A
THREE DAY VACATION
NOW
I'M GOING TO SAY A WORD THAT LOTS OF YOU DON'T LIKE.
THAT WORD IS … "SNAKE." O'BOY I CAN SEE THAT A BUNCH OF
PEOPLE DELETED MY STORY ALREADY. WELL FOR THE REST OF
YOU, I HAVE A LITTLE STORY I WANT TO TELL YOU.
WHEN
I WAS IN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL I TOOK A CLASS CALLED
BIOLOGY. LET'S SEE, I MUST HAVE BEEN 12 OR 13 YEARS OLD
AT THE TIME. IN THIS CLASS WE HAD A GLASS AQUARIUM IN
WHICH THE TEACHER HAD PUT SOME SAND AND A FEW HAND SIZED
ROCKS. THEN HE HAD PUT A LIZARD AND A SMALL TERRAPIN IN
IT. HE HAD HIS STUDENTS CATCH FLIES AND BUGS TO FEED
THEM.
LIZARDS AND TERRAPINS DON'T DO MUCH FOR ME SO ONE DAY
WHEN I WAS RIDING OUR NEIGHBOR'S HORSE IN THE WOODS
BEHIND OUR HOUSE I FOUND SOMETHING THAT DID INTEREST
ME.
I
WAS RIDING DOWN THROUGH THESE WOODS WHEN I CAME TO A
LITTLE STREAM. IT WASN'T MUCH OF A STREAM. THERE WAS A
TWO-FOOT SANDY STRIP AND A THREE-FOOT WIDE STREAM OF
WATER. IT WAS ONLY TWO OR THREE INCHES DEEP.
AS I
STARTED TO RIDE ACROSS IT MY HORSE BALKED. HE WOULD NOT
STEP DOWN ON THE SAND.
NOW
I SAID I WAS RIDING MY NEIGHBOR'S HORSE, BUT WHAT I
DIDN'T SAY WAS MY NEIGHBOR DIDN'T KNOW IT. THIS WAS
JUST A VERY GENTLE HORSE THAT RAN LOOSE ON THE OIL
COMPANY LEASE WHERE WE LIVED. I COULD WALK UP TO HIM
ANY TIME AND PUT MY BELT AROUND HIS NECK AND CRAWL ON
HIS BACK AND RIDE HIM. NO SADDLE OR REINS, BARE BACK
AND JUST MY BELT AROUND HIS NECK TO GUIDE HIM BY.
AS I
SAID HE BALKED AT CROSSING THIS STREAM SO I SLID DOWN
OFF HIS BACK AND WAS GOING TO LEAD HIM ACROSS THE STREAM
WITH MY BELT. AS I GOT HIM CLOSE TO THE STREAM HE
JERKED THE BELT OUT OF MY HAND AND RAN OFF.
I
WAS BARE FOOTED SO I WAS GOING TO WADE ACROSS AND GO ON
WITH MY ADVENTURE. AS I STEPPED DOWN ON THE SAND I
LOOKED DOWN AND JUMPED BACK. NOW I SAW WHAT HAD SPOOKED
THE HORSE.
THERE WERE FOUR BABY COPPERHEAD SNAKES THERE ON THE
SAND. I REACHED DOWN AND CAUGHT ONE RIGHT BEHIND THE
HEAD SO IT COULDN'T BITE ME. NOW I WAS HOLDING A SNAKE
WITH ONE HAND AND WITH THE OTHER HAND I WAS HOLDING UP
MY PANTS. ( REMEMBER THE HORSE HAD RUN OFF WITH MY BELT
)
I
DECIDED THE BEST THING TO DO WAS GO HOME AND PUT MY
SNAKE IN A FRUIT JAR AND GET ANOTHER BELT.
OK
WHEN I GOT HOME I PUT MY SNAKE IN A JAR AND THERE BY THE
HOUSE WAS THAT SCAREDY CAT HORSE WITH MY BELT STILL
AROUND HIS NECK. I WALKED UP TO HIM AND GOT MY BELT
BACK.
SO I
HAD TO DECIDE WHAT TO DO WITH MY SNAKE. THEN I HAD A
BRILLIANT IDEA. I WOULD TAKE IT TO SCHOOL AND PUT IT IN
THE AQUARIUM WITH THE LIZARD AND THE TERRAPIN. THIS
WILL JUICE UP THE TEACHER'S LESSON ABOUT LIVING THINGS
AND WHAT THEY EAT.
THE
NEXT MONDAY MORNING WHEN I GOT TO SCHOOL NONE OF THE
CLASSES HAD STARTED YET SO I TOOK MY SNAKE INTO THE
BIOLOGY ROOM AND POURED IT IN THE AQUARIUM. IT QUICKLY
CRAWLED UNDER ONE OF THE ROCKS. I SAT MY FRUIT JAR ON
THE WINDOWSILL AND LEFT THE ROOM. MY FIRST CLASS WAS
ENGLISH BUT I COULD HARDLY WAIT FOR MY SECOND CLASS,
BIOLOGY.
WHEN
TIME CAME FOR MY BIOLOGY CLASS I RAN DOWN THE HALL TO
GET TO THE ROOM AS QUICKLY AS I COULD. WHEN I ENTERED
THE ROOM I WENT STRAIGHT TO THE AQUARIUM TO LOOK FOR THE
COPPERHEAD SNAKE. I DIDN'T SEE IT. IT MUST BE HIDING
UNDER ONE OF THE ROCKS I THOUGHT.
I
PICKED UP ONE OF THE ROCKS BUT IT WASN'T UNDER THAT
ONE. I SET IT ON THE WINDOWSILL AND REACHED FOR ANOTHER
ROCK. JUST AS I LIFTED IT TWO THINGS HAPPENED. FIRST
THE SNAKE CRAWLED OUT WHERE I COULD SEE HIM. SECOND THE
TEACHER WALKED UP BEHIND ME TO SEE WHAT I WAS DOING.
THAT'S WHEN HE SAW THE COPPERHEAD SNAKE.
THEN
TWO MORE THINGS HAPPENED. FIRST THE TEACHER LET OUT A
SCREAM AND TOLD ME TO GET MY HAND OUT OF THE AQUARIUM.
SECOND HE SCARED ME SO BAD I KNOCKED THE AQUARIUM OFF
THE WINDOWSILL AND IT FELL TO THE FLOOR AND BROKE.
THE
TEACHER HOLLERED SNAKE AND ALL THE KIDS SCATTERED LIKE A
COVEY OF QUAIL. I REACHED DOWN AND GRABBED THE SNAKE
AND PUT IT BACK IN MY FRUIT JAR. WHEN THE TEACHER GOT
EVERYBODY SETTLED DOWN, HE ASKED ME WHERE THE SNAKE CAME
FROM.
WELL
I THOUGHT ABOUT LYING BUT I KNEW I WASN'T GOING TO GET
OUT OF TROUBLE THAT WAY. SO I TOLD HIM I HAD PUT IT IN
THE AQUARIUM.
WELL
THE OUT COME OF ALL THIS WAS I GOT A THREE-DAY VACATION
FROM SCHOOL.
NOW
WHAT I DID ON THAT VACATION IS A WHOLE NOTHER STORY FOR
A DIFFERENT TIME
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