TheRhythmDoctor
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DISCLAIMER: This story was originally posted on my forum, The Women and Giant Snakes Forum ( http://pub79.ezboard.com/bwomenandgiantsnakes ). Because this story also includes our beloved tickling fetish, I have asked for and recieved permission from the story's author, Py ( [email protected] ) to post it here. If you don't like snakes, consider yourself informed, and it's ok with me if you don't feel like reading this post and would prefer to move on to the next one.
To the admins and mods: If you feel this story is inappropriate for the TMF, it's ok if you wish to delete it. However, I would like to hear everyone else's opinions first beforehand. Thanks.
F/F, upperbody.
Enjoy,
The Rhythm Doctor
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Interview with the Serpent,
by Py, © 7/4/2001,
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Part One: The interview,
1. The stunningly attractive woman with long blonde hair enters the huge concrete enclosure, alone except for a workman directly behind her who will shortly leave. He looks around the room, then opens a folding steel chair and places it several feet from the door and facing towards the room’s center. He talks to her, attempts to convince her not to try this alone, and points to the glass which covers most of one wall. She sees several people on the far side of the glass watching her and occasionally glancing around the room, then the man leaves closing the steel door behind him.
She is dressed casually for this, forsaking professionalism for comfort as the photographer would mostly take shots of the interviewee, but she was sufficiently covered to prevent embarrassment.. They had told Olivia Tanner that it would be hot and humid for this interview, but she hadn’t truly believed it until now. Her open toed sandals let her bare feet breathe, her denim shorts would allow her legs to avoid getting too hot, but her white blouse she knew would cling after a short time in here, which made her glad she had worn a bra.
Olivia looked around the room, it was quite large, at least 40 feet long by 20 wide. The ceiling was at least 12 feet high, and the lighting fixtures were recessed into the ceiling. The floor was covered in grass which she new was real including the soil, which was maintained by a crew when the room’s occupant was elsewhere. There were trees here also, a number of small ones near the walls, plus a few larger ones, and she had been told all the trees were artificial. The biggest was approximately at the center near the rear wall, it stretched all the way to the roof where it’s trunk and branches seemed to merge with the ceiling. The walls were painted green, the ceiling white, and except for the glass window and the doors at either end of the room, she might have been fooled for a second into believing she was in a real jungle.
Olivia sat on her chair and noticed the people outside now sitting on their own chairs. Briefly she took note of them, the zoo’s director Mr. Glenn, veterinarian Miss Daily, and her photographer Sally. She expected Sally to get up and begin taking pictures soon, she already had taken some before the interview, and would take some during and afterwards. Olivia took her purse off her shoulder, rummaged through it briefly, and removed a pad and pen, and a miniature tape recorder. Making sure there were spare cassettes on top of other things in her purse, she gently placed it down on the ground next to her, letting the strap fall. Crossing her legs she started the recorder. “This is recording 1 of interview with Sofia at the zoo.” she said in a soft melodious voice. Then she adjusted a small plastic piece for holding the recorder upright, and placed it on the ground. Making a few brief notes on her pad she called out “Okay Sofia, I’m ready.”
Sally’s mouth dropped briefly as the long sinuous green and black form of the huge Burmese python began sliding out from behind some bushes, she hadn’t seen it and it had been only partially hidden about 25 feet away. She began clicking away frantically with her camera, not needing a flash as the available lighting was sufficient, and she had agreed not to use flash for this. Olivia casually uncrossed her legs and reached down to pause the recorder. When the huge 27 foot long serpent was coiled not 5 feet away, she made sure the microphone sensitivity was high and released the pause with another button push. Almost in synchronization she raised her leg to cross them again, while Sofia raised her head several feet off the ground and tasted the air with her tongue.
Olivia cleared her throat and calmly inquired, “Sofia?” “That issssss my name.” the serpent hissed. “You are the one who wisssssshed to ssssssee me today?” Olivia smiled, “Yes, I’m with the Daily Inquisition, I can show you my credentials if you wish.” Sofia shook her large triangular head and tasted the air with her tongue, “No thank you, I cannot read ssssssuch thingssssss. Mr. Glenn and Missssssssssss Daily would not have let you in here without checking them firsssssst.” The head nodded up and down, “I am pleassssssed to give you thissssss interview, I have much your readerssssss may wissssssh to hear.” Olivia grinned, “Wonderful, let’s get started then.”
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2. Olivia held her pad and pen, “Sofia, the first thing I must ask you is rather an obvious question. How is it that you talk?” Sofia’s head seemed to tilt back and forth in what Olivia took as a shrug, “I don’t know. I’ve alwayssssss been able to hear humanssssss sssssspeaking, and learned one day they could hear me. I don’t have any earssssss, Doctor Daily over there thinkssssss it’ssssss ssssssomething telepathic, whatever that meanssssss.” “It means talking without a voice, I hear your thoughts and you hear mine.” explained Olivia. “Quite interesting, you’ve got to be the worlds only telepathic snake. Can you talk to any creatures other than humans, other snakes even?” “No.” replied Sofia. “Jusssssst humanssssss.” Olivia looked down at her recorder, thinking to herself that it probably would only pick up her own voice and Sofia hissing or moving. Still, she left it on as hearing her own questions would help remind her of things later when she wrote the article, but she vowed to keep better than originally planned notes on her pad.
