Curiosity's a good thing...
Gil looks pensively on to the vast plain in front of them― the tall grass swaying in the night breeze made it look as if it were the rolling waves of the ocean.
“I’m really sorry for bluntly asking such a pervasive question…”
“It’s alright Tintin.” the man reassures; his attention was suddenly piqued by something moving in the distance.
“Stay put for moment, okay?” Gil says, standing up from the log they were sitting on, he cautiously approached the rustling patch of grass.
Upon inspecting what it was and bending down to pick it up, Tintin’s interest was also piqued.
That iota of interest quickly turned into mild panic when Mr. Gil came back and presented him with what appears to be a dead snake― admittedly a very small one, but it looked very much like an Adder/European Viper; while their venom isn’t particularly lethal, their bite can be quite painful.
“With all due respect Mr. Gil, uh― pardon me for my language and sudden outburst but what the frick!?”
“Don’t worry, this is a juvenile grass snake; Adders have a dark zigzag pattern, this one has dark stripes instead, see?” Holding up the seemingly lifeless, limbless reptile for the boy to take a closer look at. “And it’s just playing dead, it’s a cool thing some snakes do to ward off predators!”
Although wary, Tintin decided not to slap the snake out of his scoutmaster’s hand when it suddenly sprang to life.
“Would you like to hold it?” Mr. Gil inquires, handing the reptile to Tintin.
To not embarrass himself even further by being a pansy, he half-heartedly agrees.
“I know you’re a little freaked out but trust me, they’re completely harmless― they don’t bite.”
After the initial fear faded away, reluctant fascination took its place― the boy watched as the creature nimbly slithered between his fingers; it was cold, but it wasn’t slimy like a salamander or frog.
He promptly gives the snake back shortly after and begins to ask questions about it, Mr. Gil patiently trying to answer every single one to the best of his abilities.
“… Since they don’t bite, how do they defend themselves?”
“They release a foul-smelling substance from their anal gland.”
“What’s their usual prey? And how do they hunt?”
“Mostly amphibians, but they’ll also go after fish, birds and small mammals. They rely on the element of surprise to capture unsuspecting prey to swallow whole.”
“How can you tell the males from the females?”
“The males have a distinct yellow/orange collar behind their head, while the females are often larger and have a less distinct collar.”
“Wait,” Tintin comes to a momentary pause, “I do hope I am not a total bother by asking you so many questions.”
“What? No, you’re just being curious!” Mr. Gil tries to assure the boy, only for the younger to shift uncomfortably from where he sat.
“That’s what my teachers call me whenever I disrupt class with my questions, something about killing a cat.”
“Curiosity killed the cat?” the man asks, Tintin nods. “Yeah that, they said I shouldn’t ask questions I don’t want the answers to...”
“Yeah, but satisfaction brought it back.”
Tintin turns to look at him, head tilted sideways. “I’m sorry, come again?”
“The whole proverb is: ‘Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back…’ the process of getting the answers may be challenging or dangerous, but the satisfaction of knowing is worth it.”
“Oh… so that’s what it actually meant?!” tossing his hands up in disbelief. “For the longest time they’ve always used that phrase against me!”
“Curiosity is a good thing,” Gil said, with the snake in his hand seemingly hissing in agreement, as if to back him up. “in moderation that is― while it’s only natural, wanting to know more of the world around us; there are truths in this world that most people aren’t ready to address yet or talk about, which is why they tend to be so hush-hush about it.”
“Once you learn and experience something, you can’t unlearn or un-experience them?” Tintin adds.
“Yeah, pretty much― you just have to be careful with what truths you want to uncover, lest you want it to blow up in your face…” the man replies, eyes trailing away from the snake to his crutches.
A particularly strong breeze blew, sending the pair to a slight shiver― Gil stands up once again to return the snake to where he picked it up from. “It’s getting late Tintin, we should head back to camp.”
“Yeah, Roger and his lot might be giving whoever’s in charge a hard time…”
art by the @professorcalculusstanaccount (this was the original art that was supposed to be paired with this excerpt)
