NATURE'S CHILDREN: Yikes, a Snake!

Last spring my husband and I visited the Outer Banks. As we walked along the boardwalk at Bodie Island, we spotted a water snake swimming lesisuerly among the reeds. We leaned on the railing and watched it. A woman and a little girl stopped and asked what we were looking at.

(At Bodie Island, that's not considered rude, everyone shares their sightings.) I pointed down into the water and said, "A snake. Look. It's right there." That poor lady choked back a scream, grabbed her daughter's hand and ran for the car, "I'm petrified of snakes!" she yelled back over her shoulder. The snake, unperturbed by the commotion, continued its journey. Soon a young father came along with his five year old son in tow. He too stopped to ask what we were looking at. Again I replied, "A snake'" and pointed to where it lay, still now except for a flicking tongue. The father picked up his son and held him so he could see over the railing. "Do you see it?" he said to his son. " Isn't it beautiful?" the little boy nodded enthusiastically. Then as the snake began to move the father said, "Watch how it moves through the water, so graceful." Together they watched quietly as the snake swam out of sight, "Aren't we lucky?" said the father. "Yeah!" said the boy.

I felt sorry for that little girl, the one whose mother was "petrified of snakes."

November 15, 2025