Olivia pointed to the coiled serpent with her pen, “Okay Sofia, what’s that huge bulge in your body length, the one that’s bigger than me near your middle where your thickest? Sofia turned her head and looked down on the large bulge, “That wassssss lunch yessssssterday. The keeper fed me to make ssssssure I would not be hungry for thissssss interview.” Olivia touched the blunt end of her pen to her chin, “Looks pretty big, bigger than me maybe.” Sofia looked at her and tasted the air with her forked tongue, “Not that big, the meal wassssss large though. You forget you musssssst conssssssider my own thicknessssssssssss wrapped around the meal.” “Making it look bigger than it was.” Olivia continued for Sofia, scribbling a quick note about the thickness of the snake combined with the width of the prey it is digesting. She had already learned a lot from the zoo’s veterinarian Miss Daily about Sofia’s length, weight, width at various points, and other basic medical questions, including some stories about Sofia’s strength and how many people it takes to control her sometimes, so she wanted things only Sofia could tell her, or things from her point of view.
“Sofia, could you swallow a person?” Olivia asked curiously. “Yessssss.” Sofia answered without hesitation. “But not all people, ssssssome are too big to get into my mouth.” “Please explain.” Olivia said while jotting down notes. Sofia thought, “After I have killed my food, I then sssssstretch my mouth wide, and sssssswallow it in one piece.” Olivia knew from talks earlier with Miss Daily that Sofia could stretch her mouth 2 and a half to 3 times normal size, and this snake wasn’t able to swallow just anybody, only petite or small to average women, small men, and young people who aren’t abnormally large. Sofia continued, “If I kill ssssssomething that is too big for me to sssssswallow, then I musssssst move on and find another meal.” “You just leave the dead body there?” Olivia asked. “What elsssssse can I do if I can’t sssssswallow it.” Sofia replied with one of her shrugs. “It’ssssss much better here in thissssss place than in the jungle. They feed me thingssssss I can alwayssssss sssssswallow, and there are no dangerssssss to try and hurt me.” Olivia thought, “Yes, you come from the jungle. I want to ask you more about that and hunting, but first let me try something else.”
Olivia shifted and crossed her other leg, “About your senses, tell me about them please.” Sofia hung her head briefly in contemplation, “I have no earssssss, but can hear or feel vibrationssssss through the ground, ssssssuch as an animal I wissssssh to capture and eat which is walking nearby. I cannot ssssssee well, but I can ssssssensssssse heat very well with my tongue. It’ssssss a very good thing, I can ssssssee that way into the dark placessssss where my food may hide.” Olivia grinned at Sofia’s show of pride in her heat sense, “Do they feed you dead things, or things you have to catch, and which do you prefer?” “I prefer to catch and kill my food.” Sofia replied. “Often my food is alive when they feed me, I have to hunt and kill it before eating. Mosssssst timessssss I can hide and catch it eassssssily, but ssssssometimessssss the food is wary and it takessssss time.”
Olivia scribbled some notes on her pad, then glanced at the recorder to make sure it was still running. She shifted her legs again, “Snakes only eat meat right, and how exactly do you,... catch live food and eat it?” Sofia almost seemed to smile at Olivia, “I am told my method issssss very neat, but ssssssome vissssssitorssssss have called it sssssslow, gruessssssome, or horrible. To me it issssss the way it issssss. I firsssssst capture the food in my many ssssssharp teeth, then roll it or otherwisssssse encircle it in coilssssss made from my own body. Then I sssssslowly ssssssqueeze the food, tightening my grip every time the food exhalessssss, until finally the food issssss dead. Then I sssssswallow it whole. It can take a long time or go very quickly, it dependssssss on my grip and how hungry I am.” Olivia had gotten the same description from the zoo’s doctor, who had added that death came in anywhere from a couple of minutes to half an hour or more, but usually death would come within minutes. She had to know more about that aspect of Sofia’s life, she found it fascinating and knew her readers would also, but not right away.
They went through some other basic questions for a little while, then Sofia’s head drooped, “I am tired, come back in a few dayssssss and we sssssshall continue thissssss interview.” Olivia put her recorder and notes away, then stood while draping her long strapped purse over her shoulder. She held out her right hand to Sofia, then pulled it back and giggled, “Thank you so much Sofia, I’m looking forward to continuing. I wish we could get it all done at once, but I know your a cold blooded reptile, not meaning any insult by that, and you need your rest to digest, not to mention rest from all my questioning. “Yessssss.” said Sofia. “Sssssssee you in 2 dayssssss.”
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3. Two days later Olivia sat on the steel chair again, this time wearing a blue halter top and a white skirt which reached to just above her knees. Some sheer pantyhose covered her legs, and black shoes with 2 inch heels adorned her feet. She had worn this outfit for another assignment mainly, and had hoped it would be cool enough here. Olivia hadn’t had time to change her shoes even, not having thought to put a spare pair in the car for today. The top of her outfit was cooler, but the skirt seemed to soak up the hot and humid air from Sofia’s tank, and the pantyhose made her legs feel sticky. She sat as before, but positioned herself so that when crossing her legs no one outside the tank could see up her skirt. The thought ran through her mind that Sofia could, but she consoled herself that she had panties on, then cursed herself for worrying about that because Sofia was a snake. Olivia forced herself to ignore that part of her mind inherited from her mother, plus from years of being a lady for the media, and after starting the recorder and retrieving her pad and pen, she crossed her legs and straightened her skirt.
