Sleeping With the Enemy

For the last few weeks I've been sleeping in a tent on my own, near a small lagoon in an isolated area at the back of the reserve and cooking my meals over a camp fire. The reasons why are long, complicated, slightly nonsensical and not at all interesting. Let’s just accept the fact that I have been and move on.

After a couple of weeks of this bush living, it was time for me to move back into the main accommodation area. I packed up my camp and cleared out my tent. In doing so I discovered a squashed snake under my foam mattress. Obviously he’d snuck in one day while I was out and then I'd come home, jumped into bed and must have squashed the poor fella underneath.

Judging by the smell he'd been dead a fair while. I'd actually noticed the smell a few days before but had assumed it was just my own poor personal hygiene that was the cause and had made a mental note to wash more often. In fairness, the mattress was masking the worst of the stench and it was only when I removed it that the full force of the odor was released.

I have no idea what type of snake it was and the fact that I'd flattened the thing's head made it difficult for the wardens to work it out too. I can only assume it wasn’t poisonous since it didn’t bite me but maybe I unknowingly pinned it with my body weight before it had a chance to have a go. Either way, I now check my bed a little more thoroughly each night.