Serpentine Love (2 page)

“
I’ll keep that in mind,” he
said.

“
And these are our cobras,
very deadly and poisonous,” Maya said as they moved on to the next
pen.

She found herself studying her
visitor’s behavior. Most visitors to the snake house appeared
uncomfortable; some even scared as they moved from one pen to
another. Arya moved easily, taking pictures, looking through the
glass to observe their movements. He did not appear fearful but
there seemed to be an air of apprehension around him.

Or was it something else?

Certainly, something about him was
off-balance. She sensed it…and yet at the same time, Maya found
herself being oddly attracted to him. It was a feeling alien to
her. An expert at keeping men at a distance, she was a confirmed
loner. It was her way of life; even to some extent a necessity for
her. And now, to find herself being attracted to a stranger was
something beyond her experience. It wasn’t at all a pleasant
feeling.

“
The zoo has a research
center attached to the snake house?” Arya ran a light finger over
one of the glass windows, watching as a cobra coiled itself around
the base of a small bush.

“
Yes,” Maya said. “It’s a
fully-fledged research facility. We provide venom to many other
research facilities around the world. Also, we study the breeding
habits of snakes, food, reaction to the increasing closeness to
humans and such.”

“
You love them.” It was a
statement and not a question.

Maya locked glances with him. A spark
ignited and then frizzled away as she broke contact. “Yes. Yes, I
do. My grandfather is a herpetologist. I learnt with him, from him
and later came here to work.”

“
Isaac Lois, he was your
grandfather? I heard you knew him but I didn’t know he had a
granddaughter. There was never any mention of a wife or
children?”

Maya turned to face him, eyebrows
raised in curiosity. “You seem to have done your research about
Isaac.”

“
I believe in being
prepared. Also, he is a legend in some circles. I plan to interview
him for my book.”

“
I see,” Maya said and
turned away. She led him to another pen that contained a few bright
green male boomslangs with their relatively dull brown female
counterparts.

“
My parents died in a car
accident, and he adopted me when I was a young child,” she said in
answer to his earlier question.

“
I’m sorry to hear that.”
Sympathy laced his words.

“
That’s all right.” Maya
walked to the next pen, keeping her voice calm. Emotion had no
place in her life.

“
I’d like to meet your
grandfather,” he said.

“
Sorry. He does not meet
strangers.” Maya didn’t look back as she walked towards the next
pen. Why hadn’t he disclosed his intention to see Isaac at the
onset of their meeting? Why the ruse of a tour?

“
This here,” she said, “is a
black-necked spitting cobra, a very dangerous species of snake. It
can spit into its victim’s eyes with an astonishing
accuracy.”

“
I know about spitting
cobras.”

“
It seems to me, Mr. Manav,”
she said, turning to face him, “that you’re wasting your time by
doing this tour. You seem to know as much about Kenyan snakes as I
do.”

“
What’s made you so angry?
Is it because I asked to see your grandfather? I’m not going to
bite him?”

Maya glared at him through narrowed
eyes. “No, Mr. Manav, you’re not going to bite, but you’re going to
disturb him and frankly, I will not allow that. He’s retired and
you can’t disturb his peace just so you can get your book
published.”

“
I only want to get some
background information on the Kenyan legends regarding snakes. Have
you ever heard of the inagimi, the snake people?”

Maya’s heart stopped, but only for a
moment. So this is what he was after? And why not, indeed? From the
moment she saw him, it was clear to her that he wasn’t interested
in ordinary research. There was a cold calculated look about him
that she distrusted.

“
The inagimi are a myth, and
nothing more. You’ll find scores of legends regarding them in the
local library.”

“
I’m sure I will, but don’t
you think it odd that the same myth would crop up in different
cultures all over the world. The Indians call them Ichhadhari
snakes, and here they are called inagimi, the Snake People. Maybe
your grandfather has heard of their existence?” There was
determination in his eyes. “After all, he has done a lot of
research and I’m sure he knows all the legends and the folk
lore.”

“
He does not, I assure you.
He deals in fact, not myths and legends,” Maya said.

Arya raised his hand in a gesture of
appeal. “Come on, the stories concerning inagimi would attract
anyone to conduct research on them. Can you not see the potential
of a snake that could take human form at will, and roam around as a
human being, deceiving anyone? It’s the stuff movies are made
of…and books too.”

“
I believe in what I see,
Mr. Manav, and this is what I see.” Maya raised a sweeping hand
towards the snake house where pens showed gleaming snakes coiled
around the bushes and trees that decorated their abode. “I don’t
have the time to indulge my fantasies in myths and legends.” She
moved towards her office door. “You’ll find Liaz outside. He’ll
escort you for the rest of the tour. I’ve work to do. It’s been
nice meeting you, Mr. Manav. Goodbye.”

There was work to be done, as always,
and she had no time to waste on inquisitive writers, looking to
make a quick buck.

“
Nice to meet you too, Ms.
Lois,” he said, looking unperturbed by her cold demeanor. He picked
up his briefcase. “I suppose I’ve missed my chance for a cup of
coffee with you. Maybe next time?”

“
I don’t think
so.”

He smiled. “You’ll find that I don’t
give up so easily,” he said and left her office.

After he walked out, searching for his
guide, a thin silvery serpent coiled itself around the window grill
and watched his progress across the paved pathways of the zoo, its
beady eyes fixed on him in unerring scrutiny.

It was Maya Lois’s office
window.

