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Black Rat Snake Blues
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Black Rat Snake Blues |
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DreamEvil Member Elite
since 1999-06-22
Posts 2396 |
My concentration shifts between the things milling around outside my window and contemplation of the door. Soon I know I will be fed, after all it is that day. Every day is part of the same routine. They reach in and take my bowl to change my water, to pick me up (which I dislike) or to change my bedding. This day is different; today they bring mice for me. I wait with utter stillness for the opening of that door. The door will open many times today, before I am fed. It will open for Him to remove my cousin who shares my home with me. She is so submissive. Next the door opens for Him to remove my water dish. I don't even tense up since I know now I'm to be fed soon. When the door closes this time, I get excited enough to start crawling around my home. With increasing speed I cover the entire bottom of my cage. Corner to corner and end to end, my tongue tests the air, probing for any trace of rodent scent in the air. In my anticipation, I begin jerking and twitching in small spasms up and down my sides. The things like Him stare, as my incipient hunger waxes stronger with each twitch of my skin. Sudden vibration snaps my attention to my window; one of the smaller things is beating on my window. That is enough, the vibration ruins the ability to sense my prey. With a short strike I crack into the window where the thing was rapping. In pain I pull back and coil around my tree. Anything that comes within my reach now is done for. My tail begins vibrating the bedding with staccato motions of the tip. Agitated, I shift my coils up my tree until I am well off the ground and wait for my meal. Patience I practice well, it has been bred into me. I settle into a deceptively relaxed pose and with slight motions of my head, scan the room beyond my window. Vibration from behind the door crowds my attention, quickly I wonder, "Food?" but settle again as I realize it is not my time to be fed. Soon though, the things are edging their way around that room, getting closer to me. Unexpectedly, the door opens and a flash of white streaks through that open door. With a lightning fast lunge, I strike at the mouse. I miss as he twists in mid air, now it's personal. I drop from the tree with the serpentine grace that is my heritage and the speed, which is mine alone. I test the air with rapid jabs of my sensitive tongue, as I scan my home for movement. Movement is the key, my strike is lethal, but movement is what triggers that reflex. My tongue identifies my prey; my eyes track the minute movements as it gingerly dances from foot to foot. Turning to me, it has no clue. Prey is stupid. This strike will not miss. With a blur of motion, I lunge and close my jaws on my prey. As I feel them touch the prey, I twist my body and throw my coils onto it. Strength is my strength; I squeeze with enough force to bulge the eyes out. It gasps for air in a frantic and frightened attempt to get free; nothing in the prey's experience prepares them for me. With a convulsive spasm, my meal is dead. Less than 15 seconds from strike to death. That is my pride. Efficiently I seek out the head, one minute 30 seconds from strike to finish has me waiting for my next, and I always get two. When the door opens this time I strike at my meal in midair, my jaws lock on but my coils are not enough to move this prey. I throw my ebony coils around it and find I have struck Him. With care He works my jaws loose from his flesh and returns me to my home where the mouse awaits it's death. Blood drips down His arm, but not badly. After all, it is Him, the one who feeds me and handles me, the one who cares for me. I know His scent. Though I cannot free my jaws, I relax my coils and open my jaw as far as I can for Him to free us both. Were it one of the other Things, I would not know It's scent, I would savage it in search of a meal. Later, after my cousin has been fed as well and we are together again, I coil beneath and above the heat to wait another week for my next meal and my next chance to strike at Man. Explanation At the Nature Center, we have a Black Rat snake that is unruly and notoriously vicious. He calms down somewhat after he is in your arms but is personally responsible for at least 12 bites on volunteers every year. He has bitten me 5 times in 3 years, 2 times quite badly. I handle him on a weekly basis, 3 times at least, in an attempt to calm his reactions to humans. It's true that he and our other snakes recognize me. I even have had them stop in mid-strike or roll to avoid biting me. Our volunteers are not as well known to them and are sometimes bitten if they don't use caution or welder's gloves. For instance, while I was on vacation a volunteer was mauled by the Black Rat, yes I mean mauled. The last time he bit me he tried to pull his strike and grazed me. Sometimes it is the scent of rodents on the volunteers' hands, sometimes only the motion of the hands. They have proven to me that reptiles do have a memory. ©1999 DreamEvil ------------------ Shall I indulge in flights of fancy hampered by clipped wings? DreamEvil© [This message has been edited by DreamEvil (edited 08-23-99).] |
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Poet deVine
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-26
Posts 22612Hurricane Alley |
This was wonderful! You have really outdone yourself here, DE. How did you know what he was thinking? |
