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I\u2019m fourteen the first time I bargain with the indigo snake. I find it basking on the rocks that are piled against the south side of our house, a lazily drawn line of black, like a cursive letter that has gotten away from itself. It lifts its head as I walk up. \u201cCan you hurt Sam Mueller?\u201d I ask. I\u2019ve taken health class by this point, so I know that I\u2019m not supposed to speak to snakes. There are videos about what happens to the kids who do. But they\u2019re so poorly made, the actresses too peppy and the snakes no more than plastic-eyed puppets. Hardly sinister. | Copyright 2018 by Mel Kassel. Narrated by Judy Young.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices