Saa!

So I am lying on my bed reading a book ('The White Tiger' to be precise... would definitely recommend it!), trying to ignore the fact that the heat is almost at a level where one may start to panic, when I hear a frantic shout from outside. I would later find out that the word the lady on the compound was shouting was 'saa'. If I knew this at the time I would have looked outside immediately rather than choosing to ignore the noise until Ebrima came knocking at my door asking me to come look. I reluctantly put my book down and stepped into the furnace outside my door. I looked at Ebrima and I swear my heart stopped for a split second. He was holding the biggest snake (saa) I have ever seen (well the biggest snake outside a snake farm that is!). I managed to mutter an inquiry into whether the snake was dead and he assured me it was while holding it out towards me to touch. I politely declined and watched in fascination as he cut off the snake's head. There were others on the compound by this time trying to get a photo with their mobile phone. It was like a circus. Once the head was finally separated from the body with a rusty bit of tin, the men made a hole in the ground with a stick and then buried the head with a lump of coal so that the compound would be safe from snakes in the future. What with this and a crazy lizard who decided to move into my house this week (and is particularly partial to backflipping  towards me whenever I walk into my bedroom), life is certainly not dull in Kerewan. Well now that Ebrima has got rid of my lizard (felt guilty but it had to be done) and following a number of conversations with the locals whereby they convinced me that it is very rare to see a snake in Kerewan, I can now sleep soundly. I don't think I will ever look at a daddy-long-legs with fear in my heart again!