Smokey, Me, And The Rattlesnake

I felt myself trip, fall, and tumble down the slope. Sometimes I rolled like a log. Sometimes I careened head over heels. I couldn't stop myself. 

The bottom stopped me dead. 

I laid still in the gully at the foot of the slope in the Angeles National Forest. 

I don’t know how long. 

I do know I broke the rules. 

When I could finally look around, I knew in my gut I was lost. I didn’t see anything I recognized. 

Everything hurt. Everything spun. My stomach lurched. My knees buckled. I was trembling. 

I'd never heard a rattlesnake's rattle before. But, I knew it when I heard it. 

Where was my dog? Where was Smokey? I needed Smokey.

**********

Earlier that day, after my routine school and homework, I’d asked Mom if I could go down to my fort in Big Canyon. 

I lived in La Canada, California, a foothill town northeast of Los Angeles. I was ten. Fourth grade. My house backed up to the Angeles National Forest. I loved living so close to the wild. 

I could do what I wanted when I wanted down at my fort. I could be who I wanted to be. I could create adventures for me and my dog, Smokey.

"You know I don't like you going down there alone," Mom had said.

"You always say that, Mom. And, I never go alone. I always take Smokey. He’d kill me if I didn’t. He loves it down in there as much as I do."

"Big help that is,” Mom said, as usual. "All right, I guess. But, be careful and be home by five. It's getting dark earlier now." 

“I know Mom. I’ll be careful. Bye. Love you." 

I grabbed my fort backpack. It was always ready to go. Smokey was yipping, jumping, and flinging himself in circles as he ran ahead leading the way.

**********

Smokey and I would have a few hours in Big Canyon. I wondered who I'd be once I got to my fort.

Smokey took off running the moment we hit the dry stream bed at the bottom of the trail. He was racing full speed and barking full volume. I chased him laughing out loud.

My fort was a stand of four old trees. They formed the four corners of a square. Their branches and leaves overhung each other creating a natural roof. The shade of the oaks was our forest home. 

I always waited until I was in the fort before I decided who I’d be that day. Sir Lancelot? Zorro? Robin Hood rescuing the Maid Marian? Or maybe the Lone Ranger?

Or, sometimes I’d pull a book out of my backpack, lean up against the Southeast Oak, and sit and read the afternoon away. 

Everything was so calm and quiet there. Safe and secure. The air smelled fresh and natural. Clean. Plus, I liked the way the gnarled bark of the tree felt on my back. Strong and sturdy. 

**********

I was still deciding what to do when Smokey started circling and sniffing like crazy. He suddenly bolted off straight across the dry stream bed.

We weren't supposed to cross the stream bed. It was a Mom-and-Dad Rule.

I had come down there with my dad a couple of years before. That’s when we’d first discovered the fort. Dad set boundaries about how far I could go in any direction. There were certain landmarks. The stream bed was one of them.

When I saw the rabbit Smokey was after and how much fun he was having, I joined the chase without a thought. I hadn't even taken off my backpack. 

It was the first time I’d ever violated the Stream Bed Rule. It seemed like it would be OK this once. I’d been down to the fort a hundred times. I wasn’t scared. It was just a little adventure. Right? And I knew how to handle myself in the woods.

I raced after Smokey and the rabbit but soon lost sight of them. 

But, I could hear Smokey barking up ahead. He sounded happy. And I kept running after that joyous sound. What could possibly go wrong, I thought.

There was no trail. I was running through thick underbrush that was overrun with sticker bushes. I dodged Yucca plants with their sharp needles and steered clear of the cactus. 

I finally had to slow to a jog. My lungs were on fire. 

I considered turning around. What if Mom and Dad found out I’d crossed the stream bed? Oh, well. Too late now. This is a fine adventure! 

Smokey’s bark was getting fainter. I raced up a steep slope as fast as I could hoping to close the gap. 

And then, without warning, the earth dropped from under me and I was plummeting down the mountain.

**********

I rolled. I somersaulted. I flew. I finally crashed into the gulley at the bottom.  

