Snake Take
A short story by Michael Joseph Arcangelini
SNAKE TAKE
We were working some property
along the upper Mad River when
Dan shot the rattlesnake with the
.38 caliber 1903 police pistol
I inherited from my father, who
inherited it from my grandfather.
Proud of killing that rattlesnake, he
gutted and skinned it, prepared it
for us to eat. First he cut it into
slices, then pressure cooked those
because he said the meat would be
too tough to eat otherwise. He
dredged the tenderized pieces
in flour and herbs, dipped them in
hot sauce, then again in flour before
deep frying them. They were tender
and delicious and yes, they tasted
just like chicken, fried chicken.
After tanning it, Donna made the skin
into a band for Dan's hat, with the snake
biting itself; Rattlesnake ouroboros.
Dan wore that hat for years, always
happy to share the story of how
he got that snakeskin hatband.
begun 05/04/2026
Santa Rosa, CA
on a prompt from
Caravan Writers Collective
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