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hoot_owl_rn Member Patricius
since 1999-07-05
Posts 10750Glen Hope, PA USA |
As I am not a big fan of snakes, this piece sent a chill up my back...but the detail in it is excellent!! ------------------ "Nobody has measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold" ~Zelda Fitzgerald |
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Dragoness Senior Member
since 1999-08-07
Posts 513 |
Excellent! Your understanding of snakes is superior! Very well done!!  ------------------ Set you heart free and your mind will follow. |
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DreamEvil Member Elite
since 1999-06-22
Posts 2396 |
Lady deVine, It takes one to know one. |
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tori Senior Member
since 1999-06-18
Posts 520Mechanicsville, Maryland, USA |
Very good DE.. you are fearless.. I don't like spiders and snakes.. !! |
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Moonlight Member
since 1999-06-25
Posts 105Auburn, Alabama USA |
This was really cool! Nice perspective and agree with hoot_owl_rn about the detail. very cool. |
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Gentle Soul Member
since 1999-07-12
Posts 273Vinton,Ohio USA |
WOW DE!! this is awesome. I mean, it captivated me! I mean.. I didnt do nothing but read this! I love it.. I could see the snake.. snakes are neat... they interest me... Im not afraid tho.. hehe.. I got the willies.. but not the.. eww a snake willies.. hehe I got a wow, this is an awesome piece of work willies.. lol ------------------ Gënt£ë¤§°û£ |
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Christopher
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-08-02
Posts 8296Purgatorial Incarceration |
Ditto to all of the above, and I must add; I have quickly become a fan of yours. I enjoy you language usage. It is "poetic" in its style, intelligent, and is well planned. You manage vivid imagery, without patronizing the reader with "stage direction!" A hearty applause on this one! ------------------ Everyone has a photographic memory... ...most of us just don't have film! |
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wayoutwalt Member Elite
since 1999-06-22
Posts 4870TEXAS (it's all big) |
mighty well done dreamevil had no problem with my short attention span gettin top to bottom and it was interesting that is what counts yuh i loved the topic and the contents thanx for postin it |
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Severn Member Rara Avis
since 1999-07-17
Posts 7704 |
There isn't much else to add! Except to say I loved this. Masterful writing, DreamEvil. |
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Nicole Senior Member
since 1999-06-23
Posts 1835Florida |
Excellent portrayal of his point of view! Liked this. ------------------ "Grief can take care of itself, but to get the full value of joy you must have somebody to divide it with." *Mark Twain* |
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WhtDove Member Rara Avis
since 1999-07-22
Posts 9245Illinois |
Have to say I was very interested when reading this. Though I do not like snakes. I have watched them eat and it is horrible. You did a great job, from a snakes point of view. Why don't you wear protective gloves when handling it? |
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Alwye
Moderator
Member Elite
since 1999-06-16
Posts 3850In the space between moments |
Ah, my friend, you were right when you said I'd like this. Exellent, exellent work, Dream. It's great to hear from you once again. ------------------ *Krista Knutson* Mockery is a form of ignorance; silence, a form of wisdom. -- Daniel L. Miller |
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Christopher
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-08-02
Posts 8296Purgatorial Incarceration |
Thank you for bringing this back alwye! Now this, is what prose is about! |
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johnt300 Member
since 1999-09-12
Posts 214san diego, ca. |
EXCELLENT. I have watched a pet snake feed before and it is like this to the tee. Very funny in parts, too. Love the dry humor. That must hurt like hell, too. Tyson |
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Dusk Treader
Moderator
Senior Member
since 1999-06-18
Posts 1187St. Paul, MN |
Wow! This was great DreamEvil! If I didn't know any better, that Black Rat did write this! Liked it a lot, hooked from start to finish. ------------------ "'Cause there's a hunger, a longing to escape, from the life I live when I'm awake" - Creed - "Higher" |
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Deep Blue Me Member
since 1999-11-04
Posts 396By a big lake |
Scott, Impressive imagery, taut story, cohesive and well thought out scenes, I am both fascinated and repelled by the serpent. After reading this I felt like prey. Squeezed til my eyes popped out. DB |
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JennyLee Senior Member
since 1999-09-01
Posts 1461Northwestern, NJ. |
Enjoyed immensely Dream. I like snakes and all creatures great and small  Jen |
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Skyfyre Senior Member
since 1999-08-15
Posts 1906Sitting in Michael's Lap |
I like this! Reminds me of one of the Emerald tree boas I used to deal with -- what an ornery character! I think he liked to fake strikes at me just to watch me jump ... I submit for the record that apparently they (reptiles) have senses of humor, too! --Kess ------------------ You cannot choose the way of your death, but the path you choose will determine its own end. |
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