The maiden has a menagerie. An emu, a camel, two dogs, a mink, and a noisy but cute skunk. On her walks she takes along the emu, the camel (sometimes she rides on its back), the mink (on a leash), and the dogs. She leaves the skunk behind. She walks every day, enjoying the animals’ company. The dogs skamper, smiling, and wag their tails, the camel carries her belongings with a professorial air, the mink slinks silkily, and the emu rests often.
The skunk, with every missed walk, becomes more and more noisy and bothersome. She bites the camel’s (and the girl’s) legs when they come home, squeaks angrily, and of course sprays her nasty noxious spray. Every day the bites get meaner, the noises get louder, and the smell gets smellier.
The maiden contemplates giving the skunk away. It’s cute, but, of course smelly and annoying. One day, while the maiden is on her walk, a boy walks by her home and notices the skunk. He sits by her cage and admires her. The two gaze at each other for a long time. The skunk quiets down. The boy relaxes.
When the maiden comes home, she sees the boy and the skunk gazing at each other. She is surprised. The boy notices her and smiles. “Is this your skunk?” he asks. “Yes, why?,” she asks, wondering. “She’s a beauty!,” he says. She looks at him quizzically. “She hasn’t sprayed you or squealed at you, or tried to bite you?” she says. “No! Why, does she do those things to you?” “All the time,” she replies. He invites her to sit with him and look into the skunk’s eyes. As the maiden looks into the skunk’s eyes, the skunk gazes back at her. The maiden sits quietly. She looks intently. She sees yearning, spunkiness, softness, longing. They gaze into each other’s eyes for a long time.
The next day, the maiden takes the skunk with her on her walk. The skunk glances up at her gratefully every few minutes. She walks obediently by her side. Sometimes the skunk notices a snake or a scorpion a few feet ahead and warns the maiden by brushing her tail against the maiden’s leg. The skunk never sprays, squeals, or bites again. Well, maybe a squeal now and then….