The Snake's Lesson by octopus_fool  

Findaráto froze. It had only been a quick glimpse, but he knew what he had seen. The scales, the long, slender body, the movement…

He could feel his heart racing, and sweat forming on his hands. He looked at the patch of grass it had disappeared into, but he couldn't see it.

"Findaráto? What's wrong?" Findis asked.

"There… there was a snake," Findaráto managed, pointing towards where it had disappeared.

Findis went over to the grass, looked around for a moment, then bent down. When she straightened, she was holding a grey snake in her hands and looking delighted.

"Indeed, and what a beautiful specimen! Well spotted, Findaráto!"

Findaráto slowly backed away from her, barely daring to breathe.

"What's wrong?"

"Grandfather said that one of his friends on the Great Journey died because he stepped on a snake."

"Yes, but there are no venomous snakes here in Aman. They might pretend to be ferocious and dangerous if threatened, but they cannot harm us beyond harmless puncture wounds. And they usually prefer to just mind their own business anyway."

Findaráto found that did little to calm him as he stared at the horror in his aunt's hands.

She opened her mouth to say something joking, then saw his face and set the snake back into the grass, sending it off with a few words.

"Let us continue, and I will tell you a bit about snakes. I find that knowing more about something often makes it less terrifying."

Findaráto looked at the creature in his aunt's hands. He had spent a lot of time with her in the past months, since she had made it her personal mission to cure him of his fear. At first, she had merely talked about snakes, then started showing him images to help him tell the different species apart.

After that, she had started inviting him over and showing Findaráto the room full of glass containers in which she kept the pet snakes he hadn't known about for a long time. They spent hours in there together, Findaráto slowly daring to get closer to the containers.

He watched how they moved, how they basked in the warmth of the crystals overhead and eventually, how they ate as Findis fed them.

It cost him all his willpower and a few nights of sleep, but eventually, the hair at the back of his neck stopped standing on end when he saw the snakes.

But now, Findis had the ultimate test for him.

"That's Laiquaril, isn't it?" Findaráto asked, stalling for time.

"Yes. She's calm and gentle, so there's absolutely no reason to worry. Just hold out your hands. You can close your eyes if that helps."

Hesitantly, Findaráto did as Findis said, though he kept his eyes open in order to be able to see everything that happened. She held Laiquaril next to his hands, and the snake flicked her tongue across his hand. Then, slowly, the snake made her way onto his hands, exploring as she moved. The scales were an unusual sensation, but not unpleasant.

Finally, Laiquaril started stretching towards Findis, who extended an arm towards her and let the snake climb onto it before gently setting her back into her enclosure.

"Well, how was that?"

"A lot better than expected," Findaráto admitted. "I actually kind of liked the sensation. I don't think I would mind doing that again, even though it was a bit nerve-wrecking at first."

"You have come far these past months," Findis said. "I made something for you."

She went over to a drawer and took out a silver ring that she handed to Findaráto.

"I had already started making this before we began our little project, but I made a few modifications to the design. I hope you like it and that it reminds you both of your bravery and that things may not always be as terrifying as they seem."

He looked at the two snakes with green emerald eyes, their bodies intertwined, one supporting a golden crown of flowers, the other attempting to devour it. The way the light shone off the eyes almost made the snakes look alive.

"Thank you, Findis. It is beautiful!"

"You have more than earned it."

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