"Don't be scared," Possum said. "I'll stand by you!"
"And I'll stand by you too!" said Raccoon.
But when Dog came bounding up, Possum keeled over. Dog sniffed at Possum and left him for dead, so Raccoon fought Dog all by himself.
Dog finally ran off, and when the coast was clear, Possum got back up.
Raccoon was mad. "You coward!" he said.
"I wasn't scared," said Possum. "I'm just terribly ticklish, and Dog tickled my ribs. I was paralyzed by tickles."
It's true: just tickle a Possum and see!
Inspired by: Uncle Remus: His Songs and Sayings by Joel Chandler Harris: Possum Loves Peace.
Notes: There is a tantalizing similarity between this story and the Aesop's fable about the two men and the bear. Since this story doesn't have any other African or African American parallels, it could be an Aesop-inspired story in the Brer Rabbit universe.
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