Talking snake

Oliver's heart lurched when he saw the man, seated on a chair at the end of the passage, facing him. Frozen to the spot, he looked closely and realized that he was not staring at him, rather he was dozing away in his chair.

Oliver exhaled a sigh of relief. He thought that he had been caught already.

The fellow seated on the chair was no other person than the rugged hostel master. He had carelessly slept off in the course of his night watch, now he sat fast asleep.

Oliver opened the door further. It made a loud creek sound. Oliver quickly turned his eyes towards the sleeping hostel master. He knew how risky it was for him to be sneaking around the dormitory block at that hour of the night. If he gets caught by the hostel master that night, the orphanage would not keep quiet about it, because it would be the second time he was caught strolling at night, although the first one wasn't intentional.

Plus, they would begin to keep close eyes on him, monitoring his every action suspiciously, or even go as far as doing research about him.

He knew that they would not believe any of his explanations if he tried to. Who would easily believe, it if they were told that something was whispering and even screaming so loud in that calm and quiet environment, but only one person could hear it? They would probably take him as another one of the avalanches of disturbed kids if he told them. Even if he says nothing about what he saw, there would still be a problem. He realized now that either way, he wasn't secured. He must not get caught this night, not today.

Oliver came out to the cold long passage, quietly closing the door behind him. The passage was partially illuminated by the dim glow from the yellow light bulbs, lined up on the ceiling. He paused now and began to listen. He heard it again. The low hazy whispers, and hisses. This time they sounded slithering sounds.

The sounds seemed to be coming from the far corner of the passage, where the hostel master sat. Oliver began to walk slowly towards the sleeping hostel master. He knew that he had to walk past him in order to reach the intersection and take a sharp left turn to the other part of the passage, where he was hearing the sounds now.

He took his steps slowly and gradually, trying his best not to make any slight sound that might wake up the sleeping hostel master. Slow and steady he went, with his bare feet on the cold marble tiles.

Oliver went quietly through the passage. Now that he was getting closer to the hostel master, he took his time to be super careful. Right now, he walked very slowly, with his body close to the wall. As he went, he kept on wishing in his mind that the man would not wake up.

The hostel master sat there on his chair like he was half dead, with his head hung to the side of his shoulders, as some disgusting viscous liquid hung out of his mouth. His loud snorts and snores echoed all through the passage.

Oliver finally walked past him and went over to the other passage. All this while, the whisperings had not stopped. The tone of the voice just kept on increasing and decreasing frequently, as if it was calling out to him urgently.

Now that he was finally away from the hotel master, he increased his speed and walked straight ahead, quickly and quietly till he reached the intersection that led to the last passage. Oliver didn't stop, he took to left immediately.

The whisper was increasing in its tone. He was trying hard to make sense of the whisperings, but it was still the same hazy sensation. He could not understand anything, yet he did not stop coming.

Suddenly, he stopped at a point, metres away from the end of the passage. Oliver stood there, gazing emptily at the wall, where a large rectangular picture frame was hung.

On the picture frame, was painted an admirable portrait of a woman. It was a young maiden, fair in complexion, with captivating gold-brown eyes, and dazzling pink lips. She wore over her head, a royal blue velvet, similar to the ones Oliver had seen the sisters wearing. She also wore a blue garment and had a bright shining angelic hallow around her head, and she had an expressionless face. But all of these descriptions were not what had gotten the attention of the persistent lad.

Oliver looked closely to be sure of what he was seeing. It was actually real, his eyes were not deceiving him.

The long venomous snake slithered across the rectangular picture frame where it was, down the wall, and finally to the ground.

Right now, Oliver's feet were fastened to the ground on which he stood, and his mouth had dropped open. He had a thoughtful expression on his face.

The snake had black glittery scales, and its eyes shimmered like they were diamonds. Its narrow tongue kept on slipping in and out of its mouth with a strange form of quickness. It slowly slithered towards the petrified figure of Oliver.

Oliver took a step backward. He did not flinch, or get fidgety for a moment. He stood his ground, with eyes wide in alarm.

The realisation that he was standing before a large long snake of about five to seven meters in length, was beginning to fill him with foreboding.

He wasn't hearing the whisperings anymore, only the hisses of the black-scaled serpent. He had a strong feeling that it was the snake that had been calling out to him and trying to get his attention, yet he wondered why.

"Why won't you let me sleep?" he mumbled to himself.

The snake raised its head three feet above the ground and began to move it from side to side, in a wavelike motion, looking straight at Oliver with mesmerizing black eyes.

"Oliver..." came a creepy silent voice.

Oliver strung up instantly when he heard his name again. He glared around him furiously, looking over his shoulder multiple times. There was no one else present there, only him and the snake.

Oliver's forehead wrinkled in puzzlement right now. He was wondering if he actually heard his name. The voice was coming from close by, but there was no one else there.

"Who calls me?" he muttered.

The only thing present here was the snake. But it was impossible, snakes could not talk, he thought. He looked down at the snake right now.

"Could it be? Are you really the one calling me?" he muttered, with a suspicious stare.

"Oliver, it is I that calls out to you," the voice said again.

Oliver stumbled backward now. He was very sure of what he saw right now. He saw the snake speak right before his eyes. His eyes were wide in disbelief.

"You... you could speak, you could hear me," he stuttered.

"Listen attentively to the warning I have for you," said the snake.

"Oliver, you must not go to the competition," it said.

Oliver was totally confused. He had no idea about any upcoming contest, and he was not even planning on participating in any. He also wondered why the snake warned him not to attend the competition.

"Why? What competition?" he asked.

"Because terrible things are about to happen?" replied the snake.

"I don't get it, what terrible things?" he asked.

"A plot, a conspiracy..." said the snake, as it began to slither away.

Oliver was so tensed up right now. The warning sounded serious and urgent, but he still could not understand it. He was more worried than ever.

"Wait... Please be more precise..." he said, but the snake had slithered back up on the wall, behind the picture frame, till it was completely out of sight.

Seeing that the snake was gone, Oliver became aware of the risk he was in, being in the passage. He began to head back to his room.

When he came out to the other passage, he looked straight to the end, where the hostel master was supposed to be, but all he could see was an empty chair. His heart began to throb faster than it did before. The hostel master could be anywhere. He had no idea.