ketchum, id

Hastily, Butler Snodgras ran through the first door he saw and with a quick twisting step he enveloped himself behind the next towering grass door like a clever fit snake. Quite hidden, he silently thanked the twilight's shadows and his dark tux for their merciful cover. He decided to lose his shoes as to give himself a lighter step, for he might need to quickly find another hiding place without being heard. His head was wrapped with seven of his mother's vintage catholic schoolgirl uniform knee socks. They had been in place tied round his head for as long as he could remember, tied one by one in ill configurations, allowing only his eyes to peer out. All the socks were black except for the one that was white. He was sure that the white one had been the seventh administered. His mother had been such a sad sad narcissist in her prime, always impatient with every aspect of life. Damning the quiet sound of his breathing, he marveled at the fact that his head had not shed a drop of sweat beneath all the socks during this frightful feverish time. The only thing he felt was a cool flushed sinking sensation, as if he had forgotten to lock his mansion whilst already in the midst of a distant vacation. Carefully digging through his jacket pocket he pulled out his favorite round thing and clutched it as if it powered the heavens. He was confident that this was the right time to devour his last grain of passionate hope. As he lifted the round thing to his mouth, it turned a glowing red color, although it had been quite blue before for years and years. Pushing his heals into the wet ground, he breathed in his predicaments and swallowed his beloved round thing. After swallowing, a grand series of explosions were felt and heard and the ground began to shake for some strange drawn out moments. Fearing for his life, Snodgras dropped to the ground where the shadows were secure so that he could come away from the grass door secretly. He felt his way across the grounds and hedges to the small elegant house that seemed to sit centrally in this vast four cornered garden. The marble steps felt cold against his palms as he crawled over the long forgotten threshold. It appeared to be a tiny one room chapel that resembled an enclosed garden meeting house. There was no actual door, it was free and open. Being so low to the ground, he felt as though he were a child looking above himself with great wonder at such a puzzling circular space. A small beam of soft light from the moon shown in through the partially stained glass windows that lined the chapel walls. Frightened and shaken he stood amidst, observing the missing pews and alter. Diamond scales of a bluish tent from the glass of the windows caught his excited eyes. Slowly he stood up and felt his forehead. His sock bindings began to feel strange, like the socks were shifting out of place. The socks became heavy as if engorged. To his horror, he felt his tied socks and began to realize they were not socks anymore. They were snakes. The snakes slithered and squirmed together around his head and neck. Snodgras screamed out in terror and ripped them off his head with such violence and clamor that they came raining down easily on the marble floor all around him revealing his pale handsome face. All seven snakes were black except the one that was white. As he ran towards the door he realized the room no longer had an exit. The snakes seemed drawn to his wet sock feet. No matter where he dashed the snakes followed, easing curiously and fearlessly towards his presence. Snodgras realized, as he shifted carefully around the room, stepping over coils of curiosity, that the white snake was sitting motionless in the center of the chapel. It seemed to be meditating calmly. Trying madly to vomit his favorite round thing out of his body, so as to reverse these happenings, Snodgrass heard a booming thunderous clap shoot so intensely at the chapel that the snakes slithered towards each other reacting to the vibrations. Snodgras, sliding down the wall to a weak crouch, watched as the black snakes moved their bodies into a tangle. He saw the white snake joined the tangle as it moved across the chapel floor. The snakes rolled into each other maintaining a clumped squirming tangle. Then, from the opposite side of the chapel, the seven snake tangle began to move towards Snodgrass's crouched form with gaining speed. Snodgrass jumped to his feet and turned to the wall to grip one of the windows above, attempting to smash it with his bare fists. Just before he was to make contact with the glass, a blinding light shown so brilliantly from outside the window that Snodgras shielded his eyes as if the light was pure flame. Squinting through his wrecked being, he managed to make out the shape of four bright lights fusing together. Remembering the snakes, he jumped back, hands on wall, looking down, only to see all seven snakes, still tangled, making their way rapidly out the door together toward the light. Snodgras followed them while shielding most of the light from his eyes. There, outside, was the garden illuminated with such powerful rays one would think the sun had landed at this very spot. Covering the garden grounds were thousands of perfectly gleaming small red apples, blanketing the entire garden floor for as far as one could see. Snodgras exited the chapel slowly with warm tears falling fast from his thankful eyes as he saw the great black steed staring at him, beckoning him to ride with spirited thrusts of neck and digging hooves kicking the apples all around. And there, the snakes had fused their tails to the root of the stallion's tail, with their heads hovering in the charged air, combining the 8 animals to form one awesome creature. Falling to his knees, surrounded by apples, Snodgrass wept uncontrollably. The commanding creature walked over to Snodgrass lowering it's head to nudge Snodgras's shoulder. Snodgras slowly gripped the great horse's neck and stood with renewed strength. Grabbing a handful of black mane, Snodgrass pulled himself awkwardly at first onto the astounding creature's back. With a loud crack of the white snake's whip, they were off into the light.