early in the morning, I was calling someone to make breakfast plans when I noticed a rather large animal in the back yard corner behind the patio table and chairs. I hung up and watched. it was larger than a mouse, for sure. even larger than a beaver, or at least stood higher. but what was it?

I kept watching. It was rolling in a ball on the ground. Was it sick? Looked like a dog rolling in shit to disguise its smell. then it was still. I saw a face -- a raccoon face. and a tail. a raccoon circular striped tail. With another tail just above it? and the face was lower relative to the body. Oh, there's another face. above the first face. oh, I get it. oh, cool. let me watch.

they had stopped their rolling around. the bottom face was bearing teeth, looking to the side. they stood still for a while. then the upper body shuddered for two seconds, then they were still for ten seconds. then two seconds of shuddering followed by ten seconds of stillness.

after eight of these, the bottom animal attempted again to roll over to get the top one off. she landed upright gritting teeth but was never able to reach the one on top of her. that one just clawed up higher onto her using his hind legs.

at first I thought this was nature and that's just the way things work. but after a while, I was sure she was impregnated and the fact(?) that he kept taking pleasure over her made me mad. I fully knew that this is how it is, has been, and probably will continue on and on and on whether I see it or not. there are lots of raccoons, squirrels, pigeons, deer, etc., etc., etc., etc. ... doing this right now all over the world. And I am nil in this picture. totally a no-op, no effect, don't matter. I could kill this top raccoon and not an effect it would have on any of this. and was aany involvement by me even acceptable, let alone the right thing to do? raccoons can't do it any other way. why should I interfere?

but she's gritting her teeth. And he must be done by now. if it takes 30 ejaculations to impregnate her, then he deserves to not have any progeny. she can find someone else.

and so I banged real hard on the window and they were gone, so fast I couldn't tell how but I think they went straight through the fence.

I laugh at this story now and what I did. But I'd probably do it exactly the same next time.