Sam and the Snake

by PlumpTheBrave

The light wasn't just bright and warm. It was bright and scorching. And there was nothing but arid land as far as the eye could see. So, our intrepid Sam decided that there was precious little energy to waste, and trudged on in the direction the Sun was setting.

Time passed, and as the sun came to set across the horizon, Sam came to see a town. Its rooftops glittered, as though made of gold.

"Could it be a mirage?" Sam wondered aloud. But the sun was setting, the air chilling, and Sam's mind felt sharp as ever. The city was very real, and so were the warm meals no doubt waiting inside.

Laughing aloud, the fledgling adventurer sped towards the walls ahead. So fast, in fact, that the man that lay on the ground had to yell at the top of his lungs to get Sam's attention.

"Traveler! Traveler, please! Help!"

Sam came to a quick stop, eyeing the man. "Hello."

"Ah, thank the divines you stopped. I was worried this night would have been my last.. well, it very well may still be." the man smiled wearily.

"Why such grim tidings, friend? What happened?" Sam knelt beside the prone man, looking him up and down.

"That damn thing bit me, and I have neither antidote nor the capacity to purchase one."

"Thing? What thing?" asked Sam.

"The damn snake, it came out of its burrow and atta-AAH!" The traveler grimaced in pain, trying to gesture at the body of the serpent laying near his feet. " I managed to kill it, but the damage was done."

Realizing that time was of the essence here, Sam quickly rose. "Tell me how I can help, friend."

"Bless you, traveler." The man pointed towards town. "There is a man who sells medicine for snake bites near the market. Large and bald is he, and quite the smell too. You can't miss him."

"Very well. Stay strong friend, I will return shortly." Sam began to rise, calculating the time to town at a jog would be nearly ten minutes. But something tugged at the adventurer's feet.

"Leave your pack traveler. It seems heavy, and will only slow you down. And slow is something I'd prefer you not be." Sam considered the heft of the bag. It was filled with bread and water, along with some gold. Indeed, it was densely packed, as all adventuring packs should be. Perhaps there was some merit in what the dying man said.

Dropping the pack, Sam turned to the man. "If you need water or bread, there is some in their friend. I'm off"

With that, Sam began the journey to town.

As Sam neared the town, the figures of people meandering around the gates came into view.

Sam began to consider how to ask the large, bald man for the snake medicine. Was it going to cost a fair amount? Would the man even be there? Would he have the right antidote?

Wait. The error made began to dawn in Sam's mind. Which antidote? Which snake? Sam didn't remember. Come to think of it, the bitten man never told Sam.

If Sam turned around immediately, there was still a possibility of backtracking far enough to ask the man what the snake looked like.

Turning again, Sam raced back in the direction the man lay.

Sam was absolutely baffled. The location seemed right, but the man was nowhere to be seen. Where had he gone? Could he have died and been buried already? No, that was impossible. It had hardly been ten minutes since Sam left. The perplexing thing was that the snake was missing too.

Unless..no..impossible.

Sam smiled. Our prodigal explorer had been had. The man had completely tricked Sam, even taking the gold, food, and water, with nothing more than a smile.

That is when Sam realized that man is more dangerous than any snake.