"No! David! Nooooo!" Kristina screamed. She grabbed the sheriff's arm. "Don't shoot him! Don't!"
"What the hell?" Sheriff Hardison lowered the gun. "That mongoose is about to make that snake its lunch!"
Meanwhile, the mongoose was wrestling with David, determined to finish him off.
"No! Stop it!" Kristina screamed at the mongoose. "Damn you!" Without warning, she grabbed the gun out of the sheriff's hands. She aimed at the mongoose and pulled the trigger. Bang! The mongoose lay still as blood pooled around it. Kristina ran over to the snake. It lay quietly on the floor, wounded but still alive.
"David! Oh my God, David! What did Dad do to you?" Kristina's hands shook as she knelt next to the cobra.
"David?" Deputy Bock repeated. "Wasn't your dad's assistant named David? Did your dad name the snake after him?" He chuckled as the sheriff gave him a dirty look. "I'm sorry, ma'am," he mumbled.
"I know this sounds crazy. I can't even believe it myself. This cobra is David. My dad..." She hesitated, and looked directly at the lawmen. "My dad... experimented on people. He turned Tim into a snake. Or tried to, anyway. I saw Tim at the carnival sideshow." Kristina covered her mouth with her hand and shook her head. "It was just awful. I guess the experiment didn't work. Tim was caught somewhere in between."
She stood up. "David...hadn't been feeling well. Then Dad wouldn't let me see him for a few days. He sent me town to pick up an Urutu snake. I guess it was a fool's errand, since the freight manager had no record of it. I stopped at the carnival on the way back to see a 'snake man' I'd heard about. It was Tim. I recognized his face! Then I knew that David was in trouble. I drove back as fast as I could, but I was too late."
Deputy Bock scratched his head. "So what are you telling us, ma'am? That this here cobra is David Blake?"
"That's exactly what I'm telling you!" Kristina's voice broke on the last words.
Sheriff Hardison and the deputy exchanged a look. Hardison put his hand on Kristina's shoulder. "Miss Stoner, you've had too much excitement for one day. You just need a good night's sleep." His words were kind. "I'm sorry about your father. He was a good man. Don't you worry now. We'll take care of everything." He walked toward the door. "Do you have a phone here? I need to call the coroner."
Kristina motioned toward the house. "In the kitchen."
"Thank you. Now let me take you inside."
Kristina shook her head. "No, thanks. I'd rather stay here for now."
"All right. You'll need to come into town tomorrow. We need to fill out some paperwork. David and Tim have both been reported missing."
Kristina sighed. No use trying to explain to them. She thanked the men and walked them to their car. As she walked back toward her father's lab, the tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Why, Dad? Why?!" she screamed into the warm summer air. Her dad, and her first love. Both gone in one day. She closed her eyes as she thought of David. Her first real boyfriend, with his bright blue eyes, winsome smile, and gentle ways. She'd fallen for him right from the start. Her father had always been a little eccentric, but experimenting on people? "What made you do it, Dad?" She would never know the truth now.
Kristina wiped her eyes as she slowly walked back into the lab. The cobra was in the corner of the room, staring at her with piercing blue eyes.
"David, it's me. Kristina. Do you know me? Maybe you're still in there somewhere." Her heart hurt, and there was a lump in her throat. Mixed emotions overwhelmed her. She had always been afraid of cobras, but this was no ordinary cobra.
The snake slithered closer to Kristina, and looked at her as though it understood. "I have to believe you're still there. Some part of you is still human!" She was certain she could feel David communicating with her. Please help me.
Kristina held her breath as she gently touched the cobra's head. "That's right, I won't hurt you. I promise I'll take care of you, David. I love you, and I always will."