A boy took his dog for a walk on a winter’s morning. He threw sticks for it to fetch. Sometimes the dog would lose track of the stick and the boy had to search for another. This is how he came to find the frozen snake.

The snake looked just like a stick, crooked and stiff, and cast in pale shades of brown, “Wow!” the boy exclaimed as he picked it up. “It must have frozen to death in the night.” He rubbed the frost from its scales to reveal the beautiful dark zigzag pattern along its back. He resolved to take the snake home and set it in pride of place among the treasures beside his bed.

But the snake was not dead. It stirred to life in the heat of boy’s hands and, when he felt a gentle quiver run the length of its body, the boy tossed it away in disgust.

His dog thought the game had resumed and raced off to retrieve the snake. “No!” cried the boy, fearful of what might happen, but his warning came too late. The dog pounced and immediately let out a shocking whimper of pain as the panic-stricken creature sunk teeth into its nose before slithering into the long grass.

The boy rushed to gather his beloved companion in his arms, but by the time they got home, the dog was dead.

© Richard Parkin, 2023