The Snake in the Garden

It was as if Time stood still when the Princess and the Snake's paths crossed. The Princess had never seen a Snake in her garden before, and it felt as if there was something beckoning her to this beautiful creature. It was as if an invisible, unbreakable thread connected them throughout the cosmos, as if they were always destined to cross paths.

The Princess’s beauty captivated the Snake as well, and this surprised him. To him, humans more or less looked the same, their infrared hues changing little, their scents unappealing. This caused him to keep his distance. But he had tasted her scent not far from this hidden, enchanted garden. All he had wanted to do was find out what sort of creature harbored this scent. And when he had found her, the Princess was not what he'd imagined. For one, he did not expect to find a human, much less a human girl. The forest around him was void of humans, the exception being hunters. The Snake detested human men. He had seen on many occasions what human men did to his kind out of ignorance. He had seen them stomp his kin's brains out, shoot them, behead them, and feast on their flesh like some sort of otherworldly monsters. However, it was the women that ordered their men to commit these crimes against Creation's creatures. The Snake and his brethren had Souls just as humans did, but the humans thought so little of the planet's creatures. Should all of Creation's creatures turn against them, where would the humans be then?

The Snake could not keep his eyes off the Princess. For the first time, the Snake could identify every color. The infrared hues he usually saw were complimented by the radiant pink aura of the Princess. She herself was a spectrum of colors. Her smooth toffee shoulders were cascaded by waterfalls of blue-black coiling curls that covered her breasts. Her shy, vanilla eyes sparkled in the sunlight. The rest of her body curved like the many roads the Snake had traveled. Her scent was fresh, intoxicating like a fine, sweet white wine.

The Snake’s ruby eyes stared into her soul. He would have loved to wrap himself slowly around her, inhaling her delicious scent.

The Princess swayed slightly at the Snake’s presence, getting drunk on his stare. He smiled then, showing pearly, needle-like fangs.

“Well, hello,” he said, his voice dancing across her eardrums. “What iss sssomething so lovely as yourself doing in a garden as fine as thisss?”

The Princess's dark eyes saddened. “My family sent me here before the war to protect me when I was only ten years old. They promised to come back for me when the war was over, but... it’s been so long since then. I fear that I will be trapped here forever.”

“Why don’t you just leave?” the Snake said, asking the obvious.

The Princess rolled her eyes. “Don't speak as if I have not tried, Snake. There was a spell cast to prevent me from leaving. I was only a child, you know, and children wander... My family only wanted to keep me safe.”

The Snake slithered closer to her, her sweet scent drawing him in. “I found you quite eassily.”

“Yes, but you're a creature. I have had many animals find and keep me company. Some have even brought me food from time to time.”

He stared at her, confused yet fascinated. “How quaint,” he said. He was beginning to feel lethargic from his journey. “Princesss, would you mind if I stayed for some time so that I may get some ressst? I am quite tired from my travelss.”

The Princess smiled shyly, her lashes touching her cheeks as she shuffled her feet. “I would love to have your company, Snake. It has been so long since I’ve been able to converse with someone other than myself.”

“Isss that sso? I do not frighten you?”

She shook her head. “Quite the opposite, Snake. Your presence has fascinated me so. You cannot imagine what it's been like to be confined to such a prison as this. Albeit a beautiful, abundant prison.”

He smiled. “A beautiful prisson indeed. I am grateful, Princesss. It seemss Creation has not quite forsaken me yet. I promise to not overstay my welcome, Princesss.”

The Princess’s eyes brightened. “Oh, I don't think that's possible, my friend. You could stay forever if you wanted.”

Forever? The Snake sneered at the thought. He knew that would not be. No matter how enchanting she was. The Snake would move on, seeking new places to experience. It was odd that the Snake should enjoy traveling, for it was quite dangerous for him. Why he would not remain in one place had never occurred to him.

Perhapsss because there was never a reason to stay, he thought.

* * * * *

For the next few weeks, the Princess and the Snake were inseparable. Some days he was quiet, resting around her shoulders. Other days, he was talkative, telling her of the wondrous things he'd seen on his travels.

