A Dark Night
It was late at night when it happened. They’d put their daughter to bed in her room at around nine. After dinner, they also set their pet cobras to bed before retiring for the night.
But a few hours later, a thud wrenched her from her sleep. She woke her husband up, eyes wide as another thud reverberated through the floor.
Sarika Patel Michaelson
When Sarika Patel decided to settle down and start a family, the last thing she expected was her old life to leak into her new one.
Now known as Sarika Patel Michaelson, she was a wife to her lovely husband, Eric, and the mom to a beautiful sixteen-month-old baby named Saanvi. But one night, something terrible threatened to steal everything she cared for.
Her Love For Illusion Magic
Sarika knew she had loved illusion magic since she was a kid. Although many in Estes Park, Colorado, knew her as a gifted painter and novelist, she’d made a name back in New York as one of the best illusionists in the city.
As a married woman and mom, she’d left a lot of her old life back, looking to try out new things in life. But there were some things that even she couldn’t leave behind.
Her Past And Current Life Collide
Among the things that Sarika took from her magician days were her three pet cobras: Amaterasu, Odin, and Osiris. And these weren’t little scrawny snakes too. They were massive, frighteningly venomous serpents that Sarika had trained since she was eighteen.
The three cobras were her babies as much as little Saanvi was. As far as Sarika was concerned, they were her big brothers. But something would happen that would set the record straight.
Sarika And Eric
Sarika and Eric lived a quiet life in their suburban neighborhood of Estes Park. Eric had always shown concern over Sarika’s cobras, but it was only when Saanvi was born that everything would spiral out of control.
“The first thing he wanted to know was whether I had removed the snakes’ venom glands,” Sarika shared while talking to the local news. “He was scared that the boys would harm Saanvi when we weren’t watching.”
The Truth
Of course, Sarika had taken the cobras to the vet even before meeting Eric. But what was life without a bit of spice? She left his question unanswered, only assuring him that the snakes would never harm Saanvi.
But that night, what the two of them would run to find would leave them calling for the police and emergency room.
Interesting Fact
A crucial fact about venomous snakes is that even after taking out their venom glands, some of them can completely regenerate with time.
There have been cases where safe snakes envenomated their humans, leading to paralysis and even death. With Sarika and Eric, the case wouldn’t only be one cobra regenerating its venom glands but all three of them.
Amaterasu, Odin, and Osiris
Sarika had always joked about how her snakes were harmless. In truth, they were. Although they were very protective of each other and Eric and her, they never harmed anyone.
But unknown to her, each of the cobras had regenerated its venom glands, which for a king cobra, was the worst thing that could happen as they are the most venomous snakes in the world.
It Happens
It was a dark night when everything happened. Sarika and Eric put Saanvi to bed in her room at around nine. After dinner, they also set their pet cobras to bed before retiring for the night.
But a few hours later, a thud wrenched Sarika from her sleep. She woke Eric up, her eyes wide as another thud reverberated through the floor.
The Baby Monitor
Sarika heard Saanvi laughing through the baby monitor. She couldn’t explain why her daughter was laughing so late at night. But soon, the laughter turned into crying.
There was another thud before Sarika jumped out of bed, rushing to Saanvi’s room as Eric dashed for his baseball bat. The house was dark, and neither of them bothered to hit the lights until they reached Saanvi’s room. What they found sent chills down their spine.
What They Found
Sarika and Eric pushed their daughter’s door open and rushed in but jumped back as soon as they turned on the lights. Sarika held a hand over her face, her eyes wide as she glared at what they’d found.
Their daughter was quiet and unharmed, her eyes glossy. But what was happening around her was enough to inspire fear, dread, and awe in equal measure.
Don’t Mess With Our Little Sister
Before the couple was a masked man writhing on the floor. In his hands was a massive bag of stolen items from all over the house. But this wasn’t the fascinating thing in the room.
Around little Saanvi were Amaterasu, Odin, and Osiris, their necks flattened into hoods as they protected their little sister and hissed at the man. It was then that Sarika realized what was happening.
Helping Him
“Get the first aid kit,” she screamed as she rushed down to the burglar. She’d heard stories of snakes regenerating venom glands before but never thought it would happen to her boys.
Eric brought the first aid kit, which had snake antivenom. They administered it to the man before calling the police and emergency room. As the police arrived, Sarika knew what she needed to do.
The Vet
Sarika and Eric took the cobras to the vet as soon as possible. The vet confirmed that all three snakes had completely regenerated their glands for over three years.
He revealed that if they wanted to harm anyone in the house, that person wouldn’t survive thirty minutes after envenomation. Would they be open to having the boys’ venom glands removed again?
A Lovely Family
Although Sarika agreed to have the snake venom glands removed, she was eternally thankful that they’d stood up for their little sister. Those cobras meant the world to her, and even though Eric was always strict when it came to them, she knew they meant the world to him too.
They’d always been protective toward him and her, and she loved that they’d extended this protection to little Saanvi.