Antechinus or anticlimax?

Image: Queensland Museum

A couple of weeks ago I was startled by a loud girlie squeal coming from the downstairs bedroom. Rushing in I found our Helper, Charly, standing on the bed with a somewhat terrified look on his boyishly handsome face. 'What's the matter, matey?' I asked quickly. 'A rat, it was a rat', he gasped. 'That's no rat, that's just an antechinus', I offered reassuringly. I'm not sure he was so reassured.

But yes, we have a resident antechinus who made his presence known on a number of occasions over easter as well, much to my delight and our friends' initial horror. Our friends quickly discarded its real name for 'anticlimax', and the little marsupial could often be seen scampering across the kitchen floor to take refuge under the fridge or one of the lounges, usually followed by 'agh there's the anitclimax! We think it was loudly vocalising on Sunday night just as Graeme and I were beginning our nightly ballad renditions. It was either the antechinus or a dolphin. But if it was a dolphin we probably would have seen it.