What Did You Say It Was

People enjoy hobbies but not everyone enjoys the same thing. What one person may consider a captivating way to spend their spare time another individual may think the very same activity is boring or weird. Charlie and Bishop are two such individuals living on different sides of the spectrum. Charlie considers himself an ophiologist. It’s a fancy word for a person who studies snakes.

This was a new hobby for him and one that Charlie found fascinating. When he first decided to learn about the slithery creatures he had no idea there were such a variety of species. They live on land and in both fresh and salt water. Most are harmless to humans and beneficial to the environment, but there are some that are deadly. Charlie felt that it was the venomous ones that give the harmless ones a bad name.

Snakes have been an iatrical part of human society since Adam and Eve. They have been symbols of rebirth, guardianship, knowledge, and medicine. The ancient Egyptians adorned headgear with likenesses of cobras and the American Indian included snake symbols in many of their rituals. Charlie didn’t understand why Bishop wasn’t as curious about snakes as he was.

Bishop could not comprehend Charlie’s attraction with the ground slithering reptiles. The rancor grew between the friends until it reached a boiling point. In a last-ditch effort to broker a peace, Charlie invited his friend over to his house to broker a piece. He thought that if the he could show his friend a new way of looking at snakes they could put all this bad blood behind them.

The meeting began cordial enough. Charlie led Bishop into his garage where he kept an ever-growing collection of snakes. It was clear that Bishope was feeling uneasy being surrounded by so many snakes, but he did his best to maintain his composure. The friends moved from cage to cage as Charlie showed off his collection wriggle pets. Bishope began to slowly but not completely relax in this slithery environment.

“Charlie, are any of these poisonous?”

“Of course not. I wouldn’t want to put any one’s life in danger. People do get the King snake confused with the Coral snake sometimes, which isn’t a mistake you want to make. I have a King snake over here and trust me he’s very friendly.”

Charlie reached into the cage, pulled out the colorfully banded snake and handed it to a very hesitant Bishop. The snake remained immobile for several seconds then reared back it’s head and sunk it’s fangs into the fleshy part of Bishop’s hand. Screes of panic emanated from the garage as both men did their best to place the snake back in its cage.

“I’m sorry Bishop, that wasn’t supposed to happen. We need to get you to a hospital right away, but it will probably be too late.”

“I thought you said none of these were poisonous.”

“I always get the Coral and King snakes mixed up. I need to remember the old saying, Red and Yellow Kill A Fellow. Not to worry, I’ll make sure you have a nice funeral.