Snake Escape

A young man, who we will call John, jogged, biked or hiked nearly every day in the woods near his Oregon home.  He enjoyed the forest and the air, the birds and the animals.  Because of the time he spent in the woods, he was sometimes privileged to see special things.

One day as John was hiking along the edge of some fields where they joined the woods, he happened to notice an odd, brown stick on the ground.  On closer inspection the stick turned out to be a lethargic, brown snake.  But it was not like any snake he’d ever seen before.  It was as big around as his thumb, a foot-and-a-half long, and eyeless!  It simply lay there, showing no inclination to move.

John ran the mile home and got a lidded bucket in which to capture the creature and have it identified.  The strange-looking snake obediently waited and was shortly scooped into the bucket.

The snake created quite a sensation at home.  The bucket was placed on the hearth, and the entire family took turns staring into it and commenting.  No one had ever seen anything like it.  Consulting a book on reptiles, it was learned that the creature was a “worm snake” or a “blind snake” which inhabits a small area of the American Southwest.  It was, indeed, eyeless, because it lives underground and only rarely comes to the surface.

What was the snake doing in the Pacific Northwest?  Had it and its kind been here all along?  How could the family have lived on the same place for 50 years and never seen one?

The snake simply lay at the bottom of the bucket and never moved.  It was evening, so John replaced the lid.  Tomorrow he would take the snake to town to have it officially identified.

The family got ready for bed, and, one by one, disappeared into their rooms.  Each took one last peek at the visitor before retiring.  The last to do so was John’s sister.  Always the compassionate one where living creatures are concerned, she worried that the snake might not have enough oxygen during the night, so she left the lid open a crack.

Next morning the first person up went straight to the bucket.  He lifted the lid to check the snake—and the bucket was empty!  A hue and cry went up which turned everyone out.  A snake was loose in the house!

There were shudders and nervous giggles all around as a search was started.  Every piece of living room furniture was moved and searched under.  Every corner and hiding place was scrutinized.  The search expanded to other rooms.  But all the efforts were in vain.

The snake was never located.  The search was called off.  Perhaps they’d find the snake by smell after it died.  Or perhaps they would be like the family who occupied the apartment with the lumpy couch, and who would find things knocked over in the mornings.  After a year of such mysterious happenings they discovered a 6-foot boa constrictor residing in their couch.

They theorized that the snake crawled out of the bucket, and, being blind anyway, relied on its other senses to guide it.  Being just six feet from an outside door, it sensed the fresh air coming under the door, flattened itself out, and slithered under the door to safety and freedom.

That, at least, was their theory.  They’ve never been able to prove it wrong; but theories being what they are, everyone squeamishly watched where he or she was stepping, sitting and lying for the next few weeks.  The girl’s compassionate act of cracking the bucket lid open was only appreciated by the snake.