Chapter 7: A Second Slithering Encounter
On a sunny afternoon in the jungle, there is a large waterfall with large rocks besides it and trees and bushes around the area. Walking to the very area is Mishti, who is still scared and hurt for what has happened earlier. She feels like she wants to be alone for a while.
Mishi climbs on the large rock and look over to see the waterfall. She then throws a few rocks to the waterfall. She sighs sadly and walks down the rock. She then continues to walk down the jungle path pushing the bush leaves and branches out of her way.
She then walks on a large fallen tree. She keeps her balance until she reaches the end. She then jumps off and continues to be on her way.
She walks down the jungle path until she reaches the jungle path. Mishti sits on the giant root of the tree, and looks at the faded burn mark on her arm. She can still remember what happened to her that night eight years ago. She and her mother have been trapped in her home and only she manages to escape.
She can remember her mother screams, "Mishti!"
Then hears her own voice, "Mommy! It's so hot!"
She then looks at the bracelet her mother has given to her. She does feel bad for leaving baloo and Bagheera like that, but she just want to be left alone.
"I'm sorry Baloo and Bagheera, but I don't think you both can understand," Mishti says.
She lets out a sigh and trying to think what she should do now travel around the jungle for the rest of her life or try to get to the man village herself. She's torn between two things, staying in the jungle loves or facing her fears to find her other desire… her father.
Mishri is so distracted by her thoughts, that she isn't aware that something or someone has seen her from above. Just then, a familiar dark gold tail with black spots slither down to where Mishti is sitting. It secretly wraps itself around Mishti's upper legs and lifts her up. Mishti looks to see she is being lifted high and looks to see the familiar snake tail.
The tail then circle so Mishti will be seated and wrapped around her waist and right hand so she can't fall off. Her left hand is still free. Once she is lifted past the leaves and branches, she looks to see a clearing.
Just then a familiar voice, says, "Well, isssn't thissss a sssurprise."
Mishti looks ahead to see the hypnotic indian python from before.
"Kaa! It's you!" Mishti says, looking to see that she is coiled by his tail.
Mishti free her other hand and tries to uncoil the tail off of her.
Kaa says, Yesss, girl cub. Sssso nice to sssee you again."
He then hisses as he leans his head close to Mishti.
Mishit calmly pushes the snake's head away, and says, "Oh, go away. Leave me alone."
Mishti is able to uncoil the tail from her waist and pushes it aside as she turns her head. Kaa slithers over her so he can see her face.
"Let me look at you," Kaa says.
Mishti is able to jump off of the coils to see Kaa's hypnotic eyes. Mishti quickly covers her eyes and turn her head away from him.
"You don't want me to look at you? Kaa asks.
His tail slithers up and places it on Mishti's head.
He turns her head toward his, and says, "Then you look at me."
He then admit the hypnotic colors from his eyes. Mishti quickly covers her eyes his with hands as he moves away.
"No, no sir," Mishti says, taking the tail off of her head.
She pushes it away and begins to walk away from the snake.
"I know what you're tryin' to do, Kaa…" Mishti gets interrupted when Kaa's tail tie around her wrist.
"You do?" Kaa asks.
But quickly corrects himself, "Uh, I mean... you don't trust me."
He then turns his head.
Mishti sighs, and says, "No."
Mishti unties the coils from her wrist and begin to take her leave.
But Kaa coils her ankle as he says, "Then there's nothing I can do to help."
Mishti almost fall over to see the tail has coil around her ankle.
"You wanna help me?" Mishti asks, taking the tail off of her ankle.
Mishti looks to see that Kaa is not around, and wonder where he could be. What she doesn't know is that Kaa has slither behind her.
With a hiss Kaa answers, "Cssssertainly."
Mishti becomes startled and uses her hands to cover her eyes. Kaa then uses his tail to coil around Mishti's waist so she can't get away.
He then circles around her as he says, "I can ssssee to it that you never have to leave this jungle."
Kaa stop to where Mishti has her face covered. Hearing what the serpent is saying, Mishti slowly removes her hands from her face to see he isn't hypnotizing her.
Mishti calmly asks, "Really… but, how could you do that?"
"Hmm?" Kaa says, staring at Mishti says
Kaa says, "Oh, I have my own…"
"... Ssssubtle little wayssss," Kaa says.
