Tonight as I was driving home (about 9:30pm) I came down a tree-lined, rural street and saw something big-ish in the middle of the road.  Around here we’re always watching for dear, but this looked more like a dog.

I slowed, assuming it would run, but covering the brake.

The thing stood there, turning to look around, but not moving out of the road.  As I got closer it looked full into the headlights.  Not in the paralyzed or scared way you sometimes see, in a ‘who the h*ll are you, and why are you on my turf?’ way.  It had a pointed face, a kind of chunky body over skinny legs, and a long, cord-like tail.  I swear it looked just like a giant rat, at least the size of a grown terrier, and probably bigger.

It was also smokey-white, like a ghost.

I moved into the other lane and went around it, but even as the car passed it the thing stayed in the road, just turning a bit to watch me go by.

FREAKY!

But a generous freak, I must admit.  It’s given me lots of horror-tainted ideas with which to spice up my usual fair of sf and f.