by Roman Dial
Busy with science in a tropical tree, 200-feet off the ground, I heard a squirrel. Looking, I saw not a rodent, but a 3-foot serpent, dangling in a long, lazy S. Gently swaying, it leapt free, its body flattened and sinusoidal as it sailed through the air, wiggling like it would in the water. The flying snake crossed 50 yards of empty air, approached a smooth trunk, reared up, straightened out, and stalled. After sticking its vertical landing, the reptile inched up the distant tree and disappeared. Quite a feat for the beast famously condemned to crawl.
One Comment
Harrison
My favorite part about this piece is how short and compact it is. You can form the visuals in your head with little no to information at all by just using the author’s carefully chosen words. “Wiggling like it would in water” stuck out to me the most. It gives you an idea of how the snake in question behaves and how it prepares itself for such a risky maneuver. I also enjoyed the little Biblical reference at the end.