A Snake In The Hand.....

by Arkangel

Disclaimer: The characters and situations of the TV program "Big Valley" are the creations of Four Star/Republic Pictures and have been used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended by the author. The ideas expressed in this story are copyrighted to the author.

"Mama!" Nicholas Barkley yelled as he entered the front door and ran to the kitchen, "Looky what I found."

Victoria stepped from the kitchen taking in the appearance of her youngest child, "Nicholas, you're filthy ..... again." Victoria couldn't help but smile, though as Nicholas gave her one of his bright, toothless grins. "One day those two front teeth with grow in ..... I hope." She thought to herself.

"I brung ya a present."

"A present! Well isn't that sweet, let Mother go wash her hands and then you can show me what you brought." Victoria entered the kitchen and gave her hands a quick wash, usually the presents Nicholas would bring consisted of a shiny rock, which she kept, a bouquet of wild flower, which she has pressed in her family bible and a dried berry necklace which unfortunately could not be saved but the string, still hold remnants of the small berries lay proudly in her memory box. Victoria adored her precious gifts from her children.

Stepping from the kitchen, she held out her hand to Nicholas who took it and together they walked to the parlor. Sitting together on the couch, she turned to Nicholas and smiled, "Now, were is this present you have for me?" She beamed.

"In my pocktet." Nicholas said happily.

"Pocket, dear." She corrected.

"Yep, but you has to close your eyes and hold out your hands. No peekin'."

"Okay." Victoria laughed and held out her hands expectantly. After a few second she felt what, at first she thought was a rope, closing her hands around it she realized that, not only was the rope wet and cold, it was moving.

Opening her eyes, she came face to face with one of the few things that actually terrified her.

"It's a snake, mama. Ain't it pretty? Papa said it was a ringed neck snake."

Victoria heard very little of what her son had said because at that moment, both hands went up and the snake became airborne flying somewhere behind her. With a shriek, she stood and climbed upon the couch they had previously been sitting on.

"Mama, your snake! Don't worry I'll get it for ya." Nicholas took off and began to search for the frightened reptile.

"N-N-Nicholas, please ..... " Victoria tried but the thought of a slimy, slithery snake loose in her house made her quickly loose her train of thought.

"I found it!" Nicholas said popping up next to the couch holding the offending object up mere inches from Victoria.

"P-P-Please take it outside." Victoria squeaked.

"It won't bite ya, it's friendly ..... see" Nicholas stood on his tippy toes as he hoisted the snaked even closer.

Victoria thought she would faint at the sight, "I ..... I ..... It's ..... well ..... "

"Don't ya like it mama?" Nicholas asked climbing on the couch with his mother.

Fear reacted and, watching the snake grow ever close, she climbed over the arm of the chair all thoughts of being a lady gone. "It's ..... pretty." She said as she made her way to the foyer.

"Where ya going?"

"I ..... I think that he needs some ..... fresh air. Let's put it outside." Victoria said as she opened the door and made her way to the front porch.

"I just brung him in from outside, don't ya want to hold 'em?" Nicholas said running after his mother.

"No ..... no that's okay." Victoria smiled through her fright, "He'll be much happier out here." "And so would I." She added silently. Seeing a movement too her right, she turned and spied Tom and Jarrod, their noses pressed to the doors leading into the parlor and laughing hysterically.

"Thomas Barkley!" She yelled, "You put him up to that!"

Realizing that he had been found out, he quickly removed the hat from his head and answered, "Aw Vic, he wanted to bring ya a present and we couldn't find anything."

"But A snake!" Turning to Nicholas she added with a forced smile, "Though, it's a beautiful snake dear," then turning back to her husband she glared, "You know how I feel about snakes!"

Tom tried not to grin, "It's a pretty snake."

"His names Fred." Nicholas said as he placed it on the sleeve of her dress.

The sound that followed would soon be dubbed 'the scream heard 'round the world' as Victoria tried to, without actually touching it, dislodge the thing from her sleeve.

Ranch hands came running from all directions, guns drawn in fear that something terrible had happened to their employer's wife. The site that greeted them was a small, petite woman doing what looked to be a dance on the front porch of the house and their boss laughing boisterously at the show.

Little Nicholas giggled and clapped his hands and Jarrod, wiping tears of laughter from his face rolled on the porch is delight.

Soon, Victoria stopped and asked in a dangerously quiet voice, "Tom, if you value your married life, I suggest you get this thing off of me this instance."

Tom quickly sobered at the thought of nights spent on the couch and came to his wife's aid just catching the critter before it made it's way down the back of her dress.

Giving a shudder, Victoria rubbed her hand across the back of her neck to assure herself that the snake was gone. Whispering so that only Tom could her, she said, "Never underestimate me, Thomas Barkley, I will pay you back for this."

Tom gulped and handed the snake back to Nicholas, "Here son, why don't you take it back to the barn to be with it's family."

"But papa ..... "

Victoria's face softened, "Nicholas, it would make me happy to know that 'Fred' is with his family ..... I'm sure they're missing him."

"Okay, Mama ..... that was fun, I'm glad you liked him, I love you."

"Thank you dear and I love you too."

Nicholas bounded down the steps heading toward the barn. Victoria heard him speaking to 'Fred' as he went, "Gee Fred, you're lucky, mama don't dance with just anyone."

Victoria turned and told the hands that had come to get a closer look that everything was fine and sent them on their way. Turning to Jarrod, she smiled realizing that he probably had very little to do with what had happened other than enjoying the outcome, "Jarrod, dear ..... I believe you still have chores that need to be done."

"Yes Mother." He grinned and nudged his father with his elbow.

Tom placed his hat back on his head and turned, "I guess I have work to do so I'll just ..... "

"Oh no you don't." Victoria said grabbing Tom's right ear, "You are going to help me in the kitchen, I have potatoes that need to be peeled for dinner."

"But Vic ..... "

"Then there's the beans that need to be snapped ..... "

"Oh come now ..... "

"And then ..... " Victoria's voice faded and the front door closed. Thomas Barkley would not soon forget the day one little snake showed him just how cruel payback can be.

THE END