2020-03-01 Reader\'s Digest AUNZ

Jenniferleapedupasthesnake,a

metrelong,roseintoa strikingposi-

tion,withitsdustytriangularhead

tensedanditstailrattling.“Snake!”

yelledJenniferasshebackedaway.

“Snake!”

Whenheheardhiswife’scry,Jere-

myfiguredshe’drunintooneofthe

harmlessratsnakesthatoftenshowed

upontheproperty.Hegrabbeda

shoveltoshoothecreatureawayand

joggedaroundthehousetothegar-

den.That’swhenheheardtherattling.

Hiswifewascorneredbetweensome

shrubberyandthewallofthehouse,

thesnakedirectlyinherpath.

Hefirsttriedtoscoopuptherat-

tlesnakeusingtheshovel,without

success.Thenhedidwhatwasnec-

essary:heraisedthegardentooland

broughttheedgedownhardthrough

thesnake’sbodyjustbelowthehead,

decapitatingit.

Jenniferwentintothehouse,her

hearthammering, whileJeremy

headedbacktothegarden.Aboutten

minuteslater,whenJennifersaidshe

wasgoingtolettheirtwosmalldogs

out,hedecidedtomovethedead

reptile.Helookedatthecreature

lyinglimpontheground.Itshead,

attachedtoa stubofbody,restedon

a pavingstone.

Hebentdowntopickupastick

lyingnexttothesnake’sheadsothat

hecouldf lickitaway.Butbeforehis

handeventouchedtheground,the

snakeattacked– a blurofmotionas

the creature launched itself forward.

B

eforetheincident

• beforehisbody
  became a battle-
  groundforcompet-
  ingpoisonsandhis
  storythesubjectof
  zoologicalcuriosity


• JeremySutcliffehadactuallyliked
  snakes.He’dfoundthembeautiful,
  even.
  Besides,thetattooed 40 yearold
  wasn’tsomeonewho shiedaway
  fromwildcreatures.Hewasanavid
  outdoorsmanwhotookeverychance
  hecouldtocampandfish.Thatlove
  ofnaturehadbeenpartofthereason
  JeremyandhiswifeJennifer,43,had
  recentlymovedtoSouthTexasfrom
  Kansas.Theplacethey’dboughton
  LakeCorpusChristi,ashortdrive
  fromtheGulfofMexico,wastheir
  dreamhome.Orthat’swhatit wasgo-
  ingtobe.Atthemoment,theywere
  livingina trailerontheir0.4-hectare
  lot,andthehousewasstillafixer-
  upper.A“totalgutjob,”Jeremycalled
  it,withtheprideofsomeonewho
  plannedondoingtheguttinghimself.
  OnasteamySundaymorningin
  May2018,thecouplewastidying
  theirgardeninpreparationforan
  eveningbarbecuewiththeirdaugh-
  terandhertwoyoungchildren.At
  around10.30am,Jeremybeganmow-
  ingthelawnwhileJenniferworked
  onthegarden.Shehadjustreached
  downtograba weedwhenshesawit:
  a westerndiamondbackrattlesnake,
  rightnexttoherhand.

READER’S DIGEST

80 March 2020