The Detailed Writing Prompt Comp

Uno

This is another of my stories about Working at the Charles Towne Landing Animal Forest.

This especially mild day in May, 1971 seemed to give the birds permission to sing their sweet songs. Sometimes, the singing was so loud and I disappeared and helped in the unfinished bear habitat. The Animal Forest was designed and built by “Wild Kingdom’s” Jim Fowler. The theme was that it was inhabited by only native animals that the settlers encountered when they landed at Charles Towne. Instead of cages, all of the animals lived in large fenced areas called habitats.

It was time to close the gates so no tourists could walk into the Forest and get hurt. We kept a number of dangerous animals. The wolves were especially dangerous. I passed the wolf habitat and called them, “Hey, Wolfies!” They ran out of their hiding places with wiggly waggly tails. When the three Timber wolves finished the chicken backs I threw into their habitat, they all lifted their heads, made an “O” with their mouths and howled. I can’t describe it, the song was shrill and long. I almost told them to, “Shut up!”

After some other dawdling, I found myself at “the Barn,” which had been renovated for the office and the stalls were perfect for cages. We kept a young, dangerous bear, a lovely Jaguar, two mountain lions (puma) and a bunch of sea birds. I paid them no mind as I waltzed into the office. There were several other employees waiting on the clock. I didn’t have to punch a card.

I noticed a gallon jar, damp, and had a large King Snake inside. I blew up, “Why the Hell didn’t one of you take this poor snake out of this jar?” I heard some grumpy rumbling, but no one answered. Fighting back my anger, I slowly opened the jar lid. Was the snake still alive? I reached down and pulled the snake out of his filthy prison, wondering how long he’d been in the jar.

He was full of little red mites and had a bad case of mouth rot. This poor snake was in seriously bad shape. Could I save him? I thought so. I soaked him twice a day in Tincture of Green diluted soap and rubbed his mites with a small amount of baby oil. I also treated his mouth with antibiotics. He was going to live, after all. He was shiny, sleek and moved so gracefully! A few days later, I noticed his skin was dull and his one eye was opaque. Having kept snakes, I knew he was shedding. The milky opaque eye is one of the first things to notice.

Undo needed a place to feel safe so he could rub up against a log, of a sharp rock in order to crawl out of his skin. That is why people find snake skins that are intact. We fixed Uno a nice place in one of my aquariums (which was not really big enough). I found the perfect substrate of short tree limbs that had hard bark and a couple of large rocks. He should be able to finish shedding in a day or two and spend another few days hiding until his skin hardened.

When Uno was finished with his shedding ritual, I reclaimed my lovely King Snake. He was an iridescent black with creamy beige color on his “chain” around his body. That is why some people call King Snakes “Chain Kings.” The beige chains that wrapped around his body, against his shiny black skin made him one of the most beautiful snake in the world.

After a couple of months, it was time to let Uno loose to take care of himself and hibernate. This time, I didn’t cry. I knew Uno was better off where he belongs, as are all wild things.