There is something in the garage I informed my husband one cold winter morning this past December.

“It’s a rat”, he replied.

He has killed one before in our garage. Where in the world do these awful critters come from? It is bad enough having one show up in the barn, but the garage? Yikes.

Several days passed. “Did you get it?” I asked.

“You know, I think it actually is a possum”, was his reply.

Great, whatever it is is still there.

I am not keen on uninvited ‘guests’ in my house. Though I never saw any sign of anything, I could tell by the dogs behavior something was there.

Then…one morning I saw ‘it’…

I actually saw only a face peering around the door jam. After a few more days I was able to get a photograph.

‘Here’, I told my husband, “is your possum!

“Would you like to see what it was?

A kitten! A fluffy, scared kitten was the critter in the garage.

He would not let us near him, though when I would say hello to him, he would let out a plaintive cry.

December was cold and so was our garage. Towels were made fluffy and piled up to keep him warm. He ran and hid every time he heard anyone, but it was easy to see he was staying warm on the towel bed.

A little frightened kitten. How would I ever approach him and have him feel safe?

He had been eating the kitten food provided for him, watching me all the while from under the shelves meowing softly.

Finally a thought came to me. A toy! He needs a toy to play with. Digging a plastic Easter egg out of storage, and filling it with little rocks supplied the interest he could not refuse.

He chased and batted that toy all over the garage, and he was starting to reach out to sniff my finger as I extended it towards him.

Trust was growing.

By the end of January we were able to bring him into our house and make him a part of our family.

His name? Hercules. Herc for short. One day he will grow into his big, strong, brave name.

I am glad our ‘possum/rat’ turned out to be a kitten.