My manufacturing facility was in the desert and miles from the closest city. One day, a large, some 6 foot, bull snake came into our compressor room. He snaked around for a while. We used a hook and put him outside the building. In a day or so, the snake was back. So I decided to take the snake to a zoo. To do so, we hooked the snake and put him into a cardboard box and put the box into my Seville trunk. At home, I called a friend who came over to help me take the snake to the zoo. We took the box out of the car and opened the top of the box. To feed the snake, we went to a pet shop and purchased a mouse. When we dropped the mouse into the box, the mouse rose up on its hind feet and let out a hiss so loudly that the snake retreated to a corner of the box and curled into a coil. So we set the mouse free. When I pulled the snake out of the box with the hook, my friend who is not afraid of snakes reached over to grab the snake behind its head. She was wearing heavy duty gloves, but they were of absolutely no protection as the snake quickly turned to punch its very long teeth into her hand. The bit was a through and through puncture which was really not a big deal. When we managed to free her hand from the snake, it dropped back in the box which we sealed by overlapping the cover pieces. We then put the box back into the trunk. When we called the zoo, they said keep the snake until the next morning and then bring it in. Well, that evening, I had three gentlemen coming in from Japan as guests. One was the president of a prestigious semiconductor company. The others were his prized technical entourage. We had a two pound steak dinner arranged at a cowboy restaurant for them that evening. To be sure all was okay with the snake, we opened the trunk of the car. Well, wouldn’t you know, when we opened the box, the snake was gone. That was not good. We looked in all parts of the trunk, under the carpet, in the spare tire well, along the sides, everywhere, but no snake. Carefully, we began opening various parts of the car body. One was a vent on the rear door jam. Indeed, when the screen was removed, there was a snake body. We pushed and probed, but he did not move. My fear was that the snake would somehow get under the rear seat, where it probably already was on behind the rear seat, and possibly squirm its way out from under or out of the back of the seat. Then of course he would wind his way on to the lap of my guests. Since I was sure they had heard of snakes and since a bull snake looks like a rattle snake, I could have three panicking men trying to jump out of my Seville at 60 miles and hour or have a heart attack. What to do? Answer? Nothing. I drove my guests to the restaurant, a 1 ½ hour drive. We ate dinner, and drove back to the hotel. I never checked the trunk as if to say, "All is well, the snake is back in the trunk." They had no idea they were within inches of a 6 foot good-girthed bull snake. Me, I was in a mild sweat the whole evening. But all ended well. The next day when we opened the trunk, there was Mr. snake comfortably curled up ready to head for the zoo. Without using the box and figuring the snake liked the carpet, we headed for the zoo and made the donation.

Now, do you think I told my distinguished guests at our meeting that next day of the experience they had the night before? You have to be kidding. They never knew, but now you know, and since you do not know them, they will never know. The question is, has something like this ever happened to you and you never knew? You will never know.