The Opossum's Tale

Have you ever seen an opossum, hurrying across the road with its eyes and coat shining in your headlights? Or hanging upside down from a tree? Or lying on the ground 'playing possum' as if dead? And did you ever wonder why the opossum acts this way? The ancient Cherokee people wondered about the opossum, whose silly grin and hairless tail caught their imagination. In those days, the people had no written language, and they relied on stories to explain the behavior of the animals in their world.