One Hour Only
An Ashwinder's life consist of one hour, and one hour only.
The ashwinder slithered through the grass. It was hay season, and the farmer's hut stood off to the side of the paddock in a clearing in a wood.
That was where the ashwinder had been born. In the fireplace, left by the farmer's magical child. It had been left unattended when the farmer went to bed.
The ashwinder had left the fire now, and time was running out. She had to find a place to lay her eggs.
She had only an hour. Now forty-five minutes. She reached the edge of the paddock and stared.
She had found the place.