“Jared, go get the eggs from the coop!” Margaret ordered her teenage son. “He's probably watching some useless TikTok video again,” she casually remarked to her youngest child, Caylin, who was cuddling their pet dwarf hamster, Gustav. “Why call him when I'm right here, Mom?” Caylin asked. “Caylin, there are just too many new things out there that could harm you, and I'm taking no chances.” “I know moving to Worcester was sorrowful,” added Zenande, Margaret's oldest friend, “but your mom saved me and my daughters from having to live on the streets,” she added. The insurance policy payout after Margaret's husband's unexpected death had allowed her to turn a dream into a reality. “Well, I wasn't going to let Mandla's absconding with that twenty-something floozy make you destitute. You're family even if it's not through blood ties,” said Margaret. “What's a floozy?” Caylin was quick to ask. “Never you mind,” interrupted Nwabisa, Zenande's eldest daughter who had just entered the kitchen. “Why don't you take Gustav outside and let him run around in the little camp Jessi made for him?” As if mentioning Jessi had conjured her, Nwabisa's nine-year-old sister appeared in the kitchen doorway, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “Here,” Caylin said as she plopped Gustav into the hands of a surprised Nwabisa. “Jessi and I will go collect the eggs from the hen coop.” “Whaa?” was all Jessi could manage before being dragged outside. “That girl has her father's strong will,” Margaret sighed. Five minutes later, ear-splitting shrieks shattered the hush of the morning. Seconds thereafter, the girls burst into the kitchen. “What happened?” Margaret demanded, rushing over to Caylin while Zenande hugged Jessi to soothe her tremors. “Mom, there's a huge snake in the coop!” a petrified Caylin hollered. “It's lying under the hens, all curled up snugly,” elaborated Jessi. “You've got to be kidding, right?” Nwabisa said. “Aunty Margaret, I'm telling you these idiots are trying to play a prank on us. Well, I'm not falling for it!” “Nwabisa, don't be rude,” Zenande reprimanded her. “Caylin, Jessi: come show us. We'll go with you, okay?” “Oh, no! I'm never setting foot in that coop!” Caylin instantly responded. That was when Jared finally put in an appearance. The gangly teenager sauntered into the kitchen, a slight frown marring his features. “Did you say there's a snake in the chicken coop? No worries, I'll go have a look,” he said before marching out into the yard. Everyone carefully followed Jared, who boldly stepped into the coop. “Excuse me, sir. You don't belong here,” the women could hear Jared say. Then they scattered in all directions when Jared appeared with a thick, black snake looped around his arm. Once the bedlam had subsided, Margaret asked a still-amused Jared, “How did you know that snake wasn't venomous?” “I saw a video on TikTok made by Professor Tashriqa Mohamed about rat snakes. I guess TikTok isn't that useless after all, right?” he quipped before winking broadly at his mom.