Alexei was coming home after an ordinary day. A bag over his shoulder, his mind on what to make for dinner. The sun was already leaning toward the horizon, and the courtyard was quiet, wrapped in a sleepy calm.
He had just inserted the key into the lock when he caught a flicker of movement at his feet.
At first, he thought it was a branch — thick, dark, gleaming in the sunlight.
But then the “branch” moved.
Alexei froze. On the bottom step, slowly and fluidly writhing, lay a huge snake.
Seconds stretched into eternity. He could hear the dull pounding of his heart in his chest, and his throat felt dry as sand. The snake raised its head — and their eyes met.
He didn’t remember stepping back. Once. Then again. And again.
Only one thought raced through his mind: “How?! Here?! Inside the city?!”
He knew there was a small forest nearby. But for such a creature to crawl right up to his house… it seemed impossible.
Then, after a moment, Alexei noticed something that sent a chill down his spine.
Around the snake’s neck was something like a collar — a thin, dark strip, resembling an old rubber band or strap.
This was no wild snake.
Without taking his eyes off it, he called animal rescue.
While they were on their way, Alexei stood motionless, watching as the snake lazily slithered toward the door — as if it knew exactly where it was going.
When the specialists arrived, they couldn’t believe what they were seeing. It was a rare species, not native to the region — clearly a domestic one, escaped or released by someone.
But the strangest thing was what they found under the collar: a small metal tag.
Engraved on it were the words:
“№7. Home.”
No one ever found out where it came from.
But ever since that night, Alexei hasn’t been able to come home without glancing down at the steps.
And sometimes, especially on quiet, warm evenings, he swears he can still hear a soft rustling by the door…
