Crib Death - A Story

A month had gone by since it had last eaten. Now it was on the prowl, its empty stomach had forced it out into the night air. Slowly it was inching its way through the rustling leaves. Seeking its victim by their warmth, it would devour anything it could catch. Its tongue flicking in the night air, it tested the thermals for its next victim. It sensed that tonight it would satisfy its hunger. It just had to be patient. It wasn’t quick enough to capture something fleet of foot. It had to ambush its supper.

As it inched along it could see an opening and it knew it must investigate. Silently it entered, dropping to the floor, it began its deadly search. Stealth being in its favor, it slowly made its way down a dark hallway. Coming to a doorway, it knew its next meal was there. It could smell it. Its tongue was going mad, tasting the victim’s presence.

Into the room, it crawled, ever so slowly until it was where it needed to be. Into the crib, it slowly crawled. Its intended victim tried to cry but the weight of its assailant suffocated it. With its jaws unhinged and open wide it began. It always started at the head of its victims and this was no exception. Down its throat, it went, a lump of the suffocated baby was its prize.

The 14-foot Burmese python slowly retraced its way to its entry hole. The lump in its belly prohibited it from escaping through the hole. Sated, it curled up in a corner and in the morning its fate was sealed. A blast from a shotgun put an end to the baby killer’s life.

Thus a killer was killed, saving countless others from the same fate.

The moral of the story! Watch your child! You never know what evil is lurking!

June 25, 2023