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Friday, August 17, 2018

A Short story


Once there was a mountain climber who had competed his conquest of an unnamed mountain and was on his way back down the mountain. Although it had taken several days to climb to the top, the journey back down was much quicker, and he was very happy that he would be below the snow line in just a few hours as he could feel the possibility of fresh snow in the air. His breath was forming small clouds as he expelled each breath, and as he stopped to rest on the precarious slope, he heard a soft voice speak to him asking, “Sir could you help me?”
 He looked around and seeing nothing asked “Where are you?”

“Down here” came the reply.
 So he began to inspect the ground near where he was standing. A movement on the ground a few feet away caught his attention. He was dismayed to see a beautiful multi-colored snake coiled on the ground which was apparently watching him. Recovering his composure, he asked “Is it you speaking to me?” The same unmistakable soft voice replied “Yes, I am.”
The man warily took a step backwards and asked, “How can I help you?

The snake replied, “I have stayed too long on the high slope, and I can feel snow in the air. If I am caught in the snow then I may die, and I can’t get down the mountainside quickly by myself. Could you be kind enough to carry me down the mountainside below the snow line? I would be very grateful. Also, since I know this mountain terrain very well, I may be able to help you find an easier path down.”
The man was taken aback by the request, and since he had a fear of snakes, he was very disinclined to get any closer to the snake. However, the plaintive request gave him much pity for the snake’s predicament. He really wanted to help, but was in a quandary about how to do it. Then he had an idea. He did not want to hurt the snake’s feelings by implying that he distrusted it, but he did not want to pick it up. So he said, “I have to have my hands free to be able to climb down, so I can’t carry you in my hand. However, I have a pocket in my backpack that I can unzip, and you can craw in, and I can zip it up. You can’t fall out after I zip it closed, and I will have my hands free for climbing. How does that sound?”

“It sounds a little uncomfortable, but if you will stop often to let me get out of the pocket for fresh air, I can do that.” The snake replied.
“OK, then it is agreed.” The man concluded. At that, the man removed his backpack, unzipped it, and allowed the snake to crawl in. He then proceeded with his descent. After a short time, the two of them began to talk back and forth, and the man became more relaxed with the idea that he had a snake in his backpack. But as time passed, the snake began to note that it was quite stuffy in the pocket, and mentioned it to the man several times. Each time the man would stop, unzip the backpack, and the snake would crawl out for a breath of fresh air. Finally, during one of these stops, the snake asked if the man could leave a small opening in the zipper to make it more comfortable, and although he had some misgivings, the man agreed. Each time that they stopped, the man became less apprehensive, and he began to leave the zipper open even more. After a while, the man decided that there was no real reason to keep the zipper closed at all, and from that point on, the snake would simply poke its head out when it wanted fresh air. Many times as they descended the mountain, the snake suggested routes to the man which were easier to descend. Finally, the snake told the man that they were well below the snow line and noted a large boulder with ample room beneath it for the snake to safely reside. “You can just put me down at the base of the boulder” the snake said to the man.

The man realized that he had never even asked the snake its name, and it seemed reasonable to ask as he was placing the snake on the ground. The snake replied “My name is Omarosa” as it was placed on the ground, and then it turned and bite the man viciously before quickly slithering under the boulder.
“Why did you do that?” the man cried out, “I thought we were friends.”
“You foolish old man.” The snake laughed. “What did you expect? After all I am a snake!”


Do you think President Trump should hear this story?

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