Tale of a monster

The RSPB newsletter has engaging snippets from readers. We specially liked this one.

I was sat on a seat at the end of my garden pond, not wearing my glasses, when I saw this outrageous monster gliding across the water towards me. It appeared to have a very large head, two black beady eyes and two large fangs about two inches long protruding from the corners of its mouth.

I quickly got my net and fished out the monster. It turned out to be a grass snake, which had started to eat a toad head first. The toad, trying to avoid being eaten, had blown up its body, stopping the snake from being able to swallow it. The toad’s legs sticking out from the snake’s mouth were what I had thought were fangs.

I threw the snake onto the lawn and it released the toad, which appeared unharmed except for a small cut on its back. It hopped off to fight another day.

Jack Payne