“One night, I was laying under a rock on the brink of starvation,” he began. “I saw the most curiousss thing. There was an owl that I’d noticed before but kept my distance from, you know. It was hunting ratss close to the human village quite a wayss from here. Now usually, this owl iss a viciousss hunter, and I’ve seen it eat many snakesss and other creaturesss. Not without them putting up a fight, of course. Anyway, it was having the most damnable time getting these rats thiss particular night. I couldn’t tell you how, Princesss, but these rats were giving this owl the runaround. It was as if the owl didn't realize that there wass more than one rat. Anyway, the rats were running in and out of bushess, up the treess, in and out of rabbit holesss. The owl just couldn’t keep up. Well, one of these rats got caught taunting the owl.

'Night vision for what?' he says. 'You can't even see what's right in front of you! Wings for what? I'm faster than you! A little 'ole rat with tiny pink feet outsmarting and outrunning the big, bad owl. What a pity! What would your mother think?'

“The owl was ruffling its feathersss now, and it finally reared its head back and let out an awful screech. The instant that rat got the idea to run, it was too late. The owl snatched that rat in its talonsss and flew away.”

The Snake paused, chuckling. “Princesss, I had never heard a rat cry in such distresss as I did that night. The rest of the rats ran and hid, of course. What could they do? Anyway, their brother thrashed and howled wildly, doing everything to get away from the owl. And to my utter surprise, the owl seemed annoyed at the rat's anticsss. So, the owl drops the rat and fliess away into the night, as if the rat wasn’t worth the trouble in the first place!” the Snake laughed so hard that the Princess couldn’t help but smile, although not really understanding, but enjoying the story nonetheless.

“What happened next?” she asked, stroking the Snake's head.

Mischief glittered in the Snake’s eyes. “I ate it, of course,” he said, pearly fangs gleaming as he smiled.

The Princess gasped, but realized that it was natural for snakes to eat rats. It was all part of the Circle of Life. She thought back to when she lived in her castle with her mother, father, and siblings. Her instructor had made her learn about all of the animals and vegetation in the area. She had learned about the big brown bears, the silent, night cats, the colorful birds, and the little rodents. The Princess had learned which berries to eat, which mushrooms to stay away from, which plants were for medicine, and which ones could kill.

Suddenly, a new memory unfolded as she reminisced about her life. The Princess had not learned about snakes during any of her lessons. So when she encountered the Snake in the courtyard, the Princess had not known what it was. She had been so fascinated by the creature, she did not know to be wary. The Snake was not full grown, yet not a newborn. It was the color of onyx, hooded, with dazzling ruby eyes, and an intricate golden design on its back.

Much like this one, the Princess thought, remembering how the creature had stared at her for so long... She had told her instructor about the creature, and the instructor had shown her pictures of snakes. However, her instructor had insisted that snakes were not native to the area, but the Princess knew what she had seen. Now, there was something was familiar about this Snake, but it couldn’t possibly have been the same one.

“Was it a tasty rat?” the Princess asked.

The Snake frowned. This was the first time he had even considered whether or not his prey were palatable. “I supposse you could say that... But would I have preferred something a bit more... 'tassty'? I can’t say. I just do as I’m called to do like everything else. At leasst, I assume so.”

“What did it taste like?”

He thought for a moment. “This one was sssweet. Every rat tastes differently based on what they eat, you see. This one probably ate lots of nuts and berries. Some rats taste bitter or rancid because they probably couldn't find anything else 'tasty' to eat.” The Snake smiled. “So then, I guesss it wass a tasty rat.”

The Princess beamed, her smile casting a rainbow hue of colors across the Snake's vision. He was dazzled for a moment by her radiance, but he quickly snapped himself out of his stupor and continued speaking.

“You know what I learned that day, Princesss?”

“What did you learn, my Snake?”

My Snake, the words caressed his spirit in a way he didn't think was possible. Especially coming from a human.

His eyes were like deep pools of blood that the Princess wanted to drown in. They stared at each other, Time once again standing still to tend to this connection. “All of our fates are connected,” the Snake said. “Everything is connected.”

