Never Trust a Snake!

Deep in the wilds of primitive mountains, Shelly Talbot spent her days and nights alone high up above the populated areas. She preferred it that way. Mountain folk are a superstitious lot and thought she was a witch because of her talent of communicating with animals. Even her parents were afraid of her, which is why she moved out of their home when she was sixteen. It was true that she could understand every living creatures there was and answer them in kind. She could not understand how she was able to do this; she had been doing it since she was a small child, but she accepted it as God’s Will.

One fall evening, Shelly was on her way back from the spring that bubbled up fifty yards from the small ram-shackled cabin she lived in, when she was surprised by a sibilant voice coming from a large flat rock.

“Ssssssssssave me…” hissed the voice.

Cautiously moving closer, she discovered a large mountain rattlesnake lying coiled on its surface. Now this confused her. Why would a snake be out in this weather?

“Hey there, snake. Why aren’t you hibernatin’? “ Shelly asked, keeping a safe distance from the reptile.

“Pleasssssssssse, help me sssssssssssweet woman, “pled the snake, his movements were very sluggish from the cold. “It wasssssssss ssssssssuch a nicccccce afternoon. I thought I would warm mysssssssssself in the ssssssssun. I fell asssssssssssleep and woke up too late to get back to my den. Now I am sssssssso cold. I will die ssssssssssoon if I don‘t get warmed again.”

The young woman’s brow furrows as she looks at the snake with understandable suspicion. “Why should I help you? You will bite me and then I will be the one dying.”

“Nooo,” replied the reptile, “I promisssssssssse I won’t bite you if you ssssssssssave me.”

Shelly thought about this for a few moments, noticing that the snake was becoming more and more lethargic. She was a good woman at heart, but found it difficult to believe that the snake would do her no harm. Finally, she said, “Okay snake, if you promise not to bite me, I will also give you a bowl of warm milk when I get you to my home. That should help warm you up quicker.”

Even for as cold as he was, the snake loved the idea of getting a bowl of milk, since he had a particular fondness for milk. “Yesssssssss, ssssssssssweet woman!’ he said with as much exuberance as his freezing body allowed.

Shelly set down the oaken bucket that was three-quarters full of water and carefully picked up the large snake. She cringed inwardly at how incredibly cold its body was as she wrapped the serpentine animal around her left arm, holding its heavy bulk on her hip. With her free hand, she retrieved the bucket and hurried the rest of the way to the cabin.

Once inside, she deposited the bucket on the wooden planked floor and carried the snake over to the hearth where a nice fire was blazing within the fireplace. Unwinding the snake from her arm, Shelly placed him on a wool rug just in front of the hearth.

“While you are warming up, I’ll get you that milk I promised,” Shelly informed him and walked quickly over to a table that was covered with bottles, jars and pitchers.

The serpent slowly stretched out on the rug, luxuriating in the warmth from the fireplace, letting out a content hiss as he did. He thought to himself of how he would bite the woman after drinking the milk and make himself at home for the winter in these human comforts.

As the snake’s ability to move was returning to normal, the young woman set a shallow bowl of milk up on a large block of wood next to the fireplace.

“It’s not very hot, but should warm your innards,” she said softly, a gentle smile on her lips. She sat close by to watch him enjoy his providence.

The snake slithered up on the block and began to lap greedily. When he was full, he started to raise his head to strike the woman with his fangs bared, but he found himself unable to move anymore than he was able to when he was frigid. A look of surprise appeared in his nictitating eyes when Shelly, still smiling, pulled a jar with a thin rubber lid from her apron pockets.

“I knew I couldn’t trust you, snake. I knew what you were when I picked you up. Unfortunately, you didn’t know what I was when I picked you up. Did you think you were the only creature on God’s green earth to have venom?" Shelly said in a gentle voice. "You see, God gave us all a little venom in one form or another. My venom is that I can talk to animals and know their true intentions. I put a little sumptin’ in the milk to prevent you from doing what is only natural for you,” she explained.

She picked the rattler up just behind his head and, with a well practiced squeeze, opened his jaws to expose his fangs. With a little force, she pushed the venom dripping fangs through the rubber, milking all the poison from him.

“You should know that I will get a passel of money for your venom from the town‘s doctor. So many people will benefit from the anti-venom when they are bitten by a snake like you,” Shelly informed the paralyzed snake when she withdrew his fangs from the jar. She held up the jar like it was filled with liquid gold. “But, until I can get that money, my larder is a little low.”

Still holding the snake behind his head, she set the jar down carefully. Reaching back into her apron pocket, she pulled out a cleaver that flashed in the light from the fireplace. The snake felt fear for the first time in his life.

“And snakes taste just like chicken.”