Snake Scare

Have we become such a wild lot as to be attracting only the wild in our midst? Just the other day, a monkey tried to befriend us. Earlier, a crow nearly laid down its life while seeking entry into the Club. These days we see a cat who has endeared itself so successfully with some members that it has become a permanent resident of the Chinese Hut. Correspondingly, not a single human being has sought admission to the Club in the past couple of months or so.
There’s news now of a snake making a fervent bid to gain entry. Yes, a regular, full-grown, live snake wants to join us!
Since morning everybody has been talking about this, but nobody claims to have seen the snake. “Pata nahin, suna toh aise hai,” Tara Chand-ji said, suggesting that it could well be a rumour. Grover was more committal: “Kaiyon ne saap ko dekha,” he said. “Magar main ne nahin dekha.” Nahid Khan was downright dismissive: “Saap? Kahan saap!”
When Shekhawat came to start the exercises, the ladies refused to step out of the Chinese Hut. “Nahin, wahan pe saap hai,” Sunita-ji protested.
Instead of being alarmed, Shekhawat-ji simply laughed it away as the ladies’ prerogative to decide where to exercise – thereby deepening the mystery. Was it his way of wanting to appear chivalrous? Or was it out of concern, not to create panic, that he readily agreed to exercising in the Chinese Hut?
During the exercises, he playfully drew attention to a tiny centipede on the floor that was in danger of being trampled by Rane. The latter kicked it to a side, but it crawled back close to Rane’s feet again. Bose had to pick it up and toss it outside, before the exercises could resume. Surely, this centipede could not have been mistaken for a snake!
And then the mystery was resolved. A snake had indeed come visiting day-before (on Saturday, after our exercises) and settled at the far end of the Chinese Hut. Santosh-ji was the first to notice it – all coiled up in a corner and confabulating with our resident cat, perched high on a ledge. Santosh-ji raised an alarm and a crowd gathered.
“The watchman came running with a rod – the kind used to mop the floor – to hit the snake,” she narrated. “Ultimately, it just uncoiled itself and slithered away into the dense undergrowth towards the nullah.”
So that’s the truth about the snake. Santosh-ji won’t lie. But watch this space!

Renu Babani says:
I second Santosh-ji. I saw the snake playing games with the garden cat that evening. Interesting to watch as the cat made an advance and the snake slithered away just a bit, before making an advance causing the cat to withdraw instantly. This went on for a while as the watchman watched attentively like the rest and pondered how to get rid of it. Finally, I walked away and didn't pay heed to what was decided regarding the snake. However, it is kind of scary to think of having a snake in our midst. We seem to be having too many visitors who are interested in becoming members, which makes for hilarious conversation.
--Renu