flea and snake, the Only in rare instan...

flea and snake, the
Only in rare instances will fleas seek nourishment for their recently-fertilized eggs from the blood of a snake. In one case, the roads that morning were a king snake’s belly, oil and rainwater glazed. A flea drove along in his flea-sized Toyota. To say this flea drove we mean he slid. This is because king snakes are slimy—as are all snakes. To be technical, snakes become slimy only in metaphors, as when a television or film actor refers to another character as a “slimy snake.” Snake’s—literally— are only slimy when sneezed upon, or doused with olive oil. Attempting either of these is not recommended. Touch a king snake. It is not a pleasant experience. The arm hairs tingle and a shooting runs through the knee pits. Most prefer snakes in pictures, still or motion. Then again, a king snake eats other snakes, and thus is slightly more tolerable. There are not any king snakes in Georgia. These snakes one finds only in California, where the hills are gold and the grasses hide black and ivory striped bodies. This morning, the morning being spoken of, the flea was on its way to the snake’s head—which is also known as a Federal Courthouse. At the snake’s neck is where the blood is richest.