ANECDOTE Snake in the Bath Abstract How would you like to find a snake in your bath?

A nasty one too! Orientation We just moved into a new house, which had been empty for so long that everything was in a terrible mess. Anna and I decided we would clean the bath first, so we set to, and turn on the tap. Crisis Suddenly to my horror, a snakes head appeared in the plug-hole. Then out slithered the rest of his long thin body. He twisted and turned on the slippery bottom of the bath, spitting and hissing at us. Incident For an instant I stood there quite paralyzed. Then I yelled for my husband, who luckily came running and killed the snake with the handle of a broom. Anna, who was only three at the time, was quite interested in the whole business. Indeed I had to pull her out of the way or shed probably have learnt over the bath to get a better look! Coda We found out letter that it was a black mamba, a poisonous kind of snake. It had obviously been fast asleep, curled up at the bottom of the nice warm water-pave. It must have had an awful shock when the coldwater came trickling down! But nothing to the shock I got! Ever since then Ive always put the plug in firmly before running the bath water.