PSLE: You were alone with your brother at home when he started crying loudly.

 

 

It was a dark night.  The moon had gone into hiding and  temperature had dipped to a comfortable cool.  My parents had gone to a friend’s gathering and instructed me to take good care of Kayven, my two-year-old brother.  I really dreaded looking after him for he was such a crybaby.  Luckily, he was lying in his crib sound asleep in our bedroom while I was playing 'Black Shot' quietly on my smart TV in the living room, enjoying myself while devouring the mouth-watering popcorn.
 

All of a sudden, the silence of the night was shattered by a shriek. It was Kay, crying loudly.   “Shut up, Kay!  Can’t you let me finish my game?” I yelled across the living room.  I ignored his cries and continued my addictive game but his shrieks went louder and louder.  It reached a deafening level and broke my concentration on the game and - lost.

I stood up and stormed to my bedroom.  I opened the door and switched on the bedroom light.  To my astonishment, I saw Kayven struggling under his blanket.  Was he having a nightmare?   “What are you doing, you naughty boy?” I asked as I flipped over the cover.    Chills ran down my spine when I realized what had actually happened.  A gargantuan, menacing python had coiled around Kayven’s body.   Its beady eyes were glittering in the light and its grey and brown body was covered by shiny scales.

I froze in paramount fear.  For a moment, I stood rooted to the ground like a Roman statue.  "You stupid snake!  Leave my baby brother alone!" I cried and tried pulling Kay out of its coils but to no avail.  

I burst out in tears, sobbing uncontrollably.  My heart was in my mouth and I was at a loss on what to do.  Kay was turning blue in his face and was panting breathlessly as tears fell liberally like gushing taps. 

Every passing second was getting critical.  The snake was strangling my brother to death!   I searched my brain frantically for a solution.  A brainwave then hit me like a lightning bolt.  I ran to the kitchen and got myself a carving knife.  I charged back into the room and stabbed the python a few times.  Crimson blood spurted everywhere.  The  stubborn reptile, which seemed possessed by the demon, gave an ominous hiss, squeezing  Kayven even harder with its vice-like grip.  
 

Oh my goodness!  My little brother was dying; his lungs were gasping for air as if he were drowning.  Fear pulsated in me. My heart was pounding like the African drum.  I suddenly remembered that Mr Jason, my neighbor, was a veterinarian.  I ran out of my house and hollered, “Help!  Mr Jason! Help!”   Mr Jason came running over and saw my blood-splattered shirt.  “What’s happened?” he asked.

Words lodged in my throat. “My bro…brother … snake…python…” I answered.    Grabbing his bag filled with paraphernalia, he rushed into the room with me.  Mr Jason wrenched open the snake’s mouth and poured alcohol into it.  Immediately, the snake loosened its coils and Mr Jason pulled Kayven free.

Fortunately, my brother was still breathing but had lost consciousness.  Mr Jason immediately drove him to the nearest hospital as there was no time to spare.  The medical team managed to save Kayven’s life. Mr Jason told me that just a few minutes more and Kay would have been dead.  It was a close shave for him and a great relief for me.   As for the snake, it was subsequently put down.  Since then, my parents have learnt their lesson and never dared to leave us – home alone - again.



http://thesnakebite.tv/constriction-alcohol-hot-water/