Hidden Surprises

Have I ever mentioned that I hate snakes?

I hate them. I hate them with a passion. It's very fitting that the serpent is the symbolic representation of Satan.

Byron said it best when he said they evoke a primal fear inside of you.

If primal fear involves your body's entire muscle and excretory systems shutting down, then yes, I'd say that's very accurate.

We built fence this weekend in Rotan. I had asked on the way out to the creek whether I should be realistically aware of rattlesnakes while we were working. The answer was yes.

Since we hadn't seen a rattlesnake yet, I tried to shrug it off like we wouldn't really see one. I had never seen (or heard) a rattlesnake in the wild that wasn't dead on the highway. Granted I saw plenty of them at the Rattlesnake Roundup, but that's slightly different. They're contained there.
Prior to fence building, we had to pick up some supplies from the old pump house.

Norvelle mentioned as he was about to open the door that this would be a good place to see a rattlesnake.

He opened the door - nothing. He stepped into the pump house and - RATTLE RATTLE RATTLE.

Actually, it sounds more like a really loud - SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Scariest thing I've ever heard.

Needless to say, I was well on my way back to the truck by the time I heard this. Primal fear - yes, most definitely.

I couldn't get far enough away from it.

Like any good pair of native West Texans, Byron and Norvelle had to kill it. They could only hear it at first. From the sound (and my imagination) it sounded like there could be 100 of the little devils in there.

Eventually, they had a visual. Byron found a hoe and began whacking at it. Me? I was huddled in the truck trying to think happy thoughts that didn't involve my fiance having a massive snake bite.

During the whacking, Byron said, "As long as we can hear him, we're all right." Then he accidentally whacked off the snake's rattle. So much for that plan. Now it would be up to a battle of wills.

From my position, I heard lots of whacking, a "watch it!", a few laughs, and a lot of "SHHHHHHH" as the snake became increasingly irritated.

Finally, Byron was able to pin the snake down with the hoe and drag it closer. At that point, I saw Norvelle beating it's head to pieces. This was a welcomed sight. Neither men had been bitten, and, from what I could tell, I was still breathing 100 yards away in the truck.


By the time it was all over, I was extremely aware of my surroundings - checking the ground every .5 seconds to make sure nothing was slithering or coiled up at me. I even made sure the truck's interior was clear of all wildlife.

I vowed not to go near the site until I had confirmation of a reptile body. Once I had that, I still didn't get too close.

There may be one less snake in the world, but I'm certain there are a few less years of my life.