The soldier fed the baby snakes almost every day for fun and was sure it was all harmless play, but one morning, at the entrance to the tent, he faced a horror he was completely unprepared for 😢😱
The snakes appeared near the tent by accident. That day, the soldier was digging a trench at the edge of the camp and noticed two little snakes crawling out from under the heated stones.
They were thin, still uncertain, raised their heads, and hissed at every sound. According to instructions, they were supposed to be destroyed immediately. The commander said: “Danger near personnel — eliminate without discussion.”
But the young man didn’t do that. It seemed strange to him that these babies didn’t run away but seemed to study him. In the evening, he returned with a piece of bread and threw it on the ground next to the tent.
At first, the snakes recoiled, then slowly approached. The next day he brought some meat. He was curious if they would get used to him. It was a silly amusement during the boring field days, a little secret no one was supposed to know.
Instead of destroying the dangerous neighbors, he began feeding them. At first, the snakes were cautious and raised their hoods at every movement, but soon they stopped seeing him as a threat. He came almost every day, squatted, and threw food, watching them cautiously approach.
He brought them bread and meat as if they were puppies. After a week, the snakes became noticeably bigger, their movements more confident. After two weeks, new ones began appearing nearby. First one, then two more. He reassured himself it was just coincidence, that it was simply their nest.
But one morning, leaving the tent, he was faced with a horror he was completely unprepared for 😨🫣
One morning he stepped out of the tent and froze. All around in the sand were dozens of tracks. He had been feeding only two snakes, but dozens were coming.
Fear hit him suddenly. He realized the situation was out of control. If anyone found out, he would be punished. That night he decided to get rid of the snakes. He took everything necessary, got into his car, and went to the place where he had most often seen them in the grass.
When he returned to the camp at dawn, silence greeted him. No voices, no footsteps of comrades, no usual noise from the kitchen.
He climbed out of the trench and ran toward the tents. Inside, a horrific sight awaited him — his comrades lay motionless, with signs of struggle and blood everywhere. During the night, enemies had attacked some of them. Everything happened quickly and silently.
While he had been preoccupied with the snakes, all his comrades had died. He should have been in that tent. He should have died with everyone else.
It turned out that the snakes had inadvertently saved his life. They had prevented him from being in the camp that night.
Later he was interrogated, accused of treason, checked for connections with the attackers, and every detail examined. His guilt could not be proven, but the shadow of suspicion remained. He was discharged and left the army forever.
