Snakes!

One day, my son Christopher, then aged 4 or 5, was sitting out on the front verandah steps playing with several sticks. I was inside the house making beds and could hear him plainly. He had the sticks all lined up, and was saying, and here’s the mummy snake, and there’s the daddy snake and this is the baby snake…. I thought good grief what a thing to make a game up about!  Then I heard him shout AND THERE’S A REAL SNAKE!  A rather large brown snake, close to 6′ long, was coming through the front gate, up the driveway, towards where he was sitting, so no flies on my son, he shot up off the steps and ran towards the front door as fast as his little chubby legs would carry him!  I, on the other hand, who have never been a runner, just about broke the land speed record reaching the door at the same time.  We practically fell over each other, as I pulled him inside and shut the door.  Once I was satisfied he was safe and unharmed, we both ran to a window overlooking the driveway, and watched as the snake meandered on its way, and slithered off the driveway and under the fence between my place and the next door neighbours.  I said to Chris, you stay and watch, I just have to make a couple of phone calls.  The first person I rang was the next door neighbour, who was at work, and arranged to pick up her son from school, when I picked my other kids up.  Normally I would let the kids walk home, but not with a snake on the loose.  I told her I would keep all the kids inside until she came home, or until the snake was found.  Then I rang my then husband, and told him he had a job to do when he came home….find the snake!

 

No sooner had I put down the phone than there was a knock on the back door.  I opened the door, and found several of the council workers from across the road (at the Council Works Depot) with shovels and various implements.  G’day Missus (time honoured Aussie greeting), we saw a snake come in here, do you want us to get it for ya?  I informed them that it had actually gone through the fence to the neighbours, so off they went round there.  They knew no one was home so they thrashed around under the many bushes and shrubs in my neighbours garden looking for the snake.  I almost felt sorry for it….

 

About 15 minutes later, with Christopher still watching from the window, accompanied now by toddler Wendy who wanted to know what all the fuss was about, the men returned, and apologised profusely for not finding the snake.  I thanked them very much for their efforts and told them that my husband (who was actually their boss, but worked in the office downtown) would continue the search when he got home, in an hour or so.  In the meantime I felt sure everyone would be safe inside the house.

 

Time came to pick up the other kids from school, so I looked out the front door, saw the coast was clear, and with one kid under each arm, rushed to the car, and got them buckled in, in world record time.  I got myself in the car and we set off.  As I drove past my neighbour’s house, I noticed one of her many cats was staring at a particular bush, and thought I bet that’s where the snake is.  I picked up all the kids without incident, and told them what had happened, and that they were to stay inside at all times once we were home.  They of course were agog with excitement that there was a snake around!  This was a town, and snakes didn’t come into towns, they stayed out in the countryside!  Why was this snake here?  they asked, and of course I had no idea, I only wished it wasn’t!

 

Half an hour or so after we got ourselves safely inside, and all five children took up watch at the window nearest the driveway….just in case the snake went back the way it came, and they miss something, hubby arrived home, and asked for an update.  Then he took a spade, which I thought should have had a 40′ handle, and so armed prepared to do battle with the snake.  About ten minutes later, and after hearing a bit more thrashing round under bushes, he came back with the snake on the spade.  It was dead, and had been for some time, he thought, which meant the blokes from the Council Depot DID get it.  And yes, it was indeed under the bush that the cat was watching.  He had a glint in his eye, and I said you’re not bringing that inside!  He said no, no…. and explained his plan.

 

At that time, Rylstone had finally reached the age of civilisation and the whole town was being connected to the sewerage system.  This was quite a big job, and many men from out of town had been employed as well as some local fellows.  Many of the “outsiders” were Irish, so of course, in typical Aussie fashion, it was said that the Irish were building the sewerage system.  In hubby’s logic, he had decided the Irish had disturbed the snake with their digging, and he was going to give the snake back to them.  Of course they had finished for the day, so off he went to their nearest trench, and threw the snake in, and came back with a satisfied smirk on his face.  I can only imagine the looks on the poor mens’ faces when they discovered the snake the next day…..