The Missing Snake

It was Sunday afternoon and the two guys I picked up had an unusual request. They wanted me to take them over to Walney to buy a snake and then back to town.

 For the purposes of this story let’s just call the guy in the front of the cab Stanley, and the one in the back Ollie. 

I agreed to the job and we drove to a house on Walney where the deal was struck. Stanley emerges carrying a large box housing the 3 foot corn snake and places it on the back seat alongside Ollie. We had not got far from the house when Ollie nervously yells that the snakes head was peering out from its housing. Stanley reaches back and pushes it in and closes the door again. All seemed well for a mile or so until Ollie now sounding panicky tells Stanley that he can't see the snake. Stanley tells him not to talk daft, and that it will be hiding in the box. We reached the snakes intended new home and out they got with the box. 

After a frantic search of the box and twenty minutes looking in the car no slithering reptile was found. Finally I left Stan and Ollie scratching their heads and drove back to the house on Walney where the snake had come from.

 They assured me that the snake had definitely been in the box, and then helped search every nook and cranny of the car. No sign was found and so reluctantly I started work again. But somehow the thought of a slithering snake sliding up my trouser leg kept freaking me out. The other big problem was of course was, what if it frightened one of my fares to death. And so at first I thought maybe it would be best to warn them. All I said was that "if you spot a snake in the taxi, it's OK it's harmless." But the screams started to get on my nerves after a while and so I just kept quiet and checked the cab before every job. I had intended working till late with it being a super Sunday, but the thought of the snake slithering up someone’s leg in the dark didn't seem a good idea and so I finished at dusk.

 As soon as my local garage opened on Tuesday I asked them to remove the seats and check the car out. They were a bit reluctant but gingerly they checked the whole car, and found nothing. And so it remains a mystery, where did the snake go and where is it now?