Tease Mawray - The Red Mamba

Deadly encounter

Tease Mawray - The Red Mamba

The pain coming from my finger was excruciating. By the time I looked down, I could see the red mamba slinking off into the tall dry grass. Tiny as it was, mamba snakes are known for their bright red skin, slender form, and small stature, but unfortunately, they are also known for inflicting serious, if not fatal bites. There is no cure! I knew it had bitten me, and I felt faint as I slowly lay back on the ground trying to keep myself calm and lower my heart rate.

The severe pain caused my finger to throb while the fatal venom slowly entered my bloodstream.

I lay on the warm earth and stared for the last time at the blue sky and slow-moving clouds. I knew if I moved, or tried to run for help, the deadly venom would pass through my bloodstream that much faster.

I thought of my wife, the few friends I managed to keep throughout the years, and my two loyal dogs, who always loved my wife and me, no matter how late we got home, no matter how long they had to wait for dinner.

The warm sun was shining on my face now, and just for a second, I closed my eyes. I could see my wife smiling in my dreams, and I could hear her voice as she told me she loved me. For the last time, and at peace with myself, I slowly went to sleep.

I woke to my wife's voice "Honey, dinner is ready, why don't you come in now and get cleaned up?"

As if in a dream, slowly my eyes opened to the bright warm sun; and once again, as she did many times past, she moved in front of the sun to shade my eyes so I could see, "Come on you, can't nap all day!" She took my arm and helped me rise to my feet.

I was astonished I was not dead, but instead, there she was, smiling and pulling me along.

Just a second sweetie; I bent down, parted the tall grass, and looked to see if the red mamba had crawled away. No, it hadn't! I could see it in the same spot where it bit me. Without hesitation, I stomped the deadly viper with the heel of my work boots! Stomp, stomp, stomp, until it stopped moving.

My wife looked on in amazement, and finally blurted out, "What the hell are you doing?" It's a red mamba, a vicious deadly East African poisonous snake, and it bit me! I'm killing it for good!

She looked down at the tiny, thin, red object, and without hesitation reached down and picked it up; she held the lifeless viper up for both to see!

We looked closer and closer to reveal she was holding the tiny red ribbon from a Wrigley's gum wrapper!

I looked at my finger where the bite had occurred, and sure enough, there was a tiny but very sharp bark splinter that had made its way under my fingernail!

By now, tails wagging, the two labs had come out of the house and found us. Everyone with wiggling tails and happy faces went in for dinner. One day at a time.