Coming out of the house last evening, I started walking down the long winding sidewalk to the driveway, with Handsome right behind me.

I jumped and cried out.  My heart pounded a little harder.

At my feet on the cobblestone walkway was a small black snake – or was it some sort of large black worm?

Handsome kicked it with his foot.

It was just the hook from a broken plastic hanger that washed in from the storms this past weekend.

©2022, excerpt from “Tales from Yodel-O Land”