The night was ripe with the sounds of
singing crickets and hooting owls. Maya adjusted the rearview
mirror of her car and eased out from the driveway. The full moon
hung like a shining jewel in the sky. The city was silent, its
inhabitants fast asleep in their cozy abodes.

The past few days, she felt exposed,
naked...almost as if she was being watched. However, despite her
best efforts, she was unable to detect anything strange.

Perhaps it was the arrival of Arya
Manav that led to the heightening of her senses?

Why did he want to research the
inagimi? The inagimi were a myth, a legend, and no one had cared to
venture beyond the myths to test if there were indeed any facts
hidden in them.

Until now, that is.

Arya Manav appeared to be a determined
man. Maya knew he was staying in Nairobi, and had been visiting the
local libraries and sources of information regarding the African
snakes. Sooner or later, he would come back to her, seeking
information regarding her grandfather.

Maya had no intention of helping
him.

She navigated the streets, eager to get
to her beloved park. It was her special place, a sanctuary. A
fallen log blocked the road. After stopping the car, she got out to
take a closer look. Due to the lateness of the hour, no another
vehicle was on the road. All around her were the whispers of the
jungle.

The log was old and rotten. It had not
fallen from any of the trees that stood as silent sentinels to the
forest that edged the road. Maya realized that it was placed
deliberately on the road. Even as that fact registered in her
brain, a furtive movement to her left alerted her to
danger.

“
Who’s there?” she said in
Swahili.

Three men emerged from behind the trees
and surrounded her, knives gleaming in their hands.

“
Put your hands up,” one of
them said.

“
What do you want?” Maya
edged closer to the car. She judged the distance and knew that she
would not be able to get inside and drive before they caught
her.

This situation required a rather
delicate hand.

One man laughed, licking his lips with
his tongue in a suggestive manner. “Give us your bag and your
jewelry, and we might let you go…in one piece.”

“
Leave me alone,” she said,
hoping to avoid any bloodshed.

The men leered and shuffled closer, one
of them shifting his knife from one hand to another in a restless
manner. The look in their eyes told her another story; they were
high on drugs.

She sighed, and tightened her body,
mentally preparing herself for the attack. What she needed was a
diversion, something that would take their minds off her for a few
seconds.

A car stopped at the side of the road.
Arya Manav got out. “Leave her alone,” he said, echoing the same
words she had uttered not long ago.

The three men turned around, ready to
face their new opponent.

That was all the opportunity Maya
needed. With a fierce yell, she launched herself at the man closest
to her and gave him a good kick in his back. Even as he fell, she
turned her attention towards the other and delivered a solid hand
jab to his neck. He fell with a surprised look on his face. She
eyed the third. Seeing his two fallen companions, he looked from
her to Arya, and jumped back.

“
Come. Take what you want.”
She strutted up to him.

Making perhaps one of the best
decisions of his life, he dropped his knife and ran back into the
forest from where he had emerged.

Maya turned, and saw the first man she
kicked rising on unsteady feet, his knife no longer in his hand.
With a resounding thwack she delivered a hand jab to his neck,
rendering him unconscious. With a groan, he fell on top of his
friend and lay still.

Maya looked up at Arya who was staring
at her as if he’d seen a ghost.

“
Ah…” He cleared his throat.
“I guess you didn’t need my help after all?”

“
I’m a karate expert,” she
said.

He looked down in awe at the
unconscious men. “So, I see.”

“
You were following me,” she
accused, walking closer.

“
Well, yes,” he admitted
with ease. “I thought you were perhaps visiting your grandfather
and…”

“
I see.” Maya stood not four
feet away from him, debating what to do. He really was most
annoying. Sighing, she turned and walked to her car. “I thought I
was being followed, but I could never see anyone. You’re good at
stalking.”

“
Thanks, I guess,” he said.
“I apologize…”

“
Don’t bother. You would do
the same thing all over again, given half a chance. You’re a
persistent man, Mr. Manav.”

“
And you’re a dangerous
woman, Ms. Lois,” he countered with a wicked gleam in his eyes.
“I’d be scared to meet you alone, any day, any time.”

She opened her car door and turned back
to face him. “Well, what now?”

“
What do you
mean?”

“
Oh, don’t play the innocent
with me. Why don’t you save us both any further misery and just
stop following me?”

Arya smiled. “As you said, I’m
persistent, and I do need your grandfather’s help. I’m sure he has
some anecdotes or folk tales he has heard during the course of his
research regarding the inagimi.”

“
Why are so sure that the
inagimi exist?” Maya could not help but ask.

He ran a hand through his hair.
“Consider the possibility. What if they do exist? Wouldn’t it be
wonderful?”

Maya eyed him speculatively. Their eyes
met and a spark flew between them. With great effort, she managed
to ignore the butterflies in her stomach.

“
That’s all you’re going to
ask him? Just stories regarding the inagimi?”

“
What else?”

“
And what if you ever found
evidence that the inagimi do exist?”

“
I would love some evidence.
It would do wonders for my book sales.”

“
Ok.” Maya sat on the
driver’s seat. She closed the door and unrolled the
window.

“
What were you doing out so
late anyway?” he said.

“
I like late night drives,”
she said. “Meet me day after tomorrow at seven sharp at my house.
We’ll be gone for three days. Pack a bag and don’t be
late.”

The perplexed look on his face was
almost amusing.

“
What?” he said.

Maya buckled her seat belt and switched
on the car engine. “You want to meet Isaac Lois or not? Come
prepared because you won’t get a second meeting. And remember that
you’ll behave on my terms, and there will be rules--the first one
being that you need to stop following me.”