A dream? A nightmare? 

No, I thought. This is real. Real pain.

I felt like a pincushion from the stickers. My left wrist was throbbing. My right ankle was on fire. My head had screamed at me every time it had crashed into a rock or branch as I was careening down the hillside. 

I was laying in the gulley, disoriented. I remember the sky and clouds spiraling above the Angeles National Forest. 

The next thing I remember was the almost silence. Smokey wasn’t barking.

The only thing I could hear was a rattlesnake’s rattles. They had my full attention. They were louder than I’d imagined they’d be.

I couldn’t see the snake. I got up cautiously. 

Once on my feet, I stayed as frozen as I could like Dad said to around rattlers. I tried to root myself like the oaks. 

Where was Smokey? I was desperate for him. Why wasn’t he barking? I needed him.

I was gasping for breath while fighting to stay motionless. 

I flinched, though, when I heard something in the bushes to my right. My mouth was as dry as the stream bed. Where was the stream bed? I had no idea. 

Don't panic, I told myself. It didn't help. Every part of me was trembling.

The rattles got louder and faster.

I shut my eyes tight. I didn't know what to do. Oh, geez, I thought. This can’t be happening. I went outside the boundaries and this is what I get. What a disaster. 

**********

Ordinarily, I would have whistled for Smokey. He'd have come racing to my whistle no matter what. Was he hurt? Or dead?

But, I was too shakey to whistle. I was afraid I'd scare the rattler. My mouth tasted like the Mojave Desert. And, I was afraid whistling would agitate the snake. I didn’t want to take any chances. 

I heard some rustling in the brush again. Could it be Smokey, I thought? No. He'd be barking. 

Then chaos..a blur of commotion. 

I saw the snake. Smokey leaped out of the underbrush. He was barking like crazy. He bolted for the big reptile. 

The rattles got faster and louder and then...silence.  

I saw the snake’s enormous head shoot out at my leg as if in slow motion. 

I saw the forked tongue. I felt the fangs pierce my ankle. I saw Smokey grab the snake around its middle. He jumped, spun in mid-air, and threw the big serpent into the bushes. 

I fell to the ground. Smokey was licking my face. I was gasping for air.

“Smokey. Smokey,” was all I could say. I grabbed his face and pulled him close. I scratched him behind the ears. “Thank you. You saved me,” I said. 

**********

After I caught my breath, I felt the pain from the fangs. 

I sat up and pulled up the leg of my jeans. Yep. The rattler bit me. Less than an inch above the top of my hiking boot. It was through my jeans and sock, though. So I hoped it wouldn’t be too deep.

 

What on Earth was I going to do? What would Sir Lancelot do, I thought. I can be him.

I took off my backpack. Somehow it had stayed on through my plunge down the slope. 

I used my Swiss Army Knife to cut off a piece of rope. Dad had taught me to always keep some rope, tape, bandages, a compass, and a knife in my fort backpack. I tied the rope as tight as I could above the bite. That’s what Sir Lancelot would do. “Between the bite and your heart.”

I looked at my wrist. It was swollen, bruised, and beat with my heart. But there wasn't much I could do about that now. Or the pounding headache.

My whole ankle burned. More from the fall than the snake bite.

I took a few swigs of water from my canteen and gave Smokey some, too. 

As I started calming down, I realized I didn’t have a clue where we were.

I got out my compass hoping to get some bearings and find a way home. 

But, the glass was smashed and the needle was broken.  

What next? 

I decided to climb up the slope. Maybe I could see a landmark from the higher ground.

Being lost was the scariest thing ever. It was also a new experience for me. In all the times I’d been in Big Canyon, or anywhere else for that matter, I’d always known exactly where I was. Not knowing made the blood drain from my face and stomach. 

No one would even know where to look for me. How would they? I’d gone outside the boundaries.

I was sweaty yet ice cold. I knew we should climb the slope, but I couldn’t move. The snake’s rattles echoed in my ears. But, the snake bite was nothing compared to being lost with no clue what to do next. 

