Remember this week’s three words for your mini-story? Snake. Adventure. Raspberries.

This adventure really happened and just a month ago.

The first thing you need to know is that Bobby Blue-Belly and Poppy Pink-Belly are snakes. And twins. They moved with their parents into a brand-new den which is halfway down the hill, across the path, behind the big yellow rock, and under the lavender bush. If you don’t know where that is, I’ll show you.

It was Bobby Blue-Belly and Poppy Pink-Belly’s first day of school.

Father snake packed their backpacks with all the supplies they would need that day. This included several dried chickpeas, their favorite lunch snack. Mother snake gave them directions to their new school and warned them of the potential dangers that lay ahead.

Her tail punctuated the sharpest warning: No Paved Paths!

Halfway to school, they heard a hissing sound. There, right in front of them, stooped a gnarled gopher with raggedy brown fun and spotted yellow teeth (Poppy Pink-Belly, who can proudly count to twenty, counted four teeth). In front of the gopher, nestled in a moist green leaf, was a mound of beautiful red raspberries that winked in the sunlight like irresistible rubies.

“Want some?” the gopher murmured in a tone so low, they almost missed it.

Bobby Blue-Belly and Poppy Pink-Belly faced a dilemma. They wanted something badly (eating the raspberries) and didn’t want something just as badly (talking to a stranger). They needed to move on yet couldn’t move on, I mean, how could they get past the creature blocking their path? Their thinking went on and on, too much thinking for so early in the morning.

And then it was over. It happened so quickly.

There was a dark shadow above. It was a hawk with claws extended. The gopher was lifted, squawking with indignation, up into the blue sky. They held their collective breath but there was nothing left to hear above the soft wind. One minute later, Bobby Blue-Belly and Poppy Pink-Belly finished eating all the raspberries. They were delicious.

They would be on time for school after all.