Reptile INTRODUCTION to...

"Over the top of the golden, circular wall came a huge Head---as big as that of an elephant’s, black-red laced through with brilliant yellow stripes---saucer-sized deep black eyes---and a six-foot long, six-inch-wide red tongue, forked at the end, that lazily flicked out at them!"

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This 313-page book contains FIFTEEN SHORT STORIES, each illustrated by a Christmas Holiday-oriented animal cartoon.   Each story deals with an underlying theme from its cartoon, as to the nature and significance of our holiday gatherings, when humanity tends to exhibit both its best and worst characteristics.

Talking rodents and snakes, time/mind-traveling teenage zombies, rich kids at Christmas that don't do as well as mice, and the real reasons why we all love Santa.    

Half of the book deals with the holiday-related adventures of the "Hyperspace Trader Space Kids," a young boy and girl who two thousand years in the future accompany and help their parents as they all travel on their starship in hyperspace throughout the Galaxy, hauling cargo from planet to planet, and trading with many strange life-forms.  

In this book, the space kids encounter and struggle with space pirates, giant intelligent snakes, the mysterious Black Hole at the center of the Milky Way, and Humanity's Greatest Treasure locked in a Pyramid in a deserted Washington D.C. mall on mythical Old Earth.  The space kids learn what's really the most valuable part of Christmas.

[rating: "PG," parental guidance suggested.]

See below for STORY TITLES, REPTILE EXAMPLE, and CONCLUSION 

(and Science Fiction section for SF EXAMPLE.)

“We are most grateful,” the Golden Ape said, stepping out of the mists.  “Please follow me.”

“Ah!  There you are, Mr. Mugrice!” Ringer said.

Without another word, the Ape turned and walked away, following a narrow path through the woods.

Donnie bravely stepped smartly after the animal, following in its long strides.  The rest of his family came along behind him as they went back into the jungle, single-file.

Donnie noticed something lumpy on the ape’s back, under its fur, way up near its high shoulders---which was moving!

“Uh, Mr. Mugrice?” he tentatively spoke.

“Yes, male-child?”

“Uhm, please call me Donnie,” Donnie gulped, unsure as to whether he should just keep quiet or not.  But his Dad didn’t tell him to stop, so he continued on with his thought.  

“I see something kind of funny on your back.  Did you get a bug up there or something?”

Before Donnie could react, a long purple SNAKE sprang from under the ape’s fur and landed smack on Donnie, curling around his neck!        

“AGGGGHHHH!!!!!” Donnie yelled, staggering off the path and into the jungle, trying to pull off the chocking reptile!!!        

“Donnie!??” he heard his Dad yell out.

“Don’t bite me, don’t bite me!” Donnie screamed again, trying to peel the strong snake off of his neck before its teeth latched into his face!

“Donnie, Donnie, where are you?” he heard his Mother calling.

<Do not fear> a voice spoke inside Donnie’s head. <I wish only to interface with your mind.  Please relax and let my neuronal synapses get through your skin>        

“What????” Donnie gagged, still stumbling around in the thick underbrush, fighting against the encircling, powerfully-gripping snake.  

<I will understand you much better, and you me, when our minds are in better contact.  Then you can speak to your family for me.  You will be much better than the slug I normally animate.  They are only animals, difficult to make talk.  You are smarter.  Not as smart as me, but still young like me and able to interface>

Eh???  Young???  Interface???        

“Donnie!  Donnie, come out of the brush!  Are you alright?”  His mother was still calling-out.

Suddenly, Donnie could see through not only his own eyes, but also through the eyes of the snake curled around his neck!  It was very strange.  He actually could see himself!  He looked up from his neck and saw his short-cut, almost-bald head and laughed!  He looked like a big balloon!  Or...it looked like some funny rock, or a big fat fruit!  Very strange looking, even kind of ugly...???

“I’m alright, Mom!” he called back, starting to breath easier.  He let his hands drop to his side.  Very strange, indeed.  He was in the mind of this...snake...and the snake was also in his own mind!  No wonder Donnie’s own head now seemed so strange, even alien!        

He walked back in the direction he’d stumbled, and out onto the path.

Suzie sucked in her breath, jumping backwards.  “You have a snake around your neck!” she gasped.        