“Your bulge is considerably smaller.” Olivia said to start the conversation after general hellos. Sofia had crawled out from between different bushes from last time, near a small artificial pool where she had apparently been swimming, her scales still mostly wet but starting to dry. Sofia was coiled much as before, “Yessssss, much of the food issssss digessssssted.” “Tell me about your past, whatever you remember.” Olivia asked. Sofia seemed to think a while, then the tip of her tail twitched, “I have been in thissssss place for a sssssshort time.” “A bit over a year.” Olivia commented. “I do not undersssssstand what you mean, it issssss sssssshort to me. I hatched a long time ago in what I am told issssss called a Rain Foresssssst. Life wassssss difficult for me, it sssssseemed that everything elsssssse was bigger and out to kill me.” Sofia seemed to shiver, “I grew quickly, eating creaturessssss I could overpower, ssssssunning mysssssself, sssssswimming and climbing treessssss. The bigger I became the fewer other creaturessssss challenged me. When I reached half my current ssssssize I feared very little. After that I continued to grow, and ssssssoon none would challenge me unlessssssssssss they had no choice.”
Olivia was jotting notes frantically and trying to think of questions, “Did you ever get badly hurt during that time?” Sofia definitely shivered this time, “Once a creature with sssssspotssssss attacked me, Missssssssssss Dailey says it was a leopard or a cheetah. It and another attacked me, I do not know why, and they hurt me before I could catch one in my coilssssss and kill it, and catch the other around the neck at the ssssssame time to kill it alsssssso. I wassssss hurt after that and got very hungry but didn’t want to eat sssssso I didn’t.” Sofia raised her head almost proudly, “But I ssssssurvived, and killed 2 of those who attacked me.”
“So, you felt like nothing could defeat you now.” Olivia prodded. “No.” said Sofia almost sadly. “But I only feared the big catssssss and the huge creaturessssss with a ssssssnake for a nosssssse assssss they could sssssstep on me.” “Elephants, their plant eaters, they wouldn’t eat you.” Olivia said with a laugh. Sofia’s tongue flicked in and out several times, “I did not know that then, and they could sssssstill sssssstep on me.” Olivia found herself covering her mouth while clearing her throat, “Sorry, didn’t mean to laugh.” Then she mentally scolded herself, Sofia was just a snake, but another thought reminded her of how intelligent Sofia was. Also, not just any snake could talk telepathically, hold a conversation, and give an interview.
Olivia brushed her brow with her forearm, “Okay, other than the spotted big cats have you ever killed and eaten other creatures in the jungle that large? “Yessssss.” said Sofia while moving her wedge shaped green and black head, “A sssssshort time after that I caught a human in my coilssssss, I think a female like you. Ssssssshe wassssss smaller and had bumpssssss like you, but sssssshe wassssss darker than you and wore lessssssssssss of the thingssssss you call clothing.” Olivia tried to keep her reactions in check as Sofia went on, “I wassssss 4 timessssss as long assssss her and eassssssily coiled sssssseveral timessssss around her, and quickly ssssssqueezed the life out of her before feeding.”
Sofia stopped and moved nervously, “You are dissssssturbed, I am ssssssenssssssitive to ssssssuch changessssss. I sssssshould not have mentioned about feeding on a human but it sssssseemed natural to me at the time.” Olivia cleared her throat, “Yes, that was a bit surprising, but I’m a reporter, just give me the facts, I’ll deal with it.” Sofia stopped her nervous moving, “It will pleasssssse you to know that wassssss the only time I fed on a human. It sssssseemed quite natural and right at the time, but sssssstrangely the memory bothered me. I had never been bothered before by feeding on the creaturessssss of the jungle, but they never could talk to me either. I remember hearing her criessssss and pleading assssss I ssssssqueezed her, but thissssss wassssss how life wassssss, the sssssstrong kill the weak.” Sofia paused, “After that I realized I could no longer feed on humanssssss, it’ssssss too dissssssturbing, and now that I know humanssssss are assssss intelligent assssss I am it issssss unthinkable.” Olivia was totally engrossed in writing this part, the reforming snake, or kosher snake. Still she couldn’t help a small smile when Sofia said that humans were as smart as her.
“So, you went through life day to day, growing larger, and not eating humans.” Olivia summed up. “Tell me a bit more from that time please.” Sofia’s tongue flickered as she thought, “Avoiding humanssssss wassssss eassssssy, I jusssssst made ssssssure they ssssssaw me and they kept away, and they were too noissssssy to ssssssneak up on me. One day though when I wassssss ressssssting in the ssssssun while digessssssting a ssssssmall meal, a number of humanssssss ssssssurrounded me. I wassssss feeling sssssslow from the meal and before I could fight back I wassssss captured by many handssssss and carried away.” “They didn’t hurt you?” said Olivia with a tone of concern in her voice. “No.” Sofia answered. “It was tiressssssome and I losssssst my meal, but I was unharmed as they moved me to a ssssssmall glassssssssssss tank similar to thissssss but without plantssssss.”
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4. Another 2 days passed during which the first part of ‘Interview with the Serpent’ appeared in print. It drew a large amount of mail to the editor of the newspaper, mostly negative but the editor was used to that. He never cared much if the criticism was negative or positive, as long as they bought and read the paper. Olivia found herself with a small following of fans, all wondering what it was like to be in with Sofia, to know she might be attacked and killed at any moment. Olivia remembered having that in the back of her mind through the entire first part of her interview with Sofia, but less so with the coming of the second part. Now she was looking forward to the 3rd part, and maybe a 4th part to her interview with Sofia, and she felt no fear at all. It was a bit annoying that she couldn’t get Sofia to give one entire long interview, but apparently the serpent being cold blooded tired easily, perhaps more so due to being in the middle of digesting her latest meal. Olivia had gladly agreed to that condition before Mr. Glenn would allow her to do the interview and to be alone in the python’s den, he said Sofia wouldn’t attack her that way. The interviews would be done before Sofia finished digesting, but having spent time with the serpent Olivia wondered if that precaution had just been excessive. Sofia was a beautiful and quite endearing being, and Olivia new Sofia wouldn’t harm a fly if she could talk to it.
