PK On the Loose

PK nosed around the edges of the transparent box they had put him in. Seems like there would be a way out. Hunter had always secured it well, but now Gardener seemed to have the job, and she was much less confident in fastening the lid. The Prairie King was an attractive snake, and Hunter liked to show him to the people. But now Hunter seemed to be gone, and the Gardener was looking after him.

The lights went out. No one was around. PK went around one more time, and it seemed to him the opening for the cord offered a little more scent of outside air than before. He nosed up into the gap, and decided to go for it. Moments later, he was lying on the floor, looking for anyone who might want to pick him up. Nothing else moved. He hadn’t made any noise, that he could tell. Moving into a corner of the room, he curled up behind a tall, solid box that was almost against the wall. Aaah, room to stretch out. Much better.

“Speaking of embarrassing”, said Taran, “I’m glad we don’t have any dogs around here. You remember that story about Bo? Gardener used to tell it. Her Mammaw had a black labrador named Bo, and it gave their cat PJ a fit. One time he took a mouse in his mouth, one that PJ was chasing, and just held it there, playing innocent. Gardener saw the tail hanging out of Bo’s mouth! After PJ gave up and went away, he opened his mouth and let that thing run away! Can you imagine, being tricked by a dumb dog like that?”

“Speaking of wet mice …” murmured Fenix. Everyone looked at Peanut and laughed.

“All right, all right! I’m just glad they took me in! I didn’t look like that very long, and I’ve got more hair than any of you now!” Peanut retorted.

“Good thing you bulked up a little before Slider saw you! He likes little mice!”

“Speaking of Slider,” someone said. “Anyone smell a snake in the house lately?”

“As a matter of fact,” Jasmine spoke up. “For about a week now. Started back in the corner room, and then a few days later moved into the hall… almost smells like it’s in the wall somewhere!”

Everyone was quiet. This was not good news. They knew what it was like to tangle with a snake in the woods, and couldn’t imagine it would be much better in the house.

“What did ‘PJ’ stand for?” asked Blanca.

“Pitiful, Jr.” Jasmine laughed. “Her mom’s name was Pitiful. No one remembers why!”

“Speaking of mice … anyone remember that hamster in Barefoot’s room?” Pixie licked her lips, but it had been before her time. Jasmine continued, “A Siberian dwarf. Funny little thing. One night it got loose, and they found it in a cup hanging on the wall. They never knew why it was up there.”

“Let me guess … you know why?” asked Peanut.

“Well, let’s just say it figured out how to climb the wall when it needed to!”

PK had moved into the hallway, then into another room. Lots of books on the floor, and stuff piled in the closets. Plenty of room to hide, but no way outside. After a couple of days, he was missing the food they used to provide, and getting a little hungry. Back in the hallway, he discovered some narrow slits into another space inside the wall. Sliding through, he found a nice cool space between a grate of some kind and some flat panels. The air just seemed to blow right through them. By hooking his body into the grate, he could just hang there. Nice and dark.

Cowboy came down the hall, and saw a loop of snake body hanging out of the air conditioning return vent. Quietly, he went for a pair of gloves, and called Gardener to come help.

“What the … ?!” Suddenly PK found himself yanked out of the grating and held up in the air, flying back to … oh, no, not there again!

Back in the box, he sulked. After eating, of course.

After a couple more feedings – 10 days or so – PK decided he was ready to move on. This business of sunning under a tungsten lamp on a little rock was boring. Once again, he found an opening and made it to the floor. Wouldn’t want to be around when Hunter got back, and found out Gardener couldn’t even close the door on a cage!

But now the cats were on to him, and he had to stay very, very secluded. And the people were looking for him, too, and they could lift and move things that he was hiding under. They seemed to be upset. Why were cats allowed to wander the house, and lie around looking like … cats … but he had to be in a box? That was wrong, just wrong. Oops – here comes someone! Run!

Run? What do you mean, run? Don’t you remember what happened in the Garden?

Oh, yeah.

Quick – back into the couch cushions! Hope nobody really big comes to visit …

PK stuck his head out from between the couch cushions. House was dark. Quiet. It had been days since he had eaten, and staying inside that couch was even less fun than staying inside the transparent box. He had to find a way out of the house.

Sliding out onto the floor, he nosed around. Nothing interesting that he could smell. Moving into the kitchen, he found the cat food bowl, and tried some of it. Pretty dry stuff. There had to be something. But wherever the cats could wander, there would be no mice. He found the stairs, and slithered up the carpeted steps. Ah, more hiding places. He explored a long, dark cavern under the windows, with a door propped slightly open.

Probably a cat’s hiding place. Wandering into the bathroom, he found the opening under the door to the attic and the air conditioning equipment. A whole new world opened up, on the other side of the door. Hot, dry, and not very promising. But dark, and big. And maybe there would be bugs, mice, whatever.

The air conditioning unit shook as it blew air through the ducts, and the whole attic vibrated with it. Now and then the compressor kicked in, and very disturbing noises pressed on his ears. Who could sleep here?

After exploring a bit, he returned to the bathroom, and down the stairs to the living room. Ah, well, back to the couch. He had a nice space hollowed out under the cushions, and he could keep an eye on things from there. Still hadn’t found anything to eat. Except that awful stuff the cats eat. He would rather eat a cat.

Maybe that could be arranged.

PK slid out of the couch onto the living room floor. His body grew, becoming twice as big around, then again, then again. He almost filled the room, halfway to the ceiling. Pushing through a window, he slid out onto the back deck, only just in time, as his body grew to as big a circumference as could fit through that window frame without becoming lodged there.

The birds fluttered from the trees in fright, and he snapped up one or two as he stretched out to full length. A couple of cats stared at him from the grass behind the deck. In a moment, giving them no time to react, he gobbled them up. Mmmm. He grew bigger.

Buck came out of the small building and saw him. Young Mother looked out as well. Buck disappeared, and returned with a long black stick that was fat on one end. He pointed it at PK, and fire bloomed from the end of the stick. Something bit PK on the neck, like a mosquito.

He noticed a black thing, smoking, in the middle of the back yard. Sweet, hot smells came from it. Mmmm. He stretched out his tail and smashed the smaller house, in irritation about the mosquito bite. Then he scooped up the black thing that smelled so good. Ouch. Oh, that was hot! Hot all the way down! Oh, he wished he had not swallowed it. Oh, it hurt, it hurt down in his stomach.

Suddenly he woke. Something very uncomfortable was hurting him, down deep. He was still in the couch, in his hollowed-out space, hiding from the people. But something was hurting. What in the world had he swallowed? They lost so much stuff in this couch it was like a buffet … but he had made a bad choice this time. Oooohhhh, that felt bad.