Unicycles and Pythons

Did you know that people have pet snakes? Specifically, nine-foot-long pet pythons? Yah, I didn't know that either until that day two years ago.

It was a perfect summer day. A light breeze blew through the Minnesota Cottonwoods, causing cotton to float on the wind like snow. My sister and I decided to celebrate the lovely June weather by going unicycling through the park. We mounted our one-wheelers, ignoring the gawking stares of people passing by, and slowly descended down the asphalt trail towards the park. I peddled a little bit farther ahead of my sister, my mind wandering with thoughts of picnics, volleyball tournaments, and other summery things. Suddenly, I heard a scream... and not just any scream. This was the scream of ultimate, terrified horror.

I sprinted so fast on my unicycle towards the noise that I ended up crashing off my unicycle. I rounded the bend and found my sister staring in the long grass at... a giant snake.

"Oh my gosh!" I screamed, instinctively reaching for a pencil in my pocket (you have to record the exciting stuff you know). The pencil was gone, though, because it had fallen out of my pocket on my sprint over here. Terror and amazement filled my entire being. My mouth dropped open like a cartoon character's.

My sister didn't move, but instead continued to gawk at the snake, and I soon realized that this snake was not moving. In fact... it was dead. The huge, muscular body of the nine-foot python (lying in an average, suburban park) had been chopped to bits by a lawn mower. I gagged as I stared at the silky, scaly, green pieces and wondered if maybe the lawn mower driver had chopped up the snake intentionally... I mean, how could you not notice a nine-foot-python in the grass?

I wished I had brought a camera, and the rest of the ride home my sister and I tossed possible scenerios back and forth as to what the snake was there for.

"I think it escaped from a zoo transporation truck." My sister suggested.

"No," I said, straining as we unicycled up the hill, "I think it was someone's pet- that escaped after eating the owner."

I had heard of that happening before. One lady had let her python up on her bed and finally, it just decided to eat her.

For once we didn't notice the awkward stares of people going past as we cycled home. Unicycling seemed only half as amazing as an escaped python. I decided, maybe this was a sign.... maybe it was time to get back to finding some adventures.