snakes alive

When Max got there with Bex's key, he saw the same pickup from before. It was so dark now. There was an icy cold chill rising from the ground. There would be a frost tonight.

"You're Chris?" He was all matter of fact.

Chris just nodded. He cleared his throat some then said, "I'm sorry about from before, and all. I just..just drove Dayton over and, uh, well...there's a snake in the house."

"What kind is it?" Max asked unlocking the door.

"The garden variety kind, garter." Chris didn't really know how else to explain it. "Hopefully, it hasn't gotten all that far." He told him about the bathroom window where Dayton let in the snake.

Max went to the bathroom right away.

"See it was out in my back yard, and it bit me and well..." He was talking clear as a bell when Max was out of the room, or so Max noticed.

"The snake bit you?"

"Yes, sir."

Max came back into the livingroom where Chris stood as if he better not go one step further unless Max told him too.

"Remember, Chris, you can call me, Max." He looked at him then and saw Chris look away.

"Yes, sir."

"OK." Max looked at him again. "Do I make you nervous?"

Chris just shook his head, and took a step back.

"Well, lets just go through the house and see if we can find this thing." Max shrugged. He then went to the kitchen and jerked open drawers, cabinets. Anything he could find to open. He made as much rackett as he could just hoping the snake would move out into the open. Naturally, it was just an excitement of noise, and Chris had stuck around to help him.

"Here it is," Chris finally yelled. It was coiled up in Bex's bed. Chris bent down to get it, and it attached itself immediately to his jacket. It flung itself around. Chris just smile as if he were a regular snake handler.

Max found a plastic pitcher from the kitchen with a lid and came to take it from Chris' shirt.

"That thing is huge." Max winced as he put the lid on the pitcher.

"Yeah, Dayton likes to pull pranks, and well, I thought he was over Bex, but you know, he's just a kid. I guess. Well, he thinks he's one half the time." Chris managed to say.

"If I'd only known he was like this-" Max rolled his eyes, "Glad I stayed away as long as I did."

"He don't mean it," Chris shrugged. "I guess."

"I think I have a home for it," Max then said. "Oliver's sister has a garden, and it has lots of critters eating it up, maybe this will help."

Chris just nodded.

"You mind driving me home then?" Max then asked.

"Sure thing." Chris remained even lipped.