THE SNOW SNAKE

During the fabled Year of the Two Winters, when July temperatures plunged to sixty-two degrees below zero, a new terror arrived from Siberia by way of the frozen Bering Strait. These were the Snow Snakes—white-bodied, pink-eyed, and viciously temperamental. Their venom is swift and deadly, rivaled only by that of the Hood Snake or the dreaded Hamadryad.

Unlike most reptiles, the Snow Snake hibernates in summer and awakens in winter. It waits coiled on a snowdrift, its pale body perfectly concealed against the whiteness. A single strike is enough to bring down its prey. Humans are rarely bitten, for the snake considers them too large a meal, though an overconfident specimen may occasionally attempt it. In those rare cases, the only known antidote is tanglefoot oil.

Even today, the excuse “I was treed by a Snow Snake” remains a time-honored explanation for showing up late at home.