Final Resting Place

When the Old Opposum got sick the forest got very sad. Then as the sadness settled in everyone’s thoughts quickly turned to the Old Oppossum’s highly envied and highly coveted bottle cap collection.

The Old Opposum’s bottle cap collection was famous throughout the forest. He had managed over all his years of life to collect and curate a collection of rare, exotic, cool, and fun little bottle caps from all corners of the globe.

When Gus got sick the animals all made it a point to make the pilgrimage to see him, chat with him, and admire his bottle cap collection, perhaps for the last time.

Everyone wondered what would happen to the bottle cap collection once Gus was gone. It wasn’t particularly valuable so no one wanted to necessarily have it per se and no one really had the right eye for finding and continuing the collection after Gus was gone. They all just enjoyed that the collection existed and thought it would be a shame to see such a joyous thing leave this earth.

“It would be such a shame to see that bottle cap collection just cease to be around anymore,” several of the animals of the forest remarked.

One day Gus’ friend Judy, the Squirrel, decided she was just going to come right out and ask Gus what he wished would happen with his collection once he was gone.

“Well,” Gus answered, “I haven’t given this a lot of thought but, I suppose we should start a list of everyone who would like to see my bottle cap collection,” Gus began.

“And do a raffle?” Judy interjected.

“No, not a raffle” Gus answered.

“Eenie-Meenie-Miney-Mo?” Judy, who was apt to interrupt due to her hyperactive nature, interjected again.

“No, not Eenie-Meenie-Miney-Mo,” Gus answered again.

“Give everyone a chance with it? Like a week at a time?” Judy interjected, yet again.

“Bingo!” Gus replied, “You nailed it Judy, you’ve always been good at interjections, much more skilled at them than even the most well-written characters I’ve read in literature.”

Judy was happy to receive this compliment from Gus.

“I propose everyone take a week with my bottle cap collection and then pass it on to the next person on the list,” Gus declared.

“Fantastic!” Judy exclaimed, “How about we...”

“Then,” Gus interjected, cutting Judy off in a surprising turn of events, “When everyone on the list has seen the collection for their week we start back from the beginning and everyone can have it for another week and on and on and on.”

Judy was confused. This didn’t make sense at all. What if someone moved? Or didn’t want to see the collection again?

“Now I can tell by your silence you have no idea why this is a good idea,” Gus continued, “Well, as people move or just grow tired and no longer want to see the collection again they can be removed from the list. As the list gets shorter folks may spend more time with the collection before handing it off, some folks may forget they have it, others will remind them and pass it on and that will continue...”

Suddenly, Judy got very sad.

“What happens if the last person who wants the collection decides they don’t want it anymore,” Judy interjected.

“Well, that’s the day I’ll really be gone,” Gus answered.

“That makes me very sad,” interjected Judy once again.

“It makes me very happy,” Gus answered and paused waiting for Judy to interject.

Judy was, in a rare turn of events too sad to interject. So, old Gus, filled in the silence for her.

“To be gone yet still live on for so many more years.”