How the Raccoon Got His Mask

Copyright © 2011 Suzanne Yost

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How the Raccoon Got His Mask: A Myth

The animals of the forest were hungry, starving, in fact.  The frost had come early wiping out the grass, berries, and flowers.  Because it was early, the animals had not yet stored their food for the cold winter ahead.  But, there was one animal that was not starving.

That was the Mountain Lion King, who lived high on the highest peak of the tallest mountain where he could over look his forest.  Now the King was very cruel, greedy and selfish.  He never shared, didn’t give to the other animals, and was not a very good ruler.  He ate rabbit omelets for breakfast, possum sandwiches for lunch, mice soufflé for dinner, and if he was very, very lucky, his favorite for dessert.  A raccoon sundae.

That day, it was the King’s birthday, and all the animals of the forest were ordered to bring him a tasty meal.  All the animals knew the king loved raccoons, but they also knew that if the lion did not like their meal, they would be his next course.  So, all the animals went out in search of the raccoon. 

The raccoon was the slyest, sneakiest, smartest, and most cunning of all the forest animals.  He sat in a large metal can near the king’s palace where all his leftover food was thrown away.  As he munched on a leftover blackberry, he heard the animals searching for him down below, in the forest.  He decided that the only way to make the animals stop hunting him, was to get the king to stop wanting to eat him.

The raccoon then took the blackberry he was eating, smushed it in his paw, and rubbed the black juice around his eyes, permanently staining his gray fur in the same way it still looks today.  He thought of a plan.  It was a brilliant plan, just the type of plan a raccoon would think of, sly, sneaky, smart, and cunning. 

In his new disguise, the raccoon marched up to the king’s palace where he snuck in through the window of the throne room, where the king sat pouting. 

“Hello, my friend!”  The raccoon said to the king.

“Are you here with my first course, forest animal?  Hmmm.  I don’t believe I’ve seen an animal like you before.”  The king replied.

“Oh, I am not a forest animal.” The raccoon lied smoothly.  “I come from a far off land, and I am the only one of my kind.”

“How sad.”  The king said, clearly bored.    “What brings you here?”

“I am here to warn you.” The raccoon said, fighting a smile.

That caught the king’s attention.  “Of what?”  He said.  “Of what?”

“Haven’t you heard?  Raccoons have just recently been found to be poisonous!”  The raccoon said, and then thought: Aren’t I a good liar! 

“What???”  The king roared.

“It is true, your majesty.  Very true!  But your loyal subjects of the forest do not know this yet.  You must go and tell them of the news I have just brought you, and serve them a meal for their hard efforts.”

And it was done.  The forest animals were served a meal fit for a king.  But the lion still kept his distance, so he would not be tempted to eat a forest animal.

As for the raccoon, he never really told the other animals of his victory, but kept it to himself.  Anyways, none of the forest animals could recognize him, in his new mask.  The raccoon just spent his nights raiding metal cans full of leftovers.