This article was first created on the 28th of February, 2015 and last updated on the 13th of February, 2016 by Patrick Carpen.
Photo Thanks To:
http://www.freeimages.com/photo/the-menacing-snake-1569213
This story is about the closest encounter I’ve ever had with a deadly, poisonous snake – literally speaking. I mean, figuratively speaking, I’ve had many much closer encounters with deadly snakes, whose venom not only failed to kill me, but by the power of God, made me stronger.
I was sitting at the receptionist’s desk of a hotel in the Rupununi Savannas of Guyana, when a snake about 7 feet long, with yellow belly and black back, and forked tongue, slithered over the computer’s monitor and hissed at me.
For the first few seconds, I wondered what the hell was happening here. Was this a real snake? I realized quickly that it was. I got on my feet and backed out of the area. The snake seemed afraid of me, and generally afraid of humans, and without intentions to attack.
It quickly slithered down and headed away. I shouted to the little girl, Reanna, who had just walked out a nearby door to be on her guard, that a snake was on the loose. I ran behind the snake as it slithered along the bottom of the wall to the other end of the building.
Half-panicking, I looked for a stick or some object with which to hit the snake, but I couldn’t get ahold of one. I shouted to the little girl Reanna to bring me a piece of wood to kill the snake. She acted sluggishly. After a good 15 seconds or so delay, which could have been detrimental in a situation like this, Reanna came along with a piece of stick, about two feet long, and too thin to withstand the slightest shock.
“Not that!” I shouted. “Something bigger!”
I had to keep my eye on the snake. If the snake disappeared into a corner, or curled itself up in a location where it was hard to detect, it would pose a serious threat to everyone in the hotel, and might very well spring a deadly surprise on an unsuspecting victim.
I watched the snake as it slithered into a narrow passageway. By then, assisted by an elderly man, Reanna had managed to procure a wood of reasonable size, and capable of mortally wounding the snake. The elderly man took the wood from her. He approached the snake with calm. His lack of precaution made me nervous. As the man fired at the snake with the wood, the snake backed away, but at times jumped towards the man and snapped its jaws in retaliation.
I called to Reanna to summon Pompey: the young guy who grew up in jungle-like environments and who would be more “nature-savvy”.
The little girl acted stubbornly once again, but after a few more shouts, she yielded to my instructions.
Within a few minutes, Pompey arrived and took the wood from the elderly man, who up that time, had not succeeded in wounding the snake.
Pompey fired at the snake with the wood, and his level of carefulness was not that impressive either. Nevertheless, within a few minutes, the snake was dead, having been wounded first on the back, and then on the head.
We were informed by knowledgeable people that that was indeed a deadly, poisonous snake, and one whose venom could kill in seconds.
Even though the snake was deadly, and killing it was wise, a few hours later, a feeling of sadness entered my heart at the thought of having to kill the snake. The snake seemed to have had no intentions of attacking humans. Nevertheless, we had no choice.
I reprehended the little girl for her sluggish behavior and instructed her to act better in cases of emergencies next time.
I wondered where the snake came from, and how many more were around. The hotel was undergoing construction at the time, and someone said that there were many snakes living under the hotel. Now that the floors were being broken for reconstruction purposes, the snakes would come out.
What a scary thought. What if one of these snakes finds a cozy spot in my bedroom! For the first time in my life, I thanked God that my room was really really hot in the daytime. Snakes are cold blooded creatures and wouldn’t be able to stand the heat. That was a deterrent that I certainly was thankful for. Nevertheless, in the night, nothing could stop a snake from making itself comfortable in my room. I considered leaving a candle lit at all times after dark in the room, especially near to my bed. I’ve heard that fire is a natural deterrent to snakes and all forest creatures. Their instincts tells them that fire means danger.
Nevertheless, I’ve learned to rely on the highest power in the world for protection from snakes and all other dangers: God who is looking down from above into every crack, crevice, nook and cranny of the earth He has created.
Related: The Scorpion Scare.
