As a rule, I think most people aren’t generally partial to snakes. They are scaly, cold, slithering creatures that hiss, bite and could even kill you. So, it’s not surprising that an encounter with these reptiles is often feared and preferably avoided.
One of the last places you’d expect to find a snake is probably in the workplace – unless you work in nature, of course. Hence, I was rather bemused when my boss unexpectedly came to ask me how I felt about snakes one day. He wanted to know if I would be okay if I saw one. I don’t have a phobia of snakes and – while I don’t particularly like them – I wouldn’t freak out unless a snake suddenly jumped out at me from nowhere. So, yes, I would be okay if I saw a snake.
Having communicated my feeling about snakes to my boss, he promptly left my office without any further explanation. All he said was that he would return. I was slightly amused and a little perturbed by the oddity of this situation. Had my boss found a snake outside? Or, was he planning to put live snakes on the property as a deterrent to intruders? I must admit this thought was quite disturbing, as I imagined myself negotiating a gauntlet of snakes between the carport and the office each day. Yikes! However, after pondering the matter for several frightening minutes, I put all thoughts of snakes aside and continued with my work.
It was a day or two later when my boss returned with a briefcase, which he carefully placed on my desk. He once again reaffirmed my opinion of snakes and then he turned his attention to the briefcase. I was truly intrigued as the two clasps snapped open. The snake mystery had me baffled. Was he about to reveal a snake? And what was the reason behind this covert business?
I waited with bated breath and false bravado as he raised the lid. Inside the otherwise empty briefcase was… a plastic snake! I almost burst out laughing. What on earth was going on?
As it turned out, my boss had decided that he wanted to use plastic snakes as a deterrent for the birds. Apparently, birds aren’t too fond of snakes either – with good reason. So, the plan was to strategically place the snakes outside to stop the birds from nesting in the carport and pooping on the walls. And, being a thoughtful man, my boss wanted to ensure that the rubber snakes wouldn’t petrify any of his employees.
There was only one overlooked problem – a lady at our office was terrified of snakes. However, she happened to be on leave when my boss made his enquiries and on the day when the snakes were dispersed. So, she got the fright of her life when she returned to work and saw a snake right outside the front door. She immediately ran back to her car in panic and phoned a colleague. While she thought it might be a plastic snake, she had heard too many stories of people who assumed this only to discover it was actually a real snake. Fortunately, in this case, the colleague was able to console her and assure her that the snake was indeed fake and the lady made it into work that day unharmed – apart from the unexpected jolt of early morning adrenaline.
But that wasn’t the end of it. Those plastic snakes have been terrifying everyone except the birds since then. The birds quickly realise that the snakes aren’t real when they don’t move around enough. However, unsuspecting deliverymen and clients haven’t had any forewarning. So, there have been plenty of people who’ve nearly jumped out of their skin at the sight of those snakes. Not to mention that I got quite a fright myself on one occasion. Unbeknown to me, a few extra plastic snakes were tucked away in a drawer for safekeeping. So, when I opened that drawer in search of something else, my heart stopped and I found myself jumping back before I realised what was happening. After the initial shock, I had a bit of a relieved chuckle about it – but those sneaky snakes had finally caught me unawares like everyone else.
Needless to say, while plastic snakes may be considered toys, they are no laughing matter – especially when you encounter them in the workplace.
Audrey Whyte 
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