Lucy, Snake Hunter

Hello again, its me, Lucy One White.

Today, I’m going to tell you another story from my younger days. I was a really good hunter, as most cats are. My brother Jules also was a good hunter, but he was more conventional, catching mouses and voles. I, Lucy liked to catch snakes, although I could also get mouses. I don’t do much hunting anymore because my little bones are old and I don’t move so fast. I mostly hunt out a good sunny window for a rest.

Back in the day, though, I was good. I was still a kitten when this one happened. Mama Steph was home, and Mama Bets was gone doing a teacher thing. Jules and I were doing free-rangering, going in and out through the back door, and we were having hunting practice.

I caught a snake, just a little one, and I bringed it inside to show Mama Steph. I opened my mouth to tell Mama Steph and my snake fell out, and it went down a hole in the floor. I cried loud and Mama Steph came to check on me. I showed her the hole, she called it the cold air return, and she saw my snake in there. Mama Steph is nervous about snakes. She knows they are mostly helpful, eating bugs and stuff, but her own Mama was terrible afraid of snakes and there were rattling poison snakes around when she was little.

So Mama Steph was trying to be brave and help me get my snake back, but it was hard for her. She took the cover off the hole, and got a jar to put the snake in (silly Mama, she should just have gived it back to me). I Lucy was quite interested in this, and was watching very closely, pushing my head on Mama Steph’s hand. Mama Steph decided she needed a different jar for the snake and went to get it. When she came back, she couldn’t see me, and she thought maybe I had gone back outside to play (silly Mama again).

She reached into the place to get the snake and just about had it in her jar, when SURPRISE! I Lucy stuck my head out of my hiding place. I’d gone in the tunnel  (Mama Steph says its called ductwork, I don’t know why, I don’t see no ducks) to watch. I surprised Mama Steph really good, she jumped great big and did a screaming noise. It was really funny, you would have liked to see it. After she got done jumping and screaming, she got nervous about me being lost in the tunnels and pulled me out and then she locked me in the bathroom. She was kind of harsh about it, I don’t know why.

And then, she catched MY snake and she putted it outside. It was mine, she was supposed to get it for me. She covered up the hole again before she let me out of the bathroom. Hmmph. I Lucy am offended that she didn’t give me back my snake. But when Mama Steph was jumping and screaming, it was really funny. I scared her really good. I have caught a few snakes since then, and some mouses and stuff, but I think this snake catching was the best story, except for the sad ending, where I didn’t get to keep my prize.