Olivia was dressed in her white blouse and bra again, this time with a grey skirt which fell just below her knees, plus low heeled black shoes, not to mention another set of pantyhose that were uncomfortable in the tanks heat and humidity. She hated it as dressing this way made the heat in Sofia’s tank worse, but her own fame had conspired against her, and her editor had insisted that she dress well for all the people watching this time. Olivia couldn’t understand why they were here watching, they couldn’t hear Sofia, just see a woman talking to a giant snake and it hissing back at her. Indeed some of Olivia’s critics while applauding her daring stunt, also claimed she was making it all up. Sofia refused to talk to just anybody, but some of the zoo staff and a few visitors confirmed that Sofia had occasionally talked to them over the years.
Olivia brushed her hair and crossed her legs, “Hopefully we can finish today, I know this crowd outside your den makes you nervous.” “Yessssss.” replied Sofia. Olivia began with small talk as usual, “Your bulge is hardly noticeable now, does it still make you tired.” Sofia looked at her middle briefly, “I am almosssssst done with digessssssting thissssss meal, I can wait a long time before the next one.” “So, what happened after you were captured?” Olivia asked to get right to where they left off.” Sofia paused, “I traveled in a ssssssack, then in glassssssssssss tankssssss. I ssssssaw many people, and by lisssssstening to their thoughtssssss I learned what I could. I wassssss in a pet sssssshop then a zoo, not thissssss zoo, then I wassssss with a man who raissssssed many animalssssss. I talked to him and he wassssss thrilled that we could undersssssstand each other.”
“So, what happened while you were with him?” Olivia asked while already knowing most of the answer. Sofia raised her head, “I became a movie sssssstar! I do not know what thissssss meanssssss but I know it made me important.” Olivia grinned, “Yes, you were in a number of jungle and similar movies, you got to act with some of hollywood’s best B movie stars, not to mention 1 who made a block buster recently.” Sofia moved her head nervously, “I do not know that, I do know that they would sssssset me in a sssssscene, and Mark who owned me would whissssssper what to do sssssso nobody elsssssse would hear. I would drop down from a tree and sssssscare them, ssssssometimessssss they would pretend to sssssshoot me and I would fall and pretend to be dead. Ssssssometimessssss I could coil around and pretend to kill them, and they would pretend to cut off my head with a sharp thing, and I would play dead again. It wassssss fun, I didn’t mind pretending to kill a human, Mark had explained pretending to me, I enjoyed it.”
Sofia hesitated as if remembering and flicked her tongued, “I alsssssso did a few talk sssssshowssssss where thissssss woman would carry me onto the sssssstage with the help of a number of men. I would hissssssssssss and sssssstruggle to get free a little. It made the crowd watching fearful and excited. Mark alwayssssss was nearby telling me when to sssssstruggle a bit, but I never hurt anyone.” Sofia paused, “Once I made a big sssssshow of getting the woman in a coil around her waisssssst, but I didn’t ssssssqueeze her, and the crowd and men grew very nervoussssss assssss sssssshe calmly talked about me.”
“Were their any times you displeased Mark?” Olivia asked. “Yessssss.” answered Sofia. “One of the moviessssss I did. The woman I wassssss ssssssupposed to drop down on and ssssssqueeze wassssss terrible to me. All thesssssse people were around but we pretended sssssshe wassssss alone in the jungle. Ssssssshe climbed out of the water and I dropped out of the tree onto her. It wassssss pretend sssssso I didn’t mind assssss sssssshe sssssscreamed and sssssstruggled. I coiled around her jusssssst assssss Mark wanted, and all wassssss going well.” Sofia seemed to sigh, “The actressssssssssss hated me, thought I wassssss too heavy, kept sssssstepping on the partssssss of me on the ground at her feet, tried to dig her fingernailssssss into me, and hit me with her fisssssstssssss hard enough to ssssssting. Mark ssssssaid it wassssss jusssssst her trying for realissssssm, I think sssssshe hated me.” Sofia hesitated a long time, “I got angry and ssssssqueezed her a bit, actually making her sssssshort of breath. Ssssssshe fell to her kneessssss and almosssssst colapssssssed, then 2 men ran in with gunssssss and pretended to sssssshoot me in the head. I went limp and they pulled her free and carried her away. I really almosssssst killed her, sssssshe made me sssssso angry.” Olivia said nothing but quickly scribbled notes, then Sofia continued, “Mark realized what I had almosssssst done and sssssscolded me later, but he couldn’t sssssstay mad at me for long.”
They discussed how the actress mentioned had refused ever to do another movie with a big snake, and how Sofia’s movie career had continued until Mark had died in a traffic accident. Then how Sofia had gone to some people mentioned in a will, and how they had sent her to this zoo. There had been some talk recently about sending her back to the jungle, but Sofia didn’t want that, and this was the reason for the interview, to try and stay in the zoo or get a new home, but avoid going back to a jungle. “It’ssssss much nicer ssssssince I have been taken away from the jungle, I do not wissssssh to go back!” Sofia hissed. “I hope the sssssscientisssssstssssss that Mark alwayssssss warned me of will not try to cut me open now that people know I can sssssspeak thissssss way, but I had to take the rissssssk, there wassssss too much talk of ssssssending me back to the jungle.” Olivia smiled, “I think I can safely say that you won’t be going back to the jungle, and you won’t be cut up, the SPCA wouldn’t stand for it, not to mention lots of people will want to own you after this interview if this zoo doesn’t.”
