I stop short at my bedroom doorway. The light is off and the curtains are closed, so the room is dimly lit. There, peaking out from under the bed is a snake.
It's not moving. I'm not moving. I'm semi-panicked.
Why only semi-panicked? Flashback to about 8 years ago. I'm cleaning up the toys from the backyard at our old downtown bungalow cottage and I go for a toy lizard. Only it was a real lizard and hisses at me. I jump straight up and onto the porch steps...total Spider Man move.
Back to this moment. I wasn't sure if it was real or fake. The kids like real-looking toys. After a minute it's still not moving. I'm still not moving.
Why still not moving? Flashback to the summer I spent in Texas with a friend. We're stopped on a dirt road with a snake facing us off about 10 feet away. After minutes we get the courage to walk over, finding the snake dead.
Back to the moment. If it is real and just dead I'm not looking forward to the scooping and cleaning that will be coming up. Another minute passes and I sigh in resignation. Either it's a toy or it's real and dead, I mine as well get on with the day.
...Thankfully it was just a toy...
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I know how much your heart can stop in the presence of snakes! I was climbing the hills of my childhood home on a ranch in Wyoming taking photos of our new crop of foals when I crouched down to take a shot and looked over to see a big bull snake right next to my foot. I swear I could've been an Olympic sprinter that day!
ReplyDeleteLiz, www.realranchers.com