Devil's gulch

(Kayla, 1984)

{I know these snakes are not native in the New England part of America, but these are the only snakes i know of and i don't want to do a bunch of research right now. I was watching discovery channel so that is where this idea came from.}

"Look! The devil's pebble! The devil's dead branch!"

Fred cracked jokes the whole way. As usual, he walked superfast.

"Isn't that the devil's dirt clod?"

As i raced to keep up, the cool air and Fred's dumb jokes lifted my spirits. I guess some emotions are like menstrual cramps. When they first appear, they make you feel like curling up in a ball. But if you gut it out, they fade enough for you to ignore them and get on with it.

"Stay on the trail," Jeff yelled over his shoulder at us. "You don't want to disturb any snakes."

"Snakes?" Tom gulped, staring at the ground.

Fred chugged on up the trail.

"Rattlesnakes?" Tom asked.

"And others," Jeff shouted over his shoulder.

"Others?" Tom hurried to catch up with Jeff.

"Copperheads, sand boas, corals, kraits, mambas, vipers, probably. That kind of thing."

Like Tom, Eric looked like he wanted to run back to the car.

"Don't worry," I said, "Snakes are more afraid of you than you are of them."

"Chickens."

I jerked my head up. Fred stood a few feet ahead, standing on a small boulder jutting out from the side of the trail. He said, "Snakes prefer chickens over humans."

Jeff groaned. "Yeah, like there are chickens roaming free all over."

Fred didn't blink. He just stared down at me and said, "Or rats, rabbits, mice--anything they can eat in one gulp."

Jumping down from the boulder, he stood so close to me i could smell his skin. It not only looked like honey, but it smelled like it, too.

"Unless it's a python," he said, not moving one inch away from me. "They can swallow a deer... or you. If you see a python, run."

"There aren't any pythons around here, Fred," Jeff said.

"Are you going to get out of my way or what?" I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Or what?" said Fred, flashing his brown eyes at me.