What would Zorro or Sir Lancelot do? Or Dad? Why wasn’t I like them? They’d know.

**********

I thought things were as bad as they could get. 

But, as I tried to climb up the slope, the wrist, ankle pains, and throbbing got lots worse. The pounding in my head, too. Not to mention the snake bite.

Plus, there was no trail up the steep slope. The loose dirt made it slippery. The scrub and underbrush made it treacherous. The random cactus and yucca plants were an obstacle course. I was hyper-cautious keeping an eye and ear out for rattlesnakes.

Smokey didn't have any problems. I fantasized about tying a rope to Smokey's collar and around my waist and making him pull me up. 

But, It was only a fantasy. So I kept plodding. Climbing. Slipping. Panting. Agonizing.

Breathless and exhausted, I finally struggled to the top. 

Yay! Yes! Safety! 

My heart was pounding both from the effort and the excitement of being safer. I knew from up there I’d be able to get my bearings. 

I searched for a familiar landmark. Hopefully, my fort. Or at least an identifiable tree or hill that I knew. Or the dry stream bed. The stream bed would be a highway home.

I methodically turned a complete circle. 

Nothing. 

The view from the higher ground was the same in every direction. It was a panorama of hills, mountains, and ridges. An array of cuts, gullies, and canyons. There was scrub, yucca, cactus, and some scattered pines. Nothing stood out.

I fell to my knees. I cried. 

I was out of ideas...lost in the Angeles National Forest. Daylight was fading. Pain engulfed me. My head was pounding. My heart, too. I had rattlesnake venom in me. 

I was not only lost for the first time.

It was also the first time I’d thought about dying. 

**********

I wanted to run away. Bury my head and hide from this calamity. Wish it away. Is that what Sir Lancelot or the Lone Ranger would do? Heck no. They’d take action. I wasn’t really like them, though. I just wanted to run away and hide. 

Smokey belly crawled over and nuzzled me. He was gentle. Calm. Quiet. He rested his head on my shoulder and leaned into me a little. He made a sound I'd never heard before. Like a soft growl. But gentle. Close to moaning. His way of humming? I could feel its vibration. It soothed me a little. 

Somehow, without even trying, I stopped crying. I knew exactly what to do. I don't know how I knew. I didn't stop to think about it or think it over. Instinct? Intuition? I don’t know. But it was there. 

**********

“Okay, Smokey," I said holding his head in my hands, looking him in the eyes, and whispering. "Take us home, boy. I admit it. I’m petrified and don’t know what to do. I can’t do this myself. So you're in charge now. I'm going to get out of your way. I'm going to follow you home. Go on. Take us home now. Please..."

And, off we went. I had no idea where Smokey was leading me. Deeper into the wild? Into more danger? Out to safety? 

I didn’t know. I just followed. 

It wasn't easy. I liked to think Smokey knew the way and tried to choose the easiest routes for me. But, we were way off the beaten path. There were occasionally rabbit or coyote trails we’d follow for short distances. But we were soon back to trudging through the thick underbrush. 

Once, as we were scaling a steep slope, I lost my footing and tumbled all the way back down to the bottom. Like before. The wrist, ankle, and head throbbed even more. The rope tied above the snake bite had slipped. I sat down to retie it and saw that my ankle was swollen and ugly. It looked like a red balloon and pounded with every heartbeat. 

I got up and started crawling up, up, up again. 

We stopped for a rest and a sip of water at the top. I still couldn't see anything I recognized. Everything in every direction looked the same.

The air was changing, too. The warm, daytime smell of dirt, earth, and old trees was changing into the cooler, sweeter smell of night.

When I first heard the coyotes howling, I almost fell down the slope again. 

Dad had told me coyotes aren't usually too aggressive with humans. Except as winter is coming on. “That's their breeding season,” he’d said. “That’s when they can be unpredictable and dangerous.”

It was almost Halloween.

Smokey's ears shot up at the first coyote howl. The hair along his spine bristled. His black nostrils twitched as he inhaled the night scents of the darkening forest. I wished he could talk.

