“Now, get some sleep. We’ve got a long journey ahead of us tomorrow.”

I look at Bagheera at the end of the branch. He found me wandering the jungle and offered to lead me back to human civilization.

“All right. Thank you for helping lead me back to other humans.”

What? You thought I would be huffy and want to stay in the jungle? No way, the jungle’s full of dangerous creatures.

“Sssay, now . . .”

Like snakes! I look up as the sudden serpent lowers its head, its big eyes watching me.

“What have we here? Why, it’s a human.”

I know snakes can be dangerous, especially ones that seem interested in me as a human. I’m going to let Bagheera know it’s here, but the snake’s eyes stop me. They seem to pulse in rosy colors, pinks and orange, and I find myself reluctant—unable—to look away. The warm glow of the snake’s eyes pull me in, so fascinating as it is.

Strange as it is, looking into the snake’s eyes calms me. I feel like it would be safe to let the snake stay. I’ve never seen one so up-close—I never knew their eyes could be so hypnotic.

“Sssuch an adorable human,” the snake says with a chuckle. “So ssscrumptious and delicious.”

Warning bells sound in my head. That snake just called me delicious. Maybe it was a compliment, but probably not in the way I want. I need to let Bagheera know this snake is here now, even if its eyes are so engrossing that—did I actually hear the snake say that, or just imagine it? Maybe I’m worrying too much.

“My eyes are so fassscinating, aren’t they?” the snake says. “You just want to ssstare deep into them.”

“Yes.”

Wait, did I say that? It’s true, though. I do just want to stare deeper. Maybe it’s dangerous—maybe this snake is dangerous—but I can stare just a little bit longer, before I worry about that. It’s so hard to think about anything else, though, and that could be a sign of danger, but I’m sure it’s safe to look just a little longer. I’ll call for Bagheera later—when I’m done staring at the snake. Later, later, my mouth too heavy to move anyway.

“Let me wrap you into a nice sssoft bed, human.”

“Huh?” I don’t understand, I barely understand anything but the colors flooding my vision. My eyes are open wide now, my stare so focused on the snake as it starts to spin its head in a circle. I follow to keep the snake in the center of my eyes, the center of my attention, the entirety of my attention.

I feel scales slide over my legs and a weight squeeze around my hips, circling me and rising, binding my arms. It’s the snake—the snake is wrapping me up. I do need to call for Bagheera, it can’t be safe to let the snake wrap around me like this, even if its tail is soft and gentle like a blanket, and its eyes still so beautiful.

I need to call for Bagheera, but I’m not too much in danger yet. I can stare just a little longer. I don’t need to worry too much, don’t need to think too much.

“You’re so sssleepy, aren’t you?” the snake coos. “Sleep, my delicious human, sssleep.”

I am so sleepy, I just want to shut my eyes and drift to sleep. But isn’t the snake still wrapping me up? I can feel my arms squeezed to the elbows, heavier around my hips. I should tell Bagheera there’s a snake here before I fall asleep.

My eyes sink shut, but I open them wide. I still want to look at the snake some more. Maybe it’s not safe to, but a little longer can’t hurt. It should be safe enough to look until I fall asleep. I’m not in danger. Wasn’t I going to say something to Bagheera? Maybe it can wait until morning. I just want to stare at the snake until I fall asleep.

“Sleep,” the snake whispers. It sways back and forth and I follow, never taking my eyes off its hypnotic beauty. “Sssleep, my delicious human, and ressst in peace.”

Yes, I should just go to sleep. My eyes sink shut again. I’m so delicious. Time to rest in peace.

Wait, none of that sounded right. My eyes struggle open, as if they’re heavy as stone. Maybe I am in danger. Maybe I’ve passed the threshold of what’s safe, or maybe I’ve just bumped against that threshold. Yes, I’m not too far gone into peril yet, but if I look any longer I will be. My arms are immobile, my body feels heavily wrapped up, my chest pressing against scaly coils. I need to call for Bagheera now, before I fall asleep with this snake wrapped around me.

All I can do at first is mumble and sigh. My mind keeps drifting to the suggestion that I can look for just a little longer, but I know that’s probably not true anymore. All I can see now are the colors pulsing through the snake’s eyes, pulsing through my eyes, pulsing through my mind. In a few moments there won’t be anything left.

“Bah . . . B-Bah . . .”

My mouth barely functions as my mind spirals into a sinking sleep. The squeezing coils slide around my shoulders, squeezing me tight as if the snake were shaping me like dough.

I’m sure I’m in peril now. I’m pretty sure I’m in peril now. I think I’m in peril now. The snake’s eyes make it so hard to be sure about anything but how good it feels to stare. Maybe I can look just a little bit longer—no, the snake’s coils are slithering around my neck. I need to call out now.

“B-Bagheera!”

I feel a tight squeeze around my neck that echoes down my body, and I gulp. I’m completely unable to move, not that I’d been trying to move of my own free will anymore.

Why would I move? I’m so sleepy, I just want to sleep in this heavy blanket wrapped around me, squeezing tighter as it slides thicker around my neck. It feels so good to stare at this snake, and I’m not in any danger. I’m perfectly safe to sleep. I’m perfectly content to shut my mind off. A smile spreads across my face, eyes staring wide at the pulsing colors washing my vision, as pleasure melts away my mind and I cease to think.

I can drift into slumber, and nothing will matter anymore.

I hear voices, but nothing matters anymore.

Sleep. It doesn’t matter what happens to me. I’m content to sleep and never awake.