(to be continued)
To the admins and mods: If you feel this story is inappropriate for the TMF, it's ok if you wish to delete it. However, I would like to hear everyone else's opinions first beforehand. Thanks.
F/F, upperbody.
Enjoy,
The Rhythm Doctor
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interview with the Serpent,
by Py, © 7/4/2001,
--------------------------------
Part One: The interview,
1. The stunningly attractive woman with long blonde hair enters the huge concrete enclosure, alone except for a workman directly behind her who will shortly leave. He looks around the room, then opens a folding steel chair and places it several feet from the door and facing towards the room’s center. He talks to her, attempts to convince her not to try this alone, and points to the glass which covers most of one wall. She sees several people on the far side of the glass watching her and occasionally glancing around the room, then the man leaves closing the steel door behind him.
She is dressed casually for this, forsaking professionalism for comfort as the photographer would mostly take shots of the interviewee, but she was sufficiently covered to prevent embarrassment.. They had told Olivia Tanner that it would be hot and humid for this interview, but she hadn’t truly believed it until now. Her open toed sandals let her bare feet breathe, her denim shorts would allow her legs to avoid getting too hot, but her white blouse she knew would cling after a short time in here, which made her glad she had worn a bra.
Olivia looked around the room, it was quite large, at least 40 feet long by 20 wide. The ceiling was at least 12 feet high, and the lighting fixtures were recessed into the ceiling. The floor was covered in grass which she new was real including the soil, which was maintained by a crew when the room’s occupant was elsewhere. There were trees here also, a number of small ones near the walls, plus a few larger ones, and she had been told all the trees were artificial. The biggest was approximately at the center near the rear wall, it stretched all the way to the roof where it’s trunk and branches seemed to merge with the ceiling. The walls were painted green, the ceiling white, and except for the glass window and the doors at either end of the room, she might have been fooled for a second into believing she was in a real jungle.
Olivia sat on her chair and noticed the people outside now sitting on their own chairs. Briefly she took note of them, the zoo’s director Mr. Glenn, veterinarian Miss Daily, and her photographer Sally. She expected Sally to get up and begin taking pictures soon, she already had taken some before the interview, and would take some during and afterwards. Olivia took her purse off her shoulder, rummaged through it briefly, and removed a pad and pen, and a miniature tape recorder. Making sure there were spare cassettes on top of other things in her purse, she gently placed it down on the ground next to her, letting the strap fall. Crossing her legs she started the recorder. “This is recording 1 of interview with Sofia at the zoo.” she said in a soft melodious voice. Then she adjusted a small plastic piece for holding the recorder upright, and placed it on the ground. Making a few brief notes on her pad she called out “Okay Sofia, I’m ready.”
Sally’s mouth dropped briefly as the long sinuous green and black form of the huge Burmese python began sliding out from behind some bushes, she hadn’t seen it and it had been only partially hidden about 25 feet away. She began clicking away frantically with her camera, not needing a flash as the available lighting was sufficient, and she had agreed not to use flash for this. Olivia casually uncrossed her legs and reached down to pause the recorder. When the huge 27 foot long serpent was coiled not 5 feet away, she made sure the microphone sensitivity was high and released the pause with another button push. Almost in synchronization she raised her leg to cross them again, while Sofia raised her head several feet off the ground and tasted the air with her tongue.
Olivia cleared her throat and calmly inquired, “Sofia?” “That issssss my name.” the serpent hissed. “You are the one who wisssssshed to ssssssee me today?” Olivia smiled, “Yes, I’m with the Daily Inquisition, I can show you my credentials if you wish.” Sofia shook her large triangular head and tasted the air with her tongue, “No thank you, I cannot read ssssssuch thingssssss. Mr. Glenn and Missssssssssss Daily would not have let you in here without checking them firsssssst.” The head nodded up and down, “I am pleassssssed to give you thissssss interview, I have much your readerssssss may wissssssh to hear.” Olivia grinned, “Wonderful, let’s get started then.”
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2. Olivia held her pad and pen, “Sofia, the first thing I must ask you is rather an obvious question. How is it that you talk?” Sofia’s head seemed to tilt back and forth in what Olivia took as a shrug, “I don’t know. I’ve alwayssssss been able to hear humanssssss sssssspeaking, and learned one day they could hear me. I don’t have any earssssss, Doctor Daily over there thinkssssss it’ssssss ssssssomething telepathic, whatever that meanssssss.” “It means talking without a voice, I hear your thoughts and you hear mine.” explained Olivia. “Quite interesting, you’ve got to be the worlds only telepathic snake. Can you talk to any creatures other than humans, other snakes even?” “No.” replied Sofia. “Jusssssst humanssssss.” Olivia looked down at her recorder, thinking to herself that it probably would only pick up her own voice and Sofia hissing or moving. Still, she left it on as hearing her own questions would help remind her of things later when she wrote the article, but she vowed to keep better than originally planned notes on her pad.
