tomorrow when we hike the blue trail. If you like it here, you’re really going to love that. It’s a way bigger pool, and the water’s much deeper. Beau’d be in heaven.”
“ Sounds like it.”
“ I always wanted a dog, but my mom is allergic. At least that’s what she says. I think she’s really just allergic to the mess they’d make.”
Lara laughed. “I think my mom let me get Beau because she felt guilty that I didn’t have any brothers or sisters. Do you have any?”
“ Yeah, an older sister. She’s cool.”
“ Does she come to the camp too?”
“ God no, she’d rather die. She doesn’t like the woods. She says there are too many wild animals that she doesn’t want to come into contact with.”
“ But you hardly ever see them.”
“ I know, I’ve told her that, but she won’t budge.
“ Well, in some ways I don’t blame her. If I thought too much about everything that lives out here, I probably wouldn’t come either.”
“ Good point.”
Katie made her way back to the bank.
“ You ready to get back on the trail?” she asked.
“ Sure,” Lara said.
About ten yards down the trail, Katie froze.
“ Oh my God.”
“ What’s wrong?”
“ Look at the size of that snake.”
Katie backed up until she was standing behind Lara.
Curled up in the middle of the trail was a black snake about two inches in diameter and at least five feet long. It raised its head while they stared at it.
“ I thought you weren’t afraid of animals in the woods,” Lara said.
“ That’s no animal. Animals have fur. That thing has scales and slithers, and I’m not going anywhere near it.”
“ What are we going to do then?”
“ You could move it out of the way.”
“ Me? Why me?”
“ I thought you weren’t afraid of it.”
“ That doesn’t mean I want to touch it,” Lara said. “Let’s walk around it.”
“ I’m not walking within striking distance of that damn thing. It’s big and could reach a long way.”
“ Do they do that? I thought they wouldn’t bother with you as long as you left them alone.”
“ That’s what they say, but I’m not taking any chances.”
The languorous snake uncoiled and moved toward the creek.
“ Oh good, it’s leaving,” Lara said.
Once the snake was off the trail, it stopped and looked back at them.
“ What’s it staring at us for?” Katie asked.
“ Maybe it’s waiting to see if we’re going to come down the trail.”
“ It needs to move farther away before I’m doing that.”
“ It doesn’t look like it wants to.”
“ Probably too tired digesting its lunch.”
The snake had a lump in its midsection that was visible now that it was uncoiled.
“ Maybe it’ll move if we start toward it,” Lara said.
“ You first.”
Lara started up the trail, and the snake turned around so it was facing in their direction.
“ Oh shit, it’s coming back.”
“ Move away from it,” Katie said.
Lara did, and the snake stopped moving, but its head was still up, and it was staring at them.
“ Great,” Lara said and smiled. “Now what?”
Katie picked up a stick and tossed it near the snake’s tail. The snake moved away from the stick but continued to watch them.
“ Good,” Katie said. “It just needs a little encouragement.”
They both looked for sticks and threw them toward the snake’s tail. After they’d thrown a few sticks at it, the snake stopped, raised its tail, and shook it. It made a soft hissing sound.
“ Is that a rattle?” Lara asked.
“ No, but it is coming from its tail, isn’t it?”
“ I think so, but I thought only rattlesnakes did that.”
“ Me too, but that doesn’t look like a rattlesnake. It doesn’t sound right either.”
The snake stopped shaking its tail and wasn’t moving.
“ Maybe there’s a rattlesnake around that we can’t see and the noise wasn’t coming from that snake,” Katie said.
“ Throw another stick, and see if it does it again.”
Katie threw a stick
“ Sounds like it.”
“ I always wanted a dog, but my mom is allergic. At least that’s what she says. I think she’s really just allergic to the mess they’d make.”
Lara laughed. “I think my mom let me get Beau because she felt guilty that I didn’t have any brothers or sisters. Do you have any?”
“ Yeah, an older sister. She’s cool.”
“ Does she come to the camp too?”
“ God no, she’d rather die. She doesn’t like the woods. She says there are too many wild animals that she doesn’t want to come into contact with.”
“ But you hardly ever see them.”
“ I know, I’ve told her that, but she won’t budge.
“ Well, in some ways I don’t blame her. If I thought too much about everything that lives out here, I probably wouldn’t come either.”
“ Good point.”
Katie made her way back to the bank.
“ You ready to get back on the trail?” she asked.
“ Sure,” Lara said.
About ten yards down the trail, Katie froze.
“ Oh my God.”
“ What’s wrong?”
“ Look at the size of that snake.”
Katie backed up until she was standing behind Lara.
Curled up in the middle of the trail was a black snake about two inches in diameter and at least five feet long. It raised its head while they stared at it.
“ I thought you weren’t afraid of animals in the woods,” Lara said.
“ That’s no animal. Animals have fur. That thing has scales and slithers, and I’m not going anywhere near it.”
“ What are we going to do then?”
“ You could move it out of the way.”
“ Me? Why me?”
“ I thought you weren’t afraid of it.”
“ That doesn’t mean I want to touch it,” Lara said. “Let’s walk around it.”
“ I’m not walking within striking distance of that damn thing. It’s big and could reach a long way.”
“ Do they do that? I thought they wouldn’t bother with you as long as you left them alone.”
“ That’s what they say, but I’m not taking any chances.”
The languorous snake uncoiled and moved toward the creek.
“ Oh good, it’s leaving,” Lara said.
Once the snake was off the trail, it stopped and looked back at them.
“ What’s it staring at us for?” Katie asked.
“ Maybe it’s waiting to see if we’re going to come down the trail.”
“ It needs to move farther away before I’m doing that.”
“ It doesn’t look like it wants to.”
“ Probably too tired digesting its lunch.”
The snake had a lump in its midsection that was visible now that it was uncoiled.
“ Maybe it’ll move if we start toward it,” Lara said.
“ You first.”
Lara started up the trail, and the snake turned around so it was facing in their direction.
“ Oh shit, it’s coming back.”
“ Move away from it,” Katie said.
Lara did, and the snake stopped moving, but its head was still up, and it was staring at them.
“ Great,” Lara said and smiled. “Now what?”
Katie picked up a stick and tossed it near the snake’s tail. The snake moved away from the stick but continued to watch them.
“ Good,” Katie said. “It just needs a little encouragement.”
They both looked for sticks and threw them toward the snake’s tail. After they’d thrown a few sticks at it, the snake stopped, raised its tail, and shook it. It made a soft hissing sound.
“ Is that a rattle?” Lara asked.
“ No, but it is coming from its tail, isn’t it?”
“ I think so, but I thought only rattlesnakes did that.”
“ Me too, but that doesn’t look like a rattlesnake. It doesn’t sound right either.”
The snake stopped shaking its tail and wasn’t moving.
“ Maybe there’s a rattlesnake around that we can’t see and the noise wasn’t coming from that snake,” Katie said.
“ Throw another stick, and see if it does it again.”
Katie threw a stick
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