We Entered The Python Cot While Hunting Snails || The Inkwell Creative Nonfiction #83

I counted it all wickedness each time mom and dad asked us to take our hoes, cutlasses and boots and join them on the way to the farm. Sometimes, I would cry because I wanted to stay back and lay like other children in the neighbourhood. But I still had to obey my parents and reluctantly take my hoe, cutlass and working boots and join them in the farm. Few moments later, all the memories of playing with other kids would have disappeared from my thinking and my focus would be to complete my task for the day.

My siblings also learned that way. After school each day, we would hurry to the farm to complete our daily task together before nightfall.

One thing is guaranteed. There was always enough food for us. We had so much that we even sold to traders of farm produce. Year in and year out, we had bags of melon, corn, can save flakes and our barn of yams was full. Vegetables like okra, pumpkins, tomatoes and pepper were not a problem as we had more than enough on the farm.
Sometimes, while doing one farm work.or the mother, we would pick enough snails, enough to prepare a sumptuous meal. My classmates often wonder how I had enough snails in my stew. Those days, snails were food meant for the rich. They wanted to know how I came about the snails. I would proudly tell them how we had more than enough around our farm.

Dad has already taught us how to hunt snails. We would make a mixture of pineapple and cassava peels and place them in strategic locations around the farm. The snails will come out of their hiding to eat as soon as they perceive the odour of the pineapple. Then, we would pick them.

Snakes are always around the vicinity of snails.

Daddy would warn.

Out of curiosity, three of my friends and classmates decided to join me in a hunting spree for snails. We had already made the pineapple and cassava peel mixture and put strategic parts of the bushes around our school farm.

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Luckily, it rained throughout the night. So, it was a good time to hunt for snails.

I confidently told my friend. Cosmos, Isaac and Ifeanyi.

Three hours later, we sneaked out of the class to check our mixture, if it had drawn the snails out of their hiding.

As we approached the first dump of the mixture, I found what looked like the path of a huge snake.

Hold on. I perceive danger.

My friends halted behind me as I perceived that one or two of them were trembling with fear.

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A few tiptoed steps forward, we got to the first dump and found six huge snails. I noticed that my friends were jubilating. Our effort was not a waste after all. Since it was their first experience at hunting snails, I understood how they felt. But all along, I was still worried about the snake path. It looked fresh and from the path drawn on the ground, it must be a huge snake.

Let's check the other dump.

I suggested.

As we made a move to turn to the left, I saw the snake path again. This time, it was very conspicuous. I then decided to look forward, there, I saw a huge python, already folded in a circle shape under an umbrella shrub of elephant grasses.

Immediately, I turned to my friends and asked them to walk back silently so as not to wake the sleeping forest giant. Thankfully, they obeyed. We crept out of that place.

Farther from the school farm, my friends were pounding like they just completed a marathon.

What do we do now?

Isaac asked.

Nothing happened. We aren't telling this to anybody, or else we would be a great mess for sneaking out of the class.

Ifeanyi retorted.

As my friends were ranting about what and what not to do, I was gone, thinking. Leaving that snake there could be a danger to the entire school populace.

I have an idea, friends. Let's involve the security guards. They are more crude than our teachers.

All three of my friends accepted and we moved towards the gate and reported the incident to security. Without mincing words, the Chief Security Officer whom we popularly known as SP commanded two of the security guards to follow us and check.

Soon, we arrived at the resting place of the sleeping giant. I just pointed at it and ran back with my friends. The rest is history. To our surprise, they brought the snake alive.

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The whole school rushed out. It was indeed a huge snake and very long. I have only seen snakes of this magnitude in NatGeo Wild. Our CSO was of the view that the snake had swallowed something huge and would have to rest for a long while to decompose or digest what it had eaten before it could appear to be ready to fight again. This is why they were able to go near it or even carry it.

Before we knew it, about an hour or two later, a long truck from the Forest Reserve Commission entered our school compound and took the snake away.

Cosmos remained speechless all through. The only thing he said was:

I will never hunt snails again.

I laughed it over. But I am grateful to my parents who taught me some of the nitty-gritty around the farm.