Serpent Girl

Artist: Jill Bauman

Steven Benedetti's work has him driving the lonely highways at night, as it so often does. But tonight he passes a carnival and decides to stop for a break. At the carnival, Benedetti meets the Serpent Girl, a woman who stirs him like no other woman has, a woman who, like Benedetti, has a secret. They hit the night roads together and begin a journey that will change Benedetti forever.

Excerpt from the story:

A garish tent at the rear of the carnival grounds caught my eye. Achubby, snaggle-toothed barker stood out front and talked into a bullhorn. Behind him, the front of the tent was colorfully painted. A girl wrapped in snakes stood on one side, with lots of writing on the other:

SEE THE SERPENT GIRL!
WATCH HER COMMUNE WITH THE SNAKES!
SEE HER TAME THE SERPENT
THAT ONCE TEMPTED MAN!

The barker shouted through the bullhorn: “She speaks with them, ladies and gentlemen! She has a psychic connection to these ancient serpents! She has stunned the audiences of Europe, and now she’s here to perform for you! Come see the Serpent Girl! Another show coming up, you don’t wanna miss it! The Serpent Girl, ladies and gentlemen.”

I went to the booth and bought a ticket, then went through the tent’s entrance. About twenty folding chairs were set up in two columns. A few men were already seated. Up front was an empty stage. There were speakers in the four corners of the tent. I went to the front row and sat on the aisle.

A few minutes later, after a couple more men had come in, the lights in the tent went low. A man’s voice came over the speakers: “Now, direct from the capitals of Europe to perform for you here tonight—Elise, the Serpent Girl!”

Music came up and a spotlight lit the center of the stage. She stepped into the light and began to dance in a tiny black, bejeweled bikini. In her arms, she held an enormous snake, probably a boa constrictor. She stroked the snake as she undulated, then put it over her head and across her shoulders. The snake slowly began to coil around her as she danced.

Some of the men in the tent applauded. One of them shouted, “Take it off, honey!”

She wasn’t a terribly good dancer. By the time she held two snakes, she’d gone through all her moves and was just repeating herself. But she was beautiful, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her...

Limited to 750 signed and numbered copies