“It’s ok!” he heard his own voice talking through the snake’s “ears.”  His voice sounded very loud, garbled, and slow!  “It’s just the intelligent Snake that was sitting under the ape-man’s fur and making him talk that now is around my neck and directly linked into my brain so it can more easily talk to us!”        

“What??” Serena gasped, looking worried.  Ringer looked concerned also.

“I don’t like snakes,” Suzie said, frowning.        

“It’s friendly!” Donnie laughed, with one hand stroking the soft, warm, leathery hide wrapped loosely around his neck.  

The snake stuck its head up for everyone to see---a  child-sized, flattened head with big green eyes---out of whose mouth flicked a long, red, forked tongue!

The snake was a full nine feet long, heavily-bodied, and wrapped completely around Donnie’s neck, his shoulders, and several times around his chest and waist!  It was heavy, maybe weighing fifty earth-pounds.  Donnie had to walk slowly and carefully not to trip and fall down.  Even under the lighter gravity of the alien planet they were on, the snake was like a sack of cement resting on his shoulders!

Donnie knew he should feel scared, but he didn’t.  Actually, Donnie was quite proud of his new “pet.”        

“He won’t hurt you!” Donnie said.  “He’s one of the Alien Owners of this planet!  He’s evolved over millions of years from reptilian-type origins!”        

“You’re sounding awfully smart all of a sudden,” Suzie suspiciously said, narrowing her eyes at him.        

“That’s right!” Donnie answered.  “I can now communicate directly with the Alien through merged synapses!  It’s not dangerous!  I’m still me, just smarter!”        

“Well, I guess being smarter wouldn’t hurt you...” Suzie sniffed at him.

“What should we call you?” Ringer asked.

“Mr. Mugrice will still do fine,” Donnie answered, feeling the Snake’s thoughts in his own head.  “It’s the snake that was directing the Ape which you knew as ‘Mr. Mugrice’ to speak all along, hidden underneath the Ape’s fur.  The Ape is just an animal, without any higher communication abilities of its own.  Its words came from the Snake!”

“That’s too weird,” Suzie sniffed.  “I don’t trust snakes!”

“Now, Suzie,” Ringer said, “It just looks like a snake.  It’s really an Alien.  But I admit to being baffled as to how an armless, legless creature could have evolved such a high level of intelligence.  In all the rest of the known Galaxy, some sorts of hands to manipulate items are necessary for high-intelligence to emerge!”        

Donnie pointed upwards.

“Look up,” he said.  They all looked up.

High up in the branches, now that their eyes were adjusting to the gloom, Donnie and his family could make out a strange interlacing, interlocking pattern.  The Pattern connected together across many trees into some bizarre, 3-dimensional puzzle!  And as Donnie’s eyes locked on the lowest parts of the dimly-glowing pattern, he made out the form of touching giant snakes!

The others gasped, also recognizing the masses of snakes hanging above them in the high trees!

“They’ve been above us all the time!” Suzie said.  “There must be hundreds of them, all hooked up to each other, going in all directions through the branches!  What’s going on up there, Donnie---and what do they want with us!??”

Suzie and the rest of his family all looked back at him.

Donnie smiled, quite pleased to be the center of attention...

[this is just the beginning of a fantastic adventure with the intelligent snakes of the Snake Planet, that will result in Donnie and his family traveling to the mysterious Black Hole at the center of our Galaxy...]

Christmas plus Snakes

plus Science Fiction plus Morality/Ethics;

with Innocent Bunny Rabbits contrasting

mind-traveling, drugged-out

teenaged zombies.

Kids that want too much,

mice that set their own little version of St. Nick on fire (by accident),

and snakes that knit very long “neck-warmers”

...Space Pirates, Black Holes,

and a view of Earth’s Greatest Treasures

---Hidden at the North Pole, 2000 years in the future!

All wonderful dreams/adventures/warnings...

From Reptilian Holiday Greetings---

wishing all the very best to you and yours,

now, and for many years yet to come!

...Warm, cozy with family/friends

safely tucked-away in your own little nest,

happy and thankful for what you have...

and stuffed with tasty little treats (not meeces)!

---appreciating your LIFE, your POSSESSIONS,

the fact that there’s still POTENTIAL for best-use of your time,

your FRIENDS, your FAMILY, the BEAUTY OF NATURE

with all its fascinating CRITTERS, and most of all...

the example of that jolly, unselfish, caring, giving fellow---SANTA.

What a great guy!

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