As Jason lay beneath the ancient oak tree, he was serene. His body flooded with relaxation. His ocean-blue eyes scanned the sky. As per usual, it was baby blue with a few dim, grey clouds in its midst. It was mid-autumn, leaves the colour of robins and cardinals drifted down from tired branches. Cool bursts of wind whooshed past him, rattling the tree above him. The crispy leaves sounded like a dozen maracas shuddering at once. He closed his eyes and dreamed the sound was actually a sly hiss of a rattlesnake; its frightening, distinct call hung in the air. The reptile slithered its way up the oak tree, passing every leaf and whispering his name. “Jassson,” it called for him, slurring the ‘s’ within his name.
Jason popped open one eye and curiously peeked at the serpent. He was surprised at what he saw. The eight-foot-long reptile’s body coiled around the lowest branch like a bundle of rope. Scales the colour of rich emeralds coated its muscular body like a jacket. At the end of its long body, a rattle shaped like a beehive buzzed angrily. Lastly, Jason met the reptile’s gaze. Eyes the colour of twenty-four-carat gold startled him. Where had the snake come from? He was overwhelmed with questions, but Jason did not ask them.
Instead, the…show more content… Its mouth was jam-packed with sharp fangs, glistening with venom and mucous. In less than a second, the snake rushed forward and struck the young boy, latching onto his bony arm. Jason shrieked, pain seeping into every pore of his body. As he felt the venom spread through his bloodstream, he gazed down at his arm and noticed green scales starting to project through his skin. “What is happening to me?” Jason’s terrified screams cracked through the cool autumn air. The amount of scales began to multiply across his entire twitching frame. He felt his tongue contort into a jagged one and razor-like fangs force themselves from his gums. “What have you
