Serpentine Love Read Free

Manav, and this is what I see.” Maya raised a sweeping hand
towards the snake house where pens showed gleaming snakes coiled
around the bushes and trees that decorated their abode. “I don’t
have the time to indulge my fantasies in myths and legends.” She
moved towards her office door. “You’ll find Liaz outside. He’ll
escort you for the rest of the tour. I’ve work to do. It’s been
nice meeting you, Mr. Manav. Goodbye.”
    There was work to be done, as always,
and she had no time to waste on inquisitive writers, looking to
make a quick buck.
    “ Nice to meet you too, Ms.
Lois,” he said, looking unperturbed by her cold demeanor. He picked
up his briefcase. “I suppose I’ve missed my chance for a cup of
coffee with you. Maybe next time?”
    “ I don’t think
so.”
    He smiled. “You’ll find that I don’t
give up so easily,” he said and left her office.
    After he walked out, searching for his
guide, a thin silvery serpent coiled itself around the window grill
and watched his progress across the paved pathways of the zoo, its
beady eyes fixed on him in unerring scrutiny.
    It was Maya Lois’s office
window.
     
     

Chapter
Three
     
    The night was ripe with the sounds of
singing crickets and hooting owls. Maya adjusted the rearview
mirror of her car and eased out from the driveway. The full moon
hung like a shining jewel in the sky. The city was silent, its
inhabitants fast asleep in their cozy abodes.
    The past few days, she felt exposed,
naked...almost as if she was being watched. However, despite her
best efforts, she was unable to detect anything strange.
    Perhaps it was the arrival of Arya
Manav that led to the heightening of her senses?
    Why did he want to research the
inagimi? The inagimi were a myth, a legend, and no one had cared to
venture beyond the myths to test if there were indeed any facts
hidden in them.
    Until now, that is.
    Arya Manav appeared to be a determined
man. Maya knew he was staying in Nairobi, and had been visiting the
local libraries and sources of information regarding the African
snakes. Sooner or later, he would come back to her, seeking
information regarding her grandfather.
    Maya had no intention of helping
him.
    She navigated the streets, eager to get
to her beloved park. It was her special place, a sanctuary. A
fallen log blocked the road. After stopping the car, she got out to
take a closer look. Due to the lateness of the hour, no another
vehicle was on the road. All around her were the whispers of the
jungle.
    The log was old and rotten. It had not
fallen from any of the trees that stood as silent sentinels to the
forest that edged the road. Maya realized that it was placed
deliberately on the road. Even as that fact registered in her
brain, a furtive movement to her left alerted her to
danger.
    “ Who’s there?” she said in
Swahili.
    Three men emerged from behind the trees
and surrounded her, knives gleaming in their hands.
    “ Put your hands up,” one of
them said.
    “ What do you want?” Maya
edged closer to the car. She judged the distance and knew that she
would not be able to get inside and drive before they caught
her.
    This situation required a rather
delicate hand.
    One man laughed, licking his lips with
his tongue in a suggestive manner. “Give us your bag and your
jewelry, and we might let you go…in one piece.”
    “ Leave me alone,” she said,
hoping to avoid any bloodshed.
    The men leered and shuffled closer, one
of them shifting his knife from one hand to another in a restless
manner. The look in their eyes told her another story; they were
high on drugs.
    She sighed, and tightened her body,
mentally preparing herself for the attack. What she needed was a
diversion, something that would take their minds off her for a few
seconds.
    A car stopped at the side of the road.
Arya Manav got out. “Leave her alone,” he said, echoing the same
words she had uttered not long ago.
    The three men turned around, ready to
face their new