The Princess frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“If the owl hadn’t dropped that rat out of annoyance, I would've died that day.” His eyes were sparkling now. “That rat’s fate was connected to mine. It was destined to keep me from starving to death. Maybe even as a sort of sssacrifice. Both the owl and the rat kept me from dying, really.” He paused, gauging the Princess's reaction. He could see the eagerness for him to continue in her eyes. “There isss a... Force. That is what I call it, at least. I believe It propels everything into Being—which is Life—and then It transmutes Life into Death, and vice versa. That rat's Death was ultimately transmuted into Life for me.”

The Princess understood, but she frowned. “Fate is an unfair thing, it seems.”

“Fate is something none of usss can escape. I cannot escape whatever fate awaits me as a snake. Perhapsss you cannot escape your fate of being trapped in this garden. I am not sure. But our fates are connected. If it were not so, we would not be here. As for why or how, I do not know. I am not the Force.”

They were silent for some time. The Princess stopped stroking the Snake's head as she got lost in her thoughts. He looked up at her, wondering why she had stopped.

The Princess, slowly coming out of her daze, searched for something in the Snake's eyes. However, what she was looking for could not be found. She asked, “What are you, then?”

The Snake looked away, not wanting her to see the glint in his eyes. “Why, Death, of course.”

* * * * *

One day, the Princess was picking the dead heads off of her roses as the Snake rested around her shoulders. She relished in his cool breath caressing her skin. The Princess smiled, thinking about how she had made herself a fruit platter on a tree stump. The stump was covered with grapes, cherries, peaches, pomegranates, figs, apples, and satsumas. She had offered the Snake some and laughed when he spat the fruit out in disgust.

“How can you eat that stuff?” he'd grumbled.

She wrinkled her nose. “How can you eat rats?”

A gentle smile crossed his face. “Fair enough.”

The Princess smiled warmly at the memory, picking away absently at the dead rose heads. She was enjoying the Snake’s company. He was such an fascinating creature to her. She had never felt this way before about anything.

If only he were human, she thought. There was an electrifying feeling coursing through her body when he looked at her. Was this the Love that she’d read about in the fairy tales back home?

But he's a Snake. What could a snake know about Love? She didn’t know much about Life, but she knew that was an impossibility. But still... The Princess saw how he looked at her with such intrigue. He had to feel the same way about her.

But he's a Snake.

He wouldn't hurt me though.

But he's a Snake.

That couldn't be part of Creation's fate for her. Then again, she didn’t even know what her own fate was, especially how it involved this Snake. The Princess knew that he would want to leave eventually, but she was convincing herself that she could change his mind.

“Princesss?” the Snake interrupted her thoughts.

“Yes, Snake?”

He yawned, seeming to stretch his lithe body. “What is your biggesst desire?”

She paused, crushing dry rose petals, letting the fragments drift to the ground. “Well, I suppose at one point, my biggest desire was to leave this garden and be with my family again.” She sighed. “However... things have changed since then. Of course, I still want to go home, but...” her voice trailed off.

The Snake coiled around her arm to look at her with those ruby red eyes. “What is your wissh now?”

The Princess was quiet for a while before she spoke, choosing her words carefully. “I am not as naive as I seem. I know my family will not come for me. I probably am fated to be in this garden forever. I don't see any other possibility.” Tears welled in her eyes. “I think I... I think I wish for company now. No, Love. It's debilitating how lonesome it is, despite having my animal friends. I get so lonely here… It’s nice to have some company for once. I've dreamed of having a companion to share my garden with—”

“Love, you say?” the Snake interrupted. “I sssee. Yesss… The biggest human desire. A word without meaning, yet everyone seems to have their own definition… I’ve ssseen what Love does to humansss. This Love seems to drive you all mad. I have even seen humansss kill each other for this Love. Why would you want that, Princesss?”

She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I’ve read that Love is a beautiful, invisible thing that cannot be explained. It sounds as if it would make one weep tears of joy if they found it... I believe I would.” A tear fell, then, drifting slowly down her smooth cheek. “Snake, I do believe that I Love you.”

