I’m used to living in the country. That’s where I grew up.
However, that doesn’t mean I’m immune to tiny jolts of fear.
Being without power wasn’t the scary part. I’ve been through that.
The scary part was facing the unexpected.
I couldn’t see things. No one could.
So when I stepped out onto my front porch when shorts and flip-flops, I had no reason to expect anything unusual.
As I exited my home, I heard what sounded like a plastic bag rattling behind the door, so I pushed the screen door shut and tried to see what it was.
I didn’t see anything, but I sure felt something.
Something long and slimy slithered over my bare feet.
I jumped.
Then I grabbed my cell phone out of pocket and turned on the camera.
I shot a quick picture, the flash of which illuminated the area just in time for me to see a large, black snake go slithering down my front porch steps and into the flower bed area.
The picture didn’t turn out, but at least I knew what I was dealing with.
I snapped into action.
I ran back inside, locked the door, blew out my candle so nothing could see me and curled up in recliner with my knees pulled up to my chest.
Now every time I go outside I am on the lookout for my scaly friend.
I haven’t seen him since. I fear he is mad at me.
That’s OK, I guess.
I’m not really that afraid of snakes, but to have one slither over my feet when I couldn’t see it just freaked me out.
I guess I should invest in a couple flashlights for my house. That would come in handy if the power is ever out, and it would help me make sure the coast is clear before stepping outside.
One positive of the power outage, though, was that we still had water.
This honestly about blew my mind.
Living in the country, I grew up in a house that had its own well. If the power was out, we didn’t have water. Period.
Being able to flush the toilet, fill a glass of water and take a shower was a pleasant surprise, even if a couple of those activities proved strange in the dark.