Olivia pointed to the coiled serpent with her pen, “Okay Sofia, what’s that huge bulge in your body length, the one that’s bigger than me near your middle where your thickest? Sofia turned her head and looked down on the large bulge, “That wassssss lunch yessssssterday. The keeper fed me to make ssssssure I would not be hungry for thissssss interview.” Olivia touched the blunt end of her pen to her chin, “Looks pretty big, bigger than me maybe.” Sofia looked at her and tasted the air with her forked tongue, “Not that big, the meal wassssss large though. You forget you musssssst conssssssider my own thicknessssssssssss wrapped around the meal.” “Making it look bigger than it was.” Olivia continued for Sofia, scribbling a quick note about the thickness of the snake combined with the width of the prey it is digesting. She had already learned a lot from the zoo’s veterinarian Miss Daily about Sofia’s length, weight, width at various points, and other basic medical questions, including some stories about Sofia’s strength and how many people it takes to control her sometimes, so she wanted things only Sofia could tell her, or things from her point of view.
“Sofia, could you swallow a person?” Olivia asked curiously. “Yessssss.” Sofia answered without hesitation. “But not all people, ssssssome are too big to get into my mouth.” “Please explain.” Olivia said while jotting down notes. Sofia thought, “After I have killed my food, I then sssssstretch my mouth wide, and sssssswallow it in one piece.” Olivia knew from talks earlier with Miss Daily that Sofia could stretch her mouth 2 and a half to 3 times normal size, and this snake wasn’t able to swallow just anybody, only petite or small to average women, small men, and young people who aren’t abnormally large. Sofia continued, “If I kill ssssssomething that is too big for me to sssssswallow, then I musssssst move on and find another meal.” “You just leave the dead body there?” Olivia asked. “What elsssssse can I do if I can’t sssssswallow it.” Sofia replied with one of her shrugs. “It’ssssss much better here in thissssss place than in the jungle. They feed me thingssssss I can alwayssssss sssssswallow, and there are no dangerssssss to try and hurt me.” Olivia thought, “Yes, you come from the jungle. I want to ask you more about that and hunting, but first let me try something else.”
Olivia shifted and crossed her other leg, “About your senses, tell me about them please.” Sofia hung her head briefly in contemplation, “I have no earssssss, but can hear or feel vibrationssssss through the ground, ssssssuch as an animal I wissssssh to capture and eat which is walking nearby. I cannot ssssssee well, but I can ssssssensssssse heat very well with my tongue. It’ssssss a very good thing, I can ssssssee that way into the dark placessssss where my food may hide.” Olivia grinned at Sofia’s show of pride in her heat sense, “Do they feed you dead things, or things you have to catch, and which do you prefer?” “I prefer to catch and kill my food.” Sofia replied. “Often my food is alive when they feed me, I have to hunt and kill it before eating. Mosssssst timessssss I can hide and catch it eassssssily, but ssssssometimessssss the food is wary and it takessssss time.”
Olivia scribbled some notes on her pad, then glanced at the recorder to make sure it was still running. She shifted her legs again, “Snakes only eat meat right, and how exactly do you,... catch live food and eat it?” Sofia almost seemed to smile at Olivia, “I am told my method issssss very neat, but ssssssome vissssssitorssssss have called it sssssslow, gruessssssome, or horrible. To me it issssss the way it issssss. I firsssssst capture the food in my many ssssssharp teeth, then roll it or otherwisssssse encircle it in coilssssss made from my own body. Then I sssssslowly ssssssqueeze the food, tightening my grip every time the food exhalessssss, until finally the food issssss dead. Then I sssssswallow it whole. It can take a long time or go very quickly, it dependssssss on my grip and how hungry I am.” Olivia had gotten the same description from the zoo’s doctor, who had added that death came in anywhere from a couple of minutes to half an hour or more, but usually death would come within minutes. She had to know more about that aspect of Sofia’s life, she found it fascinating and knew her readers would also, but not right away.
They went through some other basic questions for a little while, then Sofia’s head drooped, “I am tired, come back in a few dayssssss and we sssssshall continue thissssss interview.” Olivia put her recorder and notes away, then stood while draping her long strapped purse over her shoulder. She held out her right hand to Sofia, then pulled it back and giggled, “Thank you so much Sofia, I’m looking forward to continuing. I wish we could get it all done at once, but I know your a cold blooded reptile, not meaning any insult by that, and you need your rest to digest, not to mention rest from all my questioning. “Yessssss.” said Sofia. “Sssssssee you in 2 dayssssss.”
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3. Two days later Olivia sat on the steel chair again, this time wearing a blue halter top and a white skirt which reached to just above her knees. Some sheer pantyhose covered her legs, and black shoes with 2 inch heels adorned her feet. She had worn this outfit for another assignment mainly, and had hoped it would be cool enough here. Olivia hadn’t had time to change her shoes even, not having thought to put a spare pair in the car for today. The top of her outfit was cooler, but the skirt seemed to soak up the hot and humid air from Sofia’s tank, and the pantyhose made her legs feel sticky. She sat as before, but positioned herself so that when crossing her legs no one outside the tank could see up her skirt. The thought ran through her mind that Sofia could, but she consoled herself that she had panties on, then cursed herself for worrying about that because Sofia was a snake. Olivia forced herself to ignore that part of her mind inherited from her mother, plus from years of being a lady for the media, and after starting the recorder and retrieving her pad and pen, she crossed her legs and straightened her skirt.