He leans close to Mishti as his tail wrap itself around her shoulders. Mishti turns her head to see the snake has his head close to her. Kaa chuckles making Mishti shivers and try to turn her head away more.
"But first, you must trust me," Kaa says.
Kaa uses his coils to turn Mishti's head so the two are looking eye to eye. Mishti quickly ducks under the coils and begin to walk away.
"I don't trust anyone… not anymore… and I don't trust you either," Mishti says.
Mishti continues to walk away in sadness and doesn't know where to go.
"I don't blame you little one," Kaa says, slithering towards her.
Kaa makes a loop with his tail and lands on her head almost making Mishti lose her balance.
"I am not like those… fair weather friendssss of yoursss," Kaa says.
Kaa uses the coils to cover Mishti's eyes. The girl cub becomes blind and tries to move her hands to get to her head. Once she feels her hands on the coils she tries to get them off.
Kaa says, "You can believe in me."
Mishti manages to feels the coils loosen a little and lift them over her eyes, but ends up encountering the serpent with his hypnotic eyes.
Kaa:
Trusssst in me
Before Mishti can reach, her eyes begin to admit the same color patterns, and now under Kaa's spell.
Kaa:
Jusssst in me
Kaa stops his hypnosis on his eyes and slithers his tail to Mishti.
Kaa:
Sssshut your eyessss
Mishti stands with her arms down and has a big smile on her face. Kaa brings his tail to Mishti and beckon her to come forward, which she does as her eyes close.
Kaa:
And trust in me
Mishti continues to walk in her sleep as Kaa slithers from behind. When Mishti is about to step off the branch at the end, Kaa stops her by pressing his tail against Mishti's head.
"Hold ssstill, pleasssse," Kaa says.
Kaa lets go and allow Mishti to walks down on his scaley body like stairs.
Kaa:
You can sleep
Safe and sound
Mishti continues to walk down the body of the hypnotic python in her sleep
Kaa:
Knowing I
Am around
When Mishti reaches the end of the tail, Kaa slithers in and has her walk on the other end. He slithers into a circle until Mishti is walking upside down. Mishti slides down and is now being rocked to sleep on the coils.
Kaa:
Slip into silent slumber
Sail on a silver mist
Kaa looks below to see Mishti si growing more deeper under his hypnotic powers as he sings her to sleep.
Kaa:
Slowly and surely your senses
Will cease
Kaa then uses his coils to slide Mishti and uses his tail to balance her on her back.
Kaa:
To resist
Then has her balancing on her head upside down.
Mishit continues to sleep as she lets out a sigh.
Kaa slithers to her, and asks putting his head upside down, "You feel better now."
Mishti only manages to say, "Uh huh."
Kaa then lays himself down on the tree close by.
Kaa:
Trussst in me
And jussst in me
Kaa uses his coils to slide the sleeping Mishti down and have coil up from head to toe, but leaves her head and feet exposed.
Kaa:
Shut your eyes
Down below, Shere Khan the tiger is lurking by, but stop to hear Kaa singing.
Kaa:
And trust in me
Shere Khan walks over to see Kaa's tail slightly swinging back and forth. He stares at it for a little bit without doing a thing. Shere Khan pulls on it to get the snake's attention.
Which it has. Before Kaa can devor Mishti, he senses his tail being pulled.
"Oh, now what?" Kaa says, annoyed.
Then he says, "I'll be right down."
Kaa slithers down from the tree.
When he reaches close to the jungle ground, he calls out, "Yes? Yes? Who is it?"
"It's me, Shere Khan. I'd like a word with you If you don't mind," The tiger says.
He then sits down on the floor next to the tree.
Kaa slithers over, and says, "Shere Khan. What a surprise."
"Yes, isn't it? I just dropped by. Forgive me if I've interrupted anything, shere Khan says.
"Oh, no, no, nothing at all," Kaa replies.
Then Shere Khan says, showing his claws, "I thought perhaps you were entertaining someone up there in your coils."
"Coils? Someone? Oh, no. I was just curling up for my siesta," Kaa says, nervous about see the sharp claws.
"But you were singing to someone," Shere Khan says.
He then gently grabs Kaa by the neck, and asks, "Who is it, Kaa?"
Kaa gulp, and says, "Uh, who? Oh, no. Well, I was just singing, uh, to myself."
"Indeed," Shere Khan replies.
