English Stories

Within a few weeks we will have a new pet in our family. Do you want to know what kind of pet? Well, it does not have hair or feathers, so forget birds, dogs, cats and rats. It is a long, slippery animal, and it belongs to the group of reptiles. Probably you have guessed it by now; we are going to have a snake!!

My eldest son, Alexander, has always been crazy about reptiles. It is possible that his animal-hair allergy has pushed him a bit in that direction.

Two years ago, he started asking for a snake as a pet. After thinking about it seriously, we decided that he could have one. The only condition was that first he had to obtain his second grade degree. We thought that during the two remaining years, he maybe would change his opinion.

Two years have passed and, surprise, he got his degree and still wants to have his snake.

A promise is a promise, so last week I went with my son to the reptile shop to get some more information about snakes and their needs.

Our visit to the reptile shop was a big success, meaning that I survived the experience. When we entered the shop, Alexander showed me, right away, the biggest and most dangerous snakes. However, just before my heart stopped beating, he told me that those were not the kind of snakes he had in mind.

He took me to a terrarium in which was gliding a black and white striped animal, a king snake, with a length of 150 cm. The shop assistant "smelled" a client. Quickly, she got the animal out of the terrarium and lay it in my son's arms. If there still had been a little bit of hope that Alexander would have changed his mind... it disappeared at that moment.

The good news is that a king snake is a constrictor, a harmless, non-venomous snake, which needs food only once a week. The bad news is that this snake eats rats!!

I started to explain to my son that I am absolutely against the idea of his snake "constricting" those cute tiny rats. Unluckily, there is also a solution for this problem; they sell frozen rats!! In conclusion, the purchase of a snake is coming closer and closer....!

Ten days ago, our new pet at last arrived. The snake came with his huge terrarium, plastic plants, two tree trunks, special ground cover material and his first dinner, a frozen baby-mouse.My son has given the snake the name of Anubis, after the Egyptian god. I do not think that Anubis really behaves like a god. Until now, Anubis has eaten three baby mice, and two times we had to save the animal because it was stuck between the lamp and the roof, and it has left its mess on my clean trousers. At least twice a day I think that Anubis has escaped out of his terrarium, but normally I find the animal back under the tree or under the ground cover. Yesterday it frightened my nephew out of his skin. Today Anubis has bitten my son on his finger, probably thinking that the finger was part of a baby mouse.

In spite of all these things, I must say that Anubis is a beautiful animal. I like to watch it when it is gliding between the plants and over the tree trunks. I keep wondering how it is possible that it doesn't get itself into a knot with all the movements it makes.

A promise is a promise, and now I am glad I made the promise.

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