All night long, the cat had been behaving oddly. It refused to leave the stove and hissed and meowed. I assumed it was hungry, or perhaps it was hurting. It stood there, tight, tail pushed down, looking suspiciously toward the gas burner despite my feeding and petting it.
— What’s the matter, friend? — I mumbled, on the verge of becoming irritated. But I stopped when I saw something in its eyes. It was protecting, not just scared.
I approached the stove gingerly. As if to halt me, the cat arched its back and hissed even louder. Nevertheless, I knelt down and looked inside the small opening between the wall and the stove.
My heart almost stopped the next second. I jumped back in fear and yelled instinctively. I will never forget what I witnessed there for the rest of my life.
Something moved in the dark, something long and slippery, with eyes that were dead and skin that was gleaming. My heart nearly stopped when I recognized it as a snake.
I instinctively pulled away while holding the cat close to my breast. Instead of being scared, though, it tightened, arched its back, and hissed. The snake moved directly toward me after gently slithering out from under the stove.
My back struck the wall as I retreated. The environment became quiet, a faint hiss that seemed like a whisper of death.
Abruptly, the feline leaped forward. Like a little lion, it leaped at the snake. In an instant, the snake spun around, lifted its head, and froze before it, poised to attack.
There was a thick quiet between them. Two predators and two shadows, caught in the instant before the attack, made it seem as if time had stopped.
All I could do was scream and bolt from the kitchen, my shaking fingers typing 911. I heard scratching of claws, dull thuds, and hissing behind the door.
The snake was retrieved from under the stove by the rescuers when they got there. And my cat approached me and rubbed against my leg, looking proud and at ease as though nothing had occurred.
I now remember that night every time I gaze into his eyes. And I get it—he’s already saved my life once.
