Right before I moved to New Jersey, my sister and I decided to sunbath. My step dad had built a pond on his property with a small island in the middle. It was a perfect place to do this but he had yet to build the pier to it, if that was his goal. Since the water was not deep in that area, we waded through the water to the island.
That night I realized I did not have my watch. I always wore my watch but when I was on the island I took it off. I did not want a tan line on my arm. Her and I went out to the pond to retrieve it. I had a flashlight and was wading across. The pond was very new and the bottom was sinking mud. My feet sunk in the mud and pulling them out to take another step, it was a suction type situation. A few feet from the island bank, I lost my balance and face planted into the bank. I froze! The flashlight was shining straight into the eyes of a cottonmouth snake. It was inches from my face and I knew if it bite me, I would never make it back to the house.
Anyone that knows about southern snakes, knows that cottonmouths are highly poisonous water snakes. My ex husband almost died from one biting him on the bottom of his foot. A bite to my face, I knew I would not see the next day. My heart stopped, I did not breath. They say your life flashes before your eyes in moments like this, not me. All I could see was a flashlight shining into the eyes of that snake. It did not move, I did not move.
All the memories of ones that had gotten bitten by one of these snakes, rushed into my mind. I could think of nothing else, except I did not want to piss it off anymore than I already did. I can say, I would rather look down the barrel of a gun, than into the eyes of that snake again. I did not blink, I just laid half way on that bank, staring back not making a sound, not moving an inch.
My sister was on the shore and could not figure out what was wrong. She shined her light over and seen the snake. Her light distracted it long enough that I did not even realize I moved until later. Just that quick I jumped away and put distance between myself and it.
I stood on the shore beside my sister, somewhat afraid, but mad too. That damn snake could have killed me. I marched up to the house, and got my step dad's 22 rifle.
The rifle had a scope on it, and it was almost midnight. I eased into the water on the opposite side of the island from the island. My sister stood on the other side with the flashlight on the snake which still had not moved.
Guns were nothing new to me, I learned about them, the safety, the use, at a young age. I also knew NOT to touch his scope. So I had to try to shoot this snake blind, without the scope or sights. On top of that, I had to shot it, without the chance of a bullet glancing off the water and potentially going into a neighbor's house or hitting one of the horses in the neighboring pasture.
I eased closely with the gun aimed at the snake. Can I mention, I was not to bright about this and I had no reason to be doing this???
Still I was not certain I would hit the target due to not being able to lock a sight on it. So I had the gun about six inches from the snake when it spooked and slipped into the water. I stood there rather dumbfounded that it happened so quick and without warning. I slowly looked around the island bank, not seeing the culprit anywhere. Then it occurred to me. My way back to shore was through the water, where that pissed off, scared snake just entered. At this point I had to laugh over the events. I stood on an island in the middle of a pond, almost midnight, with a rifle in my hand and was to damn chicken shit to attempt going into the water to get to the other side.
Finally I gained up enough courage to slid into the water and go to shore, but I still remember the eyes of that snake, inches from my face, till this very moment.
That night I realized I did not have my watch. I always wore my watch but when I was on the island I took it off. I did not want a tan line on my arm. Her and I went out to the pond to retrieve it. I had a flashlight and was wading across. The pond was very new and the bottom was sinking mud. My feet sunk in the mud and pulling them out to take another step, it was a suction type situation. A few feet from the island bank, I lost my balance and face planted into the bank. I froze! The flashlight was shining straight into the eyes of a cottonmouth snake. It was inches from my face and I knew if it bite me, I would never make it back to the house.
Not my idea of Southern Comfort
Anyone that knows about southern snakes, knows that cottonmouths are highly poisonous water snakes. My ex husband almost died from one biting him on the bottom of his foot. A bite to my face, I knew I would not see the next day. My heart stopped, I did not breath. They say your life flashes before your eyes in moments like this, not me. All I could see was a flashlight shining into the eyes of that snake. It did not move, I did not move.
All the memories of ones that had gotten bitten by one of these snakes, rushed into my mind. I could think of nothing else, except I did not want to piss it off anymore than I already did. I can say, I would rather look down the barrel of a gun, than into the eyes of that snake again. I did not blink, I just laid half way on that bank, staring back not making a sound, not moving an inch.
My sister was on the shore and could not figure out what was wrong. She shined her light over and seen the snake. Her light distracted it long enough that I did not even realize I moved until later. Just that quick I jumped away and put distance between myself and it.
I stood on the shore beside my sister, somewhat afraid, but mad too. That damn snake could have killed me. I marched up to the house, and got my step dad's 22 rifle.
The rifle had a scope on it, and it was almost midnight. I eased into the water on the opposite side of the island from the island. My sister stood on the other side with the flashlight on the snake which still had not moved.
Guns were nothing new to me, I learned about them, the safety, the use, at a young age. I also knew NOT to touch his scope. So I had to try to shoot this snake blind, without the scope or sights. On top of that, I had to shot it, without the chance of a bullet glancing off the water and potentially going into a neighbor's house or hitting one of the horses in the neighboring pasture.
I eased closely with the gun aimed at the snake. Can I mention, I was not to bright about this and I had no reason to be doing this???
Still I was not certain I would hit the target due to not being able to lock a sight on it. So I had the gun about six inches from the snake when it spooked and slipped into the water. I stood there rather dumbfounded that it happened so quick and without warning. I slowly looked around the island bank, not seeing the culprit anywhere. Then it occurred to me. My way back to shore was through the water, where that pissed off, scared snake just entered. At this point I had to laugh over the events. I stood on an island in the middle of a pond, almost midnight, with a rifle in my hand and was to damn chicken shit to attempt going into the water to get to the other side.
Finally I gained up enough courage to slid into the water and go to shore, but I still remember the eyes of that snake, inches from my face, till this very moment.
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