So there I was, writing away, when my neighbor calls. She's speaking rapidly and totally incoherent, but obviously wants me to come over. I quickly grabbed these historic pictures (note thumb in corner for authenticity) of the neighbor's pack of dogs keeping a wary distance.
Yes, my neighbor's neighbor had caught a cobra. The thing had crawled into her house and hissed at her, so she nailed it with some kind of grabbing tool. I think every home should have one. Or maybe three. But this amazon was getting tired and the fire department was a long time coming to pick up the snake. So my neighbor wanted me to hold the cobra while we waited.
So, here's the long arm of your trusty writer holding a cobra at bay while we all wait. I think I must have "sucker" printed on my forehead.
Fortunately some he-man sons showed up to take over for me. I had a bad moment when they decided to apply an additional tool to its head, which it objected to with much thrashing and hissing. I nearly redecorated my underwear at that point. But having manfully discharged my obligations, I retired to my house to write my memoirs and await the fire brigade.
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11 comments:
Snakes on a lane.
Tim Maddog
The hidden costs of working from home.
hahah did she thank you at least?
Yes, of course they thanked me.
What ARE those sticks? They look perfect for the job of catching snakes, and the fact that your neighbor and your neighbor's neighbor both had one (I see two in one picture) suggest that they have a lot of snakes in the area. But if they were common in your area I would have thought you would have a better description than " some kind of grabbing tool".
So what is it? Can you ask your neighbor and report back to us?
Great story, BTW. I laughed out loud.
They have a heavy metal pincers on the end, suggesting they are agricultural tools. No idea what they are used for, but they are very handy for grabbing a cobra. I still can't imagine how the woman did it. She is brave beyond belief.
Here's one of those tools with a Mandarin name of "捕蛇夾工具" (snake-catching tongs).
Here's a generic one with the English description of "Pick Up and Reaching Tool."
And here's one more with a whole bunch of descriptions.
Michael's original wording was actually pretty accurate.
Tim Maddog
That's not a cost, that's a benefit. I'd have loved to have been asked to look after a cobra.
I killed a cobra of similar length. Still feel terrible about that.
Michael, remember, the best weapon against a snake is a rock. you can stand back and throw several large rocks until the threat is ended. next time she calls you, bring a couple of rocks with you.
Apparently, this is the "Taiwan" or "Chinese" cobra - and not too common here.
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