"Yes. Yes, you see... I have trouble with my sinuses," Kaa lies.
"What a pity," Shere Khan replies.
Shere Khan lets go of Kaa's neck and place the coil on the ground with his paw on it.
Kaa continues to lie, "Oh, you have no idea. It's simply terrible. I can't eat. I can't sleep. So I sing myself to sleep. You know, self-hypnosis."
Just then an idea comes to mind.
Kaa begins to admit the hypnotic colors from his eyes and begins to streche to Shere Khan
He says, "Let me show you how it works."
"Ah, trust in me," Kaa begins to sing having his head close to the tiger.
But Shere Khan uses his other paw to small his head to the ground covering his eyes in the processo.
"No, I can't be bothered with that. I have no time for that sort of nonsense," Shere Khan says.
Under the paw, Kaa asks, "Some other time perhaps?"
"Perhaps," Shere Khan says, scratching Kaa nose with one of his claws.
The tiger takes his paws off and begins to walk away as he says, "But at the moment I am searching for a girl cub.."
"Girl cub? What girl cub?" Kaa asks, but knows where the girl cub is.
"The one who's lost," Shere Khan says, turning his head to the snake.
Then questions, "Now where do you suppose he could be?"
"Search me," Kaa answers, but quickly covers his mouth with his coil.
"That's an excellent idea," Shere Khan says
Then he adds, "I'm sure you wouldn't mind showing me your coils, would you, Kaa?"
"Uh, certainly not," Kaa quickly answers.
Kaa lowers his tail and says, "Nothing here."
"And nothing in here," Kaa adds pointing to his mouth wide open.
Still in a trance and tied in Kaa's coils, Mishti begins to snores, which is quite loud. Shere Khan and Kaa the sound.
Kaa amanges to make an excuse, saying, "My sinuses."
"Hmm. Indeed," Shere Khan says, looking a curious.
Then he asks, "And now, how about the middle?"
"The middle?" Kaa repeats.
Then he says, "Oh, the middle."
Kaa carefully bring down without waking Mishti up. Kaa lowers the middle of his coils down enough for Shere Khan to see. Khan then begins to squeeze his coil a little to feel if something inside.
"Absolutely nothing in the middle," Kaa quickly says.
"Really?" Shere Khan asks, looking up from his eyes.
He turns to Kaa, and says, "Well, if you do just happen to see the man cub…"
"You will inform me first, understand?" Khan says, scratching Kaa's chin with his claw.
Kaa gulps, and says, "I get the point."
"Cross my heart, hope to die," Kaa says, turning his coils into a cross.
"Good show. And now I must continue my search for the helpless little lad," Shere Khan says, taking is leave.
Once Shere Khan is gone, Kaa shows an annoyed and stern expresson on his face.
"Ooh, who does he think he'ss fooling?" Kaa says.
Then mimics Shere Khan's statement, "The helpless little lad."
"Ooh, he givesss me the shiverssss," Kaa says, willing his coils.
But that cause the coils to loose and uncoil Mishti, and wakes up instantly. Mishti shakes her head, and rubs her head to remember what happened. She looks down to see Kaa's coils, and understand what's going on.
"Picking on that poor little helpless girl," Kaa says to himself, and lets out sigh.
Then he says, "Oh, yes. Poor little helpless girl."
While Kaa is talking, Mishti is able to push his coils down the tree with her left. Kaa ends getting pulled by the tail and fall down the tree. Once Kaa is out of the tree and to the ground, Mishti finds a vine close by, and uses it to climb down to the ground.
Once Mishti is on the ground, she walks to Kaa who is in his coils and says, "You told me a lie, Kaa. You said I could trust you."
Mishti then has her arms crossed as Kaa lifts his head from the coils with a annoyed look on face.
"It's like you said," Kaa says.
He then begins to slither towards her in anger as Mishit begins to walk back.
"You can't trust anyone," Kaa adds, but feels a snag on his tail.
His tail ends up with a not and caught between the tree. Then the tree breaks and his tail is sprung back to him. He then turns his head to see Mishti running away from him.
Frustrated, Kaa says, "If I never ssee that sssskinny little sssshrimp again... it will be too sssoon."
Then Kaa slithers away, but it's a struggle after getting bend like it
"Ooh, my sacroiliac," Kaa mutters to himself.