Chunk-style Writing with Cliffhangers

The skunk that wandered into the open doors of National Furniture Liquidators this afternoon is still at large.

Despite efforts to capture the animal throughout the day, the skunk disappeared within the store and was no where to be found by closing time at 8 p.m.

Free to Roam

When the skunk first entered the store, Dennis Goke, the acting assistant manager, allowed the skunk to wander up and down warehouse aisles.

"It if would have been a squirrel, I would have chased him out with a broom," he said.

But, it was not a squirrel and the store is filled with thousands of dollars worth of overstuffed chairs, sofas and loveseats. Goke wasn't taking any chances.

"I've worked in strange situations before," he said. "I've worked in floods, I've worked without any power in the building."

But none of those circumstances had the opportunity to wreak as much havoc as a skunk.

Employees React

When the skunk first appeared three store employees, doing what anyone would do, escaped outside and eyed the animal warily from the doorway.

Customers who pulled into the parking lot were warned there was a skunk loose in the store, but the store remained open and business continued throughout the day.

Later, the employees tried to lure the skunk out with a trail of whole wheat bread crumbs. The effort succeeded in attracting dozens of screeching and flapping gulls, but the skunk remained content inside.

Help Arrives

After futile attempts to lure the skunk out of the store, Rick Ulkus of Animal Allies was called to resolve the situation. By that point, however, the skunk had retreated, disappearing to hide in the bowels of the store to escape the people and the commotion.

Ulkus, drawing gasps of admiration and comments about his bravery from the assembled crowd, searched the store on his hands and knees, shining a floodlight underneath the couches and chairs. The skunk was nowhere to be found, making employees even more nervous than watching it roam the aisles.

Goke and Ulkus baited a trap for the skunk, wrapping tuna in several layers of plastic and then a blanket and setting it in the corner.

The store manager, Bill Frolichman, had also arrived to oversee the situation. He decided the best decision was to wait until closing and try to scare the skunk out of the store with bright lights and rock music.