“Snake in the House!? Where’s My Camera???”

Snakes have been among the creatures most fear. But I, for one, ain’t really afraid of them. Only one reason – I believe that something without limbs can’t hurt me. Maybe it’s a misconception, but I’m happy this way!

The Place Where I Live!
Well, our township is still in its developing stages – houses have not yet being built on all the sites. And the empty ones remain covered by bushes and shrubs. So it’s natural to say that they are full of snakes, lizards and the sort. And behind our current residence - no nearby houses. Guess the nearest one is around 200 metres away. So that’s not something you can call “near”. As a result, you only see trees and bushes if you look out. Among these, a mango plant (around 5 ft tall I guess) leaned towards the compound wall, touching it. Quite harmless as such. But then – a baby snake decided to use it as a ramp to climb over the compound wall!

“Is It Really a Snake???”
Well, I didn’t realize it was a baby snake when I first saw it. It was quite small. I thought it must be a somewhat long earthworm (after all, I’ve read in a ‘Believe It or Not’ column in a newspaper that the longest earthworm was 22 feet long – I wonder if it’s true!?). But my mom, she suspected it to be a snake the moment she set her eyes on it. She had heard stories about snakes barging into people’s houses nearby. So she felt as though her worst fears had come true.

But then, it started wriggling the way snakes do and I realize – It’s true!!!

“Kill It!” “Why?”
That was mom’s first reaction. And she runs off to get a stick or a broom to beat the life out of the tiny fellow. I felt otherwise – why kill the poor guy when he hasn’t done anything to us? So mom comes back fully prepared to attack, but I stopped her. Somehow I managed to convince her to throw her outside the compound. So we decide to grab it (mind, grabbing snakes isn’t easy at all). But then, something struck me – a thought many might call foolhardiness!!!

“I Wanna Take a Photo!”
That was the thing that came into my mind. After all, it’s not every day that you find a snake in your house. I’ve never wished to a wildlife photographer or anything, but the prospect was just too inviting. It was a once in a blue moon opportunity. I told mom I wanted to take a picture of the baby snake. As expected, she asked, “You gone mad???” She couldn’t imagine that a normal person is behaving this way (she should realize I ‘m not what you can call normal). Somehow, after coaxing her and telling her it’ll take only a few seconds, I finally manage to get her permission. So I tell her to monitor the movements of the baby snake and now it was my turn to rush around! I grab my camera and manage to take a snap! Yippeeee!!!


Then I get another weird idea! I should have a photo with the snake (like two friends side-by-side maybe!). But mom, already furious, won’t listen to me anymore. And she manages to take the struggling snake on a piece of cardboard with the help of a broom and haul it over the wall.


So shattered my dreams of having a picture taken with a snake at home. Well, another snake might find its way to our house someday and I’ll make sure I won’t miss another opportunity!!! (But I think I’d prefer it’d be non-poisonous – don’t wanna meet a cobra!)