More from "Winter Moon"

Here is another excerpt from a story in my new collection, "Winter Moon", ISBN 978-1-926-596-92-1 (Ottawa, Baico, 2010), soon to be published. This is from the story, "Snake in the House":

The snake had come Special Delivery in a cardboard box. The courier had thrust a clipboard into Grandpa's face and ordered him to "Sign here." Grandpa, who had been roused from a nap and hadn't had his glasses on, scrawled his signature on the dotted line. The delivery man then shoved the box into his hands and departed. Grandpa had assumed that it was a parcel from a publisher containing books for Mum to review. Only after closing the door did he realized that there were air holes. He wrested the box open and out shot a snake, which slithered to the floor and vanished down the hall. He'd pu the box out with the garbage which subsquently had been collected.
"Was it a garter snake or something bigger?" asked Clea, who was fourteen.
"Bigger, and drak," said Grandpa. "Like a fan belt. Not circular, of course."
Mum blanched.