink tea, read, and look down over the street. Just as I was about to draw back the inner window to check it out, I noticed a family of striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) nesting in this alcove. My wife and I were excessively surprised, and remarked on how our daughter would react to this, but we were unwilling to slide back the glass and let them into the room. Upon noticing humans on the other side of the glass, the mother skunk began to talk.

"We need to leave babies! Come on, out, out, out, back through the way we came!" There was a metal grate over the outer window, yet the top left pane had come loose, and it was through this that the skunks now attempted to leave. "Please, don't leave on our account!" I told them as they attempted, one-by-one, to wriggle free. "It's a high drop to the pavement below," I continued, "you're liable to do yourselves an injury. Why not stay here until I call animal control, and they can help you get out." Although I could understand the skunks, they were incapable of recognising human speech, and my recommendations were given in vain.