The Scariest Moments of Erica's Life
The Snake Incident
June of 2008
4 years old
It was very sunny in the Bing's backyard, just a little above 80 degrees, and Erica and Jack Bing were playing tag.
"I got you I got you!" Erica squealed as her little legs ran away from her twin brother.
Jack started to giggle and continued to chase after his sister. She ran behind the big oak tree that was placed in the center of their backyard. A tire swing hung heavily from a thick branch and the leaves twinkled with bright green in the sunlight. When Jack made his way to his sister, she dodged his grasp and started running down towards the stream that flowed below the oak tree.
Monica Bing was reading a magazine on the back patio when she happened to see where Erica was going out of the corner of her eye. She craned her neck to see where Jack was and also noticed that he was going down towards the stream as well. She knew they were not allowed down by the stream because the rocks were very slippery and they could fall. Closing the magazine, she cupped her hands over her mouth and shouted down at them.
"Kiddos, come back near the oak tree! You're too far away from Mommy!"
Erica looked up at her mother on the patio and obeyed her rules. She started ascending back up the hill, but stopped when she noticed that Jack wasn't following. She whipped around to face her brother and was confused as to why he wasn't following behind her.
"Jacky didn't you hear Mommy?"
Jack had his back turned to Erica and was interested with something that was moving slowly in between the rocks. He started to follow it.
"Jacky, Mommy said we couldn't play here in the stream," Erica said firmly. She didn't like how her brother wasn't following the rules.
Jack's feet were now in the water when he bent down to pick up the moving thing. When it was finally in his hands, he turned around and faced his sister with a big smile of accomplishment.
"Look what I found!" he shouted in amazement as a baby ring neck snake wriggled in his hands.
Erica's face began to whiten when she saw the snake in her brother's grasp. She wasn't scared of too many things, but snakes were number one on her list.
"Jack stop it!" Erica pointed at the snake in his hands.
Jack looked down at the snake and then back up at Erica.
"But it's so cool!" he squealed with pride.
"Nonononono!" Erica started to jump up and down with annoyance and fear, "Put it down now Jacky!"
Jack didn't listen to his sister and started to ascend up the hill. He giggled when Erica started to shriek and run away with fear.
Monica heard her daughter screaming and got up from her seat to see what was wrong. When she saw what was in her son's hands she also recoiled in panic.
"Jack Geller Bing, put that snake down young man."
Jack's smile turned into a frown when he got to his mother. He loved finding animals and showing them to his family, and he didn't want to let the snake go.
"But why Mommy?" Jack whined.
Erica was clutching onto her mother's leg, not taking her little brown eyes off of the snake.
"Because we don't pick up snakes we find outside. What if that snake was dangerous and bit you?"
Jack gave his mom a look, but agreed to let the snake go. When he placed it on the ground, the little snake slithered straight towards Erica's feet and was soon right on top of her shoes.
The little girl just went completely ballistic.
"Mommy!" she screamed and screamed as she kicked her feet until the snake was flung away. Jack just stared at his sister, but then started to giggle and clap his hands.
"That was funny!" he squealed while the crying Erica was picked up and hugged by her mother.
"I know sweetie," Monica said as she rubbed her back, "Snakes are very scary."