“Your bulge is considerably smaller.” Olivia said to start the conversation after general hellos. Sofia had crawled out from between different bushes from last time, near a small artificial pool where she had apparently been swimming, her scales still mostly wet but starting to dry. Sofia was coiled much as before, “Yessssss, much of the food issssss digessssssted.” “Tell me about your past, whatever you remember.” Olivia asked. Sofia seemed to think a while, then the tip of her tail twitched, “I have been in thissssss place for a sssssshort time.” “A bit over a year.” Olivia commented. “I do not undersssssstand what you mean, it issssss sssssshort to me. I hatched a long time ago in what I am told issssss called a Rain Foresssssst. Life wassssss difficult for me, it sssssseemed that everything elsssssse was bigger and out to kill me.” Sofia seemed to shiver, “I grew quickly, eating creaturessssss I could overpower, ssssssunning mysssssself, sssssswimming and climbing treessssss. The bigger I became the fewer other creaturessssss challenged me. When I reached half my current ssssssize I feared very little. After that I continued to grow, and ssssssoon none would challenge me unlessssssssssss they had no choice.”
Olivia was jotting notes frantically and trying to think of questions, “Did you ever get badly hurt during that time?” Sofia definitely shivered this time, “Once a creature with sssssspotssssss attacked me, Missssssssssss Dailey says it was a leopard or a cheetah. It and another attacked me, I do not know why, and they hurt me before I could catch one in my coilssssss and kill it, and catch the other around the neck at the ssssssame time to kill it alsssssso. I wassssss hurt after that and got very hungry but didn’t want to eat sssssso I didn’t.” Sofia raised her head almost proudly, “But I ssssssurvived, and killed 2 of those who attacked me.”
“So, you felt like nothing could defeat you now.” Olivia prodded. “No.” said Sofia almost sadly. “But I only feared the big catssssss and the huge creaturessssss with a ssssssnake for a nosssssse assssss they could sssssstep on me.” “Elephants, their plant eaters, they wouldn’t eat you.” Olivia said with a laugh. Sofia’s tongue flicked in and out several times, “I did not know that then, and they could sssssstill sssssstep on me.” Olivia found herself covering her mouth while clearing her throat, “Sorry, didn’t mean to laugh.” Then she mentally scolded herself, Sofia was just a snake, but another thought reminded her of how intelligent Sofia was. Also, not just any snake could talk telepathically, hold a conversation, and give an interview.
Olivia brushed her brow with her forearm, “Okay, other than the spotted big cats have you ever killed and eaten other creatures in the jungle that large? “Yessssss.” said Sofia while moving her wedge shaped green and black head, “A sssssshort time after that I caught a human in my coilssssss, I think a female like you. Ssssssshe wassssss smaller and had bumpssssss like you, but sssssshe wassssss darker than you and wore lessssssssssss of the thingssssss you call clothing.” Olivia tried to keep her reactions in check as Sofia went on, “I wassssss 4 timessssss as long assssss her and eassssssily coiled sssssseveral timessssss around her, and quickly ssssssqueezed the life out of her before feeding.”
Sofia stopped and moved nervously, “You are dissssssturbed, I am ssssssenssssssitive to ssssssuch changessssss. I sssssshould not have mentioned about feeding on a human but it sssssseemed natural to me at the time.” Olivia cleared her throat, “Yes, that was a bit surprising, but I’m a reporter, just give me the facts, I’ll deal with it.” Sofia stopped her nervous moving, “It will pleasssssse you to know that wassssss the only time I fed on a human. It sssssseemed quite natural and right at the time, but sssssstrangely the memory bothered me. I had never been bothered before by feeding on the creaturessssss of the jungle, but they never could talk to me either. I remember hearing her criessssss and pleading assssss I ssssssqueezed her, but thissssss wassssss how life wassssss, the sssssstrong kill the weak.” Sofia paused, “After that I realized I could no longer feed on humanssssss, it’ssssss too dissssssturbing, and now that I know humanssssss are assssss intelligent assssss I am it issssss unthinkable.” Olivia was totally engrossed in writing this part, the reforming snake, or kosher snake. Still she couldn’t help a small smile when Sofia said that humans were as smart as her.
“So, you went through life day to day, growing larger, and not eating humans.” Olivia summed up. “Tell me a bit more from that time please.” Sofia’s tongue flickered as she thought, “Avoiding humanssssss wassssss eassssssy, I jusssssst made ssssssure they ssssssaw me and they kept away, and they were too noissssssy to ssssssneak up on me. One day though when I wassssss ressssssting in the ssssssun while digessssssting a ssssssmall meal, a number of humanssssss ssssssurrounded me. I wassssss feeling sssssslow from the meal and before I could fight back I wassssss captured by many handssssss and carried away.” “They didn’t hurt you?” said Olivia with a tone of concern in her voice. “No.” Sofia answered. “It was tiressssssome and I losssssst my meal, but I was unharmed as they moved me to a ssssssmall glassssssssssss tank similar to thissssss but without plantssssss.”
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4. Another 2 days passed during which the first part of ‘Interview with the Serpent’ appeared in print. It drew a large amount of mail to the editor of the newspaper, mostly negative but the editor was used to that. He never cared much if the criticism was negative or positive, as long as they bought and read the paper. Olivia found herself with a small following of fans, all wondering what it was like to be in with Sofia, to know she might be attacked and killed at any moment. Olivia remembered having that in the back of her mind through the entire first part of her interview with Sofia, but less so with the coming of the second part. Now she was looking forward to the 3rd part, and maybe a 4th part to her interview with Sofia, and she felt no fear at all. It was a bit annoying that she couldn’t get Sofia to give one entire long interview, but apparently the serpent being cold blooded tired easily, perhaps more so due to being in the middle of digesting her latest meal. Olivia had gladly agreed to that condition before Mr. Glenn would allow her to do the interview and to be alone in the python’s den, he said Sofia wouldn’t attack her that way. The interviews would be done before Sofia finished digesting, but having spent time with the serpent Olivia wondered if that precaution had just been excessive. Sofia was a beautiful and quite endearing being, and Olivia new Sofia wouldn’t harm a fly if she could talk to it.
