Snake Betrayal

Synopsis

After seven years together, my pet snake, Slinky, stopped loving me. I'd only been away on a week-long vacation, but when I came home, something was terribly wrong. Every other time I'd returned from a trip, Slinky would come racing toward me the moment I opened the door, flicking his tongue in excitement. He'd coil around my wrist, his tail swishing happily as he climbed onto my shoulder, then shyly nuzzle his little head into the crook of my neck, begging for affection. This time, he didn't come to greet me. Instead, he looked at me with unmistakable disgust. Thinking he was just sulking because I'd been gone, I reached down to pick him up. Before I could cuddle him, he lashed out with his tail and smacked my hand away, visibly annoyed. Something was wrong. That night, I followed our usual bedtime routine and gently placed Slinky on my stomach. He gave me a look of pure contempt and then immediately slithered off my body as if touching me were unbearable. Unable to shake the feeling that something had happened while I was away, I opened the security camera footage from my house.