Finally, Smokey started moving again. Slowly. I followed, fighting through the underbrush. Scaling up and sliding down the slopes. Dodging the needle-sharp points of the cactus and yucca plants.

My throbbing ankle and wrist, the headache, and the exertion were taking their toll. It was hard to breathe. Darkness was overtaking us. I was sweating and shivering cold more by the minute.

More coyotes were howling. Closer, too. Louder. 

**********

It was too much. Too much pain. Too much effort. Too much disorientation. Too much fear.

I finally collapsed. I couldn’t get up. I couldn’t take another step.

That’s when Smokey left me.

I saw him take off running. I couldn’t believe it. And, I couldn’t move. I tried and couldn’t. Was he chasing another rabbit? Leaving me to… To what? I don’t know. To cry? Die? Crawl away? Get bit by another rattler? Or mauled by a coyote pack?

The Angeles National Forest spun around in my head. I heard Mom and Dad say, “We warned you, didn’t we? We said, whatever you do, don’t cross over the dry stream bed.”

**********

The next thing I knew a coyote was tugging at the leg of my jeans. Pulling hard. Shaking its head.

My eyes popped open while my heart was jumping out of my chest. 

“No, no, no,” I screamed. I kicked at it.  

It took a while, but I finally realized it was Smokey, not a coyote. 

Smokey was back!

He kept tugging at me. Pulling on my jeans. I breathed. I rubbed my eyes. I forced myself to sit up. Smokey walked away. Then he turned around and came back. He grabbed my jeans again and pulled harder. 

I struggled to get up. It took all my energy to follow him. I noticed his tail was wagging a little. It hadn't been wagging since the rattlesnake.

We were slow and cautious scaling another slope. When we'd finally fought our way to the top, Smokey started circling me and barking. I looked around and around and around again. Nothing but darkening forest. The night was eating the remnants of twilight.

Then, finally, in the afterglow of the final rays of light, I saw the barest glimpse of asphalt. It was close to the bottom of the slope on the other side of the ridge. 

A road. An actual paved road!

*****************

The next thing I remember was our neighbor, Dr. Pizzo, bandaging my snake bite. He was a dentist. But he ended up handling all sorts of medical needs around the neighborhood. We all called him “Doc."

"Because of his jeans and the socks, the fangs didn't penetrate his skin much," Doc said to my mom and dad. 

"You're lucky, kiddo," he said to me. "And great job tying the snake bite off with the rope. I doubt you got much venom in you. It sure looks ugly, though. Doesn’t it?” He laughed. I didn’t.

“Thanks, Doc,” Dad said. 

"Keep icing and wrapping the ankle and wrist. Sprained. Not broken. I’m pretty sure he’ll be fine. But you ought to get him to a real doctor as soon as you can. For anti-venom, blood work, X-rays, concussion testing, trauma, shock, and all that.” 

“We will,” Dad said.

"I’m so grateful,” Mom said. Tears filled her eyes. "I was so worried. You scared me half to death, Dexter, not coming home on time. You’re always so good about that. But now I’m just happy you’re okay. What in the world happened? Where were you? We searched...."

I told them the whole story. Well, as much as I could remember. I couldn't remember getting home after I saw that little sliver of paved road. Doc was the next thing I remembered. He was tending to my injuries, throbbing head, and the rattlesnake bite.

“I’m so sorry I went outside the boundaries,” I said. “I paid for it. I was so scared, you guys. I can’t even tell you. I don’t know how to describe it. And I promise, promise, promise I’ll never do that again.” 

I started crying a little but kept talking. 

“I’m sorry I wasn’t as smart, brave, or resourceful as Zorro, Sir Lancelot, Robin Hood, Prince Valiant, or the Lone Ranger. Or Dad. 

“If I was as smart or brave as my heroes, none of this would have happened. I guess I thought I was a big, bold adventurer and hero like them. I wasn’t. I’m not. Not at all.”

I dried my eyes and caught my breath.

“Anyway, Smokey’s the real-life hero here. He saved my life. 

“I guess that’s what best friends are for. Right?”

THE END