The Princess allowed herself to drown in those blood red eyes that day. Her heart swelled with something she had never felt before. Electric currents pulsed through every fiber of her being. The Princess could feel more tears falling down her cheeks as her eyes sparkled with enchantment. Her cheeks were hurting from smiling, but she didn't care. She had never smiled this way before, not even while in the castle. The Princess felt as if she could dance, fly, and sing at the same time. She felt her insides melting, as if they would spill from between her legs, splattering the garden floor with a messy depiction of the sought after Love.

The Princess and the Snake stared at each other, Time sashaying into the void. Two beings, two souls, two hearts, two incomparable walks of life. Yes, she thought. This is my destiny. This moment is what I was created for. I have not been forsaken!

The Snake hissed and uncoiled himself from the Princess and fell at her feet. Startled, she fell backwards to the ground. The Princess stared stupefied at the Snake, her face burning with tears.

“W-why did you do that?” she asked, furiously wiping away embarrassment.

“You ssspeak as if I am truly capable of this Love,” he spat venom onto the ground, hatred blazing in his eyes.

“I-I’m sorry... I—I know Love may not be something you completely understand, but I see the way you look at me and—”

The Snake guffawed. “And you interpreted that as me loving you? Sssilly girl,” he hissed. “The absurdity! The audacity! The complete madnesss. I could never Love a human! ”

“But... You cannot tell me you haven’t enjoyed our time together. You have all you may eat, water for your fill, company—”

He hissed and spat again. “I do not need company. I do not need anything you have to offer me. I have everything I need outside of thisss wretched garden.”

“But-but-but...” the Princess was blubbering now. Why was he so angry? What was so wrong with Love? Deny it as he might, the Princess knew that the Snake cared for her. What was so wrong with that?

The Snake glowered at the Princess. “You believe in a completely made up concept that other abominable humansss try to impose on others for their own sssadistic desires. You don't know anything. I’ve ssseen what you humansss call Love, and I want no part of it.”

The Princess cringed as the Snake rose up, hood flaring. “I just thought—” she choked on a sob.

The Snake finally realized that he was frightening the Princess, and his fury ebbed. He sighed. “Sometimes in Life, Princesss, there are moments of pure blisss that eventually melt into suffering, but only if we allow ourselves to suffer.” He gazed at her with those ruby eyes, frustrated with the situation he was in. The Snake didn't want to leave, but there was no way he could cohabitate with a human, let alone Love one. It just wouldn't work.

“I am leaving, Princesss, but I will not suffer. I will cherissh the moments we've spent together during thiss time. I will have lifelong memoriesss of a being so kind and gentle to a creature as loathsome as myself. I know that I will never cross pats with someone as wonderful as yourself. You, however, will indeed suffer. But only if you allow yourself to.”

“But... Please...” the Princess said, her voice cracking. She felt as if she were floating towards The Snake in a daze, tears blurring everything except for him. “I’ll die suffering for you. I’ll never be right again, if I ever was before you came along and brightened my life... I’m begging you, Snake. I can’t bear to be alone again. Not like this. Please... Please stay with me...”

Her mistake came too quickly for her to realize what she’d done. The Princess grabbed the Snake’s tail as he was slithering away. With lightning speed, he sank his fangs into her hand, injecting his venom. She stared stupidly at the droplets of blood blossoming on her hand and then at the Snake who regarded her with... Was that sadness?

The Princess continued to crawl towards the Snake. He hesitated, a pained look crossing his face before he bit her again.

She felt it that time, the fiery venom coursing through her veins. The Princess lowered her head and sobbed quietly, the pain in her heart greater than the pain in her hand. Her world was spinning. She felt the grass tickling her ears as her head hit the ground.

The sky was so blue and beautiful that day. She relished in the warmth from the sun as her throat closed tighter and tighter, her body convulsing. The Princess could only think about how alive she had felt with the Snake. The thought comforted her as she lay dying on the soft grass, grass she’d never realized was so soft until this moment.

“Sssweet Princesss...” the Snake hissed softly in her ear as he slithered past her, shedding a tear she'd never see. “Pleassse… Forgive me... You knew from the beginning that I was a Snake…”