Where's Draco Malfoy when you need him?

"Are you going to be around next week?" Mrs. Eagle asked me last week while we were out shopping for really, really good shoes.

"I should be. I don't leave for summer camp until after the Fourth. Why?" I asked.

"Well, grandma is coming to visit and I need a place to keep Keiko while she's here. Would you mind snake-sitting?"

You really never know what kind of things Mrs. Eagle is going to say some days.

Keiko is Mrs. Eagle's ball python. She usually lives in her classroom, but The Principal is very adamant that we take all pets (especially snakes) home over the summer. However, Mrs. Eagle's grandma is absolutely terrified of snakes so Keiko needed a place to hang out for a week or so.

"Don't think it would be a problem," I said. "I don't think Mr. Bluebird would even notice she's here." I did, by the way, tell him we'd be snake-sitting. His comment? "Really?"

So, yesterday, Mrs. Eagle and I dropped by the school to drop off a file cabinet I no longer needed at home (and could use in my room), and then we continued on to her house so I could take Keiko home with me.

Keiko is now in my guest room, on a desk, along with her heat lamp. She hasn't budged from under her rock, which is pretty much what she does most of the time anyway. Mrs. Eagle informed me that she's probably shedding right now so she won't be very active.

I'll say.

Duke the cat was very curious about what this thing was that I brought into the house so after a few minutes of looking through the glass, he decided that was boring and took off to get into trouble somewhere else. I am, however, keeping the door shut so that he won't do something dreadful, like knock the aquarium over at three am.

I think we'll just let Keiko molt under her rock in peace.