The rain god Tlaloc disgorged his bounty right on time. Every child got in a few solid thwacks before he gave up its guts. Good guts, too. Save, perhaps, the Asian ‘corn-flavoured’ lollies, many of which were instantly spat out …
A five year old’s party is usually a brief affair, but this one stretched through a long languid afternoon. The reptile handlers were wonderful and so were their reptiles. Turtles, lizards, frogs - pythons slithering over every second guest. Beautiful creatures – including the rainbow serpent of legend with its sublime prismatic skin. One kid even scored some sheddings...
Lemon, whom I have mentioned before – darkly - resembled an eldritch Bianca Jagger, pontificating on some dreadful subject, as Aleister Crowley’s reincarnation writhed on her upper body - as her cuckoo crazy daughter, Cumquat, menaced beast and man alike with a plastic ‘Robot Arm’
[Let me give the handlers a plug – Animal Tracks]
Joy, Polly’s great grandmother of 85 years, was far from at ease with these creatures, wouldn’t let the handlers near her, not even with a small tree froglet. She’s of a reptile-loathing generation which remembers a time when snakes were a far more common and deadly menace than today.
The kids, however, had no trouble – at one point about ten of them were lined up, holding a huge serpent stretched out end to end … a kind of mosh-diving image… weird for the snake, I think…
People have changed in their attitude to snakes. At least in the cities. A snake’s dark symbolism – derived from its alien form and its deadliness – draws the imagination more so than ever, but its roots are long-forgotten.
I wonder what the crèche-mothers thought of it all? There were lots of adults, many friends of ours, all of a Bohemian ilk - but also many local suburban parents. I am afraid of being judged here, but I wonder if I’m guilty of the same crime … As a nutjob living in the middle suburbs, I worry about becoming a well-known eccentric, or warlock, or psychokiller in their imaginations… not for my sake, of course, but for Polly’s … dreadful pressure to appear normal … must resist…
It was a lovely party, everyone had fun, I think, and I am just being paranoid.
Afterwards, Lemon shared an idea she’d had, ‘for a story or film, or whatever…”. A virus plagues the Earth. All are killed, but those given immunity by Hep C. Interesting scenario. Perhaps Lemon & I could become rulers of this tired, foggy-headed world. [‘Don’t you dare steal it,” says Lemon – and, trust me, you don’t want this dangerous little number on your case]
Today, I prepare for my long-awaited trip to Queensland.