Olivia was dressed in her white blouse and bra again, this time with a grey skirt which fell just below her knees, plus low heeled black shoes, not to mention another set of pantyhose that were uncomfortable in the tanks heat and humidity. She hated it as dressing this way made the heat in Sofia’s tank worse, but her own fame had conspired against her, and her editor had insisted that she dress well for all the people watching this time. Olivia couldn’t understand why they were here watching, they couldn’t hear Sofia, just see a woman talking to a giant snake and it hissing back at her. Indeed some of Olivia’s critics while applauding her daring stunt, also claimed she was making it all up. Sofia refused to talk to just anybody, but some of the zoo staff and a few visitors confirmed that Sofia had occasionally talked to them over the years.
Olivia brushed her hair and crossed her legs, “Hopefully we can finish today, I know this crowd outside your den makes you nervous.” “Yessssss.” replied Sofia. Olivia began with small talk as usual, “Your bulge is hardly noticeable now, does it still make you tired.” Sofia looked at her middle briefly, “I am almosssssst done with digessssssting thissssss meal, I can wait a long time before the next one.” “So, what happened after you were captured?” Olivia asked to get right to where they left off.” Sofia paused, “I traveled in a ssssssack, then in glassssssssssss tankssssss. I ssssssaw many people, and by lisssssstening to their thoughtssssss I learned what I could. I wassssss in a pet sssssshop then a zoo, not thissssss zoo, then I wassssss with a man who raissssssed many animalssssss. I talked to him and he wassssss thrilled that we could undersssssstand each other.”
“So, what happened while you were with him?” Olivia asked while already knowing most of the answer. Sofia raised her head, “I became a movie sssssstar! I do not know what thissssss meanssssss but I know it made me important.” Olivia grinned, “Yes, you were in a number of jungle and similar movies, you got to act with some of hollywood’s best B movie stars, not to mention 1 who made a block buster recently.” Sofia moved her head nervously, “I do not know that, I do know that they would sssssset me in a sssssscene, and Mark who owned me would whissssssper what to do sssssso nobody elsssssse would hear. I would drop down from a tree and sssssscare them, ssssssometimessssss they would pretend to sssssshoot me and I would fall and pretend to be dead. Ssssssometimessssss I could coil around and pretend to kill them, and they would pretend to cut off my head with a sharp thing, and I would play dead again. It wassssss fun, I didn’t mind pretending to kill a human, Mark had explained pretending to me, I enjoyed it.”
Sofia hesitated as if remembering and flicked her tongued, “I alsssssso did a few talk sssssshowssssss where thissssss woman would carry me onto the sssssstage with the help of a number of men. I would hissssssssssss and sssssstruggle to get free a little. It made the crowd watching fearful and excited. Mark alwayssssss was nearby telling me when to sssssstruggle a bit, but I never hurt anyone.” Sofia paused, “Once I made a big sssssshow of getting the woman in a coil around her waisssssst, but I didn’t ssssssqueeze her, and the crowd and men grew very nervoussssss assssss sssssshe calmly talked about me.”
“Were their any times you displeased Mark?” Olivia asked. “Yessssss.” answered Sofia. “One of the moviessssss I did. The woman I wassssss ssssssupposed to drop down on and ssssssqueeze wassssss terrible to me. All thesssssse people were around but we pretended sssssshe wassssss alone in the jungle. Ssssssshe climbed out of the water and I dropped out of the tree onto her. It wassssss pretend sssssso I didn’t mind assssss sssssshe sssssscreamed and sssssstruggled. I coiled around her jusssssst assssss Mark wanted, and all wassssss going well.” Sofia seemed to sigh, “The actressssssssssss hated me, thought I wassssss too heavy, kept sssssstepping on the partssssss of me on the ground at her feet, tried to dig her fingernailssssss into me, and hit me with her fisssssstssssss hard enough to ssssssting. Mark ssssssaid it wassssss jusssssst her trying for realissssssm, I think sssssshe hated me.” Sofia hesitated a long time, “I got angry and ssssssqueezed her a bit, actually making her sssssshort of breath. Ssssssshe fell to her kneessssss and almosssssst colapssssssed, then 2 men ran in with gunssssss and pretended to sssssshoot me in the head. I went limp and they pulled her free and carried her away. I really almosssssst killed her, sssssshe made me sssssso angry.” Olivia said nothing but quickly scribbled notes, then Sofia continued, “Mark realized what I had almosssssst done and sssssscolded me later, but he couldn’t sssssstay mad at me for long.”
They discussed how the actress mentioned had refused ever to do another movie with a big snake, and how Sofia’s movie career had continued until Mark had died in a traffic accident. Then how Sofia had gone to some people mentioned in a will, and how they had sent her to this zoo. There had been some talk recently about sending her back to the jungle, but Sofia didn’t want that, and this was the reason for the interview, to try and stay in the zoo or get a new home, but avoid going back to a jungle. “It’ssssss much nicer ssssssince I have been taken away from the jungle, I do not wissssssh to go back!” Sofia hissed. “I hope the sssssscientisssssstssssss that Mark alwayssssss warned me of will not try to cut me open now that people know I can sssssspeak thissssss way, but I had to take the rissssssk, there wassssss too much talk of ssssssending me back to the jungle.” Olivia smiled, “I think I can safely say that you won’t be going back to the jungle, and you won’t be cut up, the SPCA wouldn’t stand for it, not to mention lots of people will want to own you after this interview if this zoo doesn’t.”
(to be continued)