I couldn’t immediately determine how long I sat in morning meditation when my eyes fluttered open.
Instantly I became aware of its presence: a rearing cobra, few meters away, standing on its tail with its curved hood.
A coffee-pot by my side, I was sitting beside a babbling brook near the hotel where I’d put up.
People started collecting in ones and twos.
The snake slithered towards me. A hush descended over the sparse crowd.
I gently pushed the pot, its lid open, towards the advancing snake.
After lapping up the café-au-lait, it crawled away.
It was World Snake Day.