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Snakes\u2026it always has to be snakes. What kind of a detective investigates snakes? I\u2019m supposed to be solving murder mysteries not acting like a zookeeper. <\/em><\/p>\n The detective angrily stepped out of his cruiser into the quickly strengthening rain. As the rain touched his torn jacket, he could barely make out the house betwixt many curled trees. The trees almost\u2026enveloped the house. But purposefully. The branches fingered their way into and out of the windows in an eerie statement of possession.<\/p>\n Well, <\/em>he thought, at least I\u2019ll have a hell of a story to scare the kids with when I get home. <\/em>His metallic, green boots heard the pitter patter of rain as they stomped their way towards the house, glumly carrying their owner into the unknown. By the time he had come within 10 feet of what he thought was the door, a hissing sound began to grow in his mind.<\/p>\n He calmly stated to himself, \u201cIt\u2019s just the steam from the furnace.\u201d desperately hoping that the decrepit \u201cfortress\u201d had a furnace and nothing something else. The door swung open, almost as if it were being opened to welcome a new vict- guest. The architecture of the house was somehow normal. Living room here, kitchen there. However, the house gave an illusion of almost being shaped in an enormous circle. The arching walls over him reminded him of his favorite movie The Hobbit.<\/p>\n Just like the Shire. Must have been cozy.<\/em><\/p>\n Stepping around with his flashlight, the hissing multiplied. The detective began to think out his steps and act more deliberate in order to ground himself.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not crazy. But this isn\u2019t a horror story either. There\u2019s a perfectly reasonable explanation for the hissing. <\/em><\/p>\n His own thoughts began to distract him from his quest, as he quickly found himself walking down into the basement, the turning point of any good detective story.<\/p>\n They said there would be snakes\u2026thought I was going to a fuckin\u2019 zoo. But no, here I am like I\u2019m in the damn Blair Witch Project. <\/em><\/p>\n The detective felt a cold presence on his shoulder as he made his final steps into the damp basement that was plain wrong. His mouth could barely utter \u201cWhat in the world\u2026?\u201d as he realized the basement was made of stone and the house sitting on top of it wood. \u201cNo\u2026\u201d he eeked out. This wasn\u2019t stone at all. It was painted over to look as if it were stone. His fingers slowly moved their way across the walls.<\/p>\n Scaley.<\/p>\n Is this what they meant by snakes? What kind of sick freak makes a room from snakeskin?<\/em><\/p>\n This thought evaporated quickly as he turned to the far corner. His pupils widened, spotting the enormous crimson \u201ccircle on the floor\u201d with an object lying in its center.<\/p>\n He had heard of these circles as a child. Ancient denizens of the area practiced a forbidden style of magic that had been lost after a plague wiped them out. But this area felt\u2026fresh. As if it were still being used. The air was clogged and white noise crowding out silence. He walked over to the circle and picked up the object.<\/p>\n I was never a Harry Potter fan but even I know this is a wand. This can\u2019t be real\u2026they said that all the Serpent Wands were destroyed with the plague\u2026and there\u2019s an entire shelf of them just on that wall. This isn\u2019t adding up.<\/em><\/p>\n As he knelt down to touch the circle, his stomach turned.<\/p>\n The circle had not been composed of paint\u2026but\u2026<\/p>\n Blood.<\/p>\n The consistency of the blood was\u2026well, inconsistent. The detective had seen enough crime scenes to know what human blood feels and smells like between the fingers.<\/p>\n Is this snake blood? The ancient hymn said something about serpent essence\u2026is this what they meant? <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Snakes\u2026it always has to be snakes. What kind of a detective investigates snakes? I\u2019m supposed to be solving murder mysteries not acting like a zookeeper. The detective angrily stepped out of his cruiser into the quickly strengthening rain. As the rain touched his torn jacket, he could barely make out the house betwixt many curled … <\/p>\n