Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Ophidian Surprise

Have you ever been startled so badly your chest hurt? 

It's happened to me on more than one occasion. It happened to me this past Saturday.

The boys and I had a pleasant day.  We ran errands in the morning and I treated them to lunch out.  We came home and I cleaned our filthy apartment while they played.  In the evening, their Dad and Tammy came to pick them up.

Quiet descended on the apartment.  I finished picking up Jedi Knights and Thomas the Tank Engine.  I made a cup of warm milk and chai and read for a little while.  I got really mellow.

As ten o'clock rolled around, I decided to go to bed.  I was "running" a 10K on Sunday and needed my sleep.

I walked to my bed and pulled back the covers.  Something long and thin was coiled underneath.  I swear I thought it moved.  I jumped back with a squeak.

As I stood there, heart thumping, my brain came back to life and I recognized the bright blue object in my bed as Gabe's favorite rubber snake.


Looking at it now, it's hard to believe I thought it was real--even for a second.  Are there snakes anywhere that color?


But one's brain doesn't grasp logic in those first few seconds.  It only grasps "SNAKE!"

No comments:

Post a Comment