The road to the next temple gives me time to think about how weird my current situation is.

I was a college student with a girlfriend I loved.

One truck ruined all of that.

Now, my afterlife is spent pursuing an old man with an uncanny ability to navigate this world of the dead.

Still, it gives me purpose.

I feel as though, were I to sit in one place for too long, I would gradually drift away from any semblance of life.

On the long walk to the next temple, the blue serpent wraps itself tightly around my arm. Occasionally, it climbs my sleeve to rest its head on my shoulder.

"What are you?" I ask the snake as if it would answer.

Of course, all the creature does is stare into my eyes and flick its tongue.

"Ha-" I chuckle. "This is your land. So let me know if something is not right."

The snake looks at me longer before focusing on the road ahead.

Samantha watches on as this weird relationship develops.

My eyes catch hers, and she smiles a barely perceptible smile.

Time passes, and I begin to feel like there won't be anything interesting happening this early in the pilgrimage.

"Let's camp here."

Samantha nods her agreement, and I build a fire.

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The crackle of the logs and the warmth of the flame refresh my mind.

Only in moments like this does the blue snake come off my arm.

It's an odd thing to see a snake experience bliss. Nothing like a cat or dog. Something... alien.

Random thoughts mull around in my brain as I watch the fire.

Inevitably, I think of Lily. Her golden hair and the green pools of her eyes. How enticing her lips were.

And now, she is on the other side of the veil.

I'm not so small a person as to want her to come to me when she is meant to live. To live and to love.

But it still hurts.

Samantha and I have set watches for the night, and we each fall into our tasks.

During my watch, I wonder about the beasts of this land—the land of snakes.

Other than the blue snake, I've not seen any critters.

But, such thoughts inevitably lead to complacency.

Late at night, I hear the barely perceptible movement along the leaf litter.

As if sensing the trespasser, Blue rouses from its fire bathing and hisses toward the noise.

From the darkness comes a creature whose size belies its lack of presence.

While not the most massive of monsters, this one looks 9 feet long and several hundred pounds.

My heart leaps as the snake flicks its tongue at me.

"Samantha!" I say in alarm.

In a moment, my companion wakes up in wonder at the situation.

The aluminum bat in my hand feels like little security in the face of this monster. Just getting in range to use it would be extremely dangerous.

The blue snake climbs me, and I can tell what it thinks.

Flee.

It all happens as practiced. We grab our packs and are moving away from the intruder in haste.

The serpent springs at me with a twisted maw, ready to swallow me whole.

My footing fails me in my haste to run, and I hear a weird sound from the enemy.

Can snakes laugh? I wonder.

Whatever it is, the snake's attack falls short, and I'm left on my butt with little to do.

At this moment, the blue snake rasps loudly at the bigger one.

A dialogue has formed as the intruder responds.

I'm confused, but must find my feet before listening to the two exchange words.

It takes persistence from the blue snake. The large one eyeing me with hunger.

Ultimately, the 9-foot snake retreats to wrap itself around the fire.

I want to understand the whole situation. But, spare no time in departing.

On the road, Samantha shares my confusion.

"What just happened?"

I scratch my head and look at the odd companion on my shoulder.

In answer, the snake hides in my sleeve.

Somewhat fatigued, we carry on long enough to be reasonably safe from a repeat scenario. If only from that one snake.