Obituary: The Rest of the Story

I awakened In the middle of the night last night, and for some reason, reached both arms out wide and stretched. My right hand caught a glass of water on the night stand and dumped it on my pillow and mattress. After dealing with the problem, I couldn’t go back to sleep, so at 2:45 I got out of bed and began writing. Around 4:30 I heard, just outside my window--chicken coop location–the sound of something being knocked around. I was writing intensely, paused briefly, and continued writing. From time to time I heard momentary, but unusual sounds from the same area. A little after 5:00, I began to hear what sounded almost like chicken chirps. I knew they were locked up securely, so I kept writing. About 5:30 I got a complete thought down in writing, so, having heard chickens and other sounds, decided I should check to see what was going on. When I opened a curtain and looked out into the lighted backyard, I saw a large raccoon carefully examining, it seemed, every square foot of the yard. Instantly, I knew what he had eaten for his midnight meal on the previous night.