A SPOOKY COINCIDENCE

Life’s journey is dotted with multiple events, unexpected encounters and variety of experiences. Sometimes weird surprises spring up unannounced. They occur very close to you but leave you unscathed. At that hour you realize the presence of some supreme power which stood between you and the danger.........
 By the way, friends, you must’ve received guests in your house many a time. But did you ever have one who sneaked in incognito, shared all your secrets, without your having any inkling whatsoever? Funny isn’t it? But it actually happened this way. It was serious, as it turned out to be, later. God’s graciousness and kindness saved the situation for me. However, it left me a lot shaken.

One day, many moons back, when I was still in service, I reached home late from college, because of some pressing assignment. As soon as I came, I entered the kitchen without even changing my clothes.

I fixed up the lunch in a jiffy. Meal over. I moved towards the fridge and started adjusting the left over food containers in it. At that moment, all of a sudden, I felt as if something was striking  the lower part of my starched cotton sari. As ‘Nutty’ our dog was in the habit of following me in the house, I thought it was he doing it with his tail, demanding my attention. I blurted out, “Stop 'Nutty' let me finish the job,” but the rustling around me continued. Angered, I gave a cursory look down and screamed...... The container fell down from my hand. To my horror, I saw a snake, about two feet long, grayish in color, hitting me desperately with its upturned tail as if to extricate itself. Apparently one of my shoes had his head under it. I shudder to think of the timing of my stepping on his head. His head my foot on it, so well timed. That actually saved me. He was most likely hiding under the fridge stool and inadvertently peeked out exactly at that moment. I don’t know how in that scary state I made a marathon jump out of the kitchen. In the meantime my good friend slithered fast towards the safe opening under the kitchen sink and coiled itself tightly. Such episodes are pre-ordained. My dearly beloved always cuts me short whenever I try to analyze it 

It was too risky to coax it out alive so it had to be eliminated.

Dazed though I was, I had to figure out –to prevent a possible repeat- how it got inside the house, as all our entry points are secured with double doors. The mystery was resolved soon enough without much brainstorming. It also explained the uncanny rustling which I heard at night, was not due to my poor sleep or some paranoia. It was real. Our friend used to have an undisturbed tour of the house during night.

It turned out that our maid who mopped the floors would keep the water filled bucket in between the net door and the door frame, which left enough opening for any reptile to sneak in. It was rainy season and in our area snakes were sighted in open spaces occasionally.

The unusual visitor came in and lost its bearings in unfamiliar surroundings. It could not escape through the same route though the opportunity was present every day. God’s protective hand saved us from a possible misadventure.

Truly truth is stranger than fiction.

Friends I welcome your feedback.
No image coz snakes give me creeps.