6. Snakes Eat Eggs, Too

Chapter 6 Snakes Eat Eggs, Too "What will we do if the raccoons have the eggs?" Brian asked. They were waiting for a light to change so they could cross Main Street. Bradley grinned. "Ask them to give them back," he said. "What if the eggs are already in their stomachs?" Nate asked.

"Then we'll let them keep them," Bradley said. The kids crossed the street and headed for Center Park. "I saw the raccoons walk into those trees," Lucy said. She pointed to the trees near the high school playing fields. "Maybe they have a home there," Bradley said. Pal tugged on his leash and led the kids to the trees. He sniffed the ground and whimpered. "Pal, if I let you off your leash, will you lead us to the raccoons?" Bradley asked the dog. Pal said, "Woof!" Bradley unsnapped the leash, and Pal took off, barking. He raced to a tall tree and put his front paws on the trunk. The kids ran over to the tree. They looked up into the branches. "What does a raccoon nest look like?" Nate asked. "I think they sleep inside the trunk," Bradley said.

Pal let out another loud bark. He tried to climb the tree. "Oh my gosh, look!" Lucy said. About six feet above their heads, a raccoon face peered out of a hole in the tree trunk. The raccoon made a little coughing noise at Pal. "Now what?" Nate asked, looking up. "We found the nest, but we still don't know if they have our eggs." "And I'm not climbing up there to look in the nest," Brian added. "Momma Raccoon doesn't look happy to see us." "I don't think the raccoons took them," Lucy said. "Why not?" Bradley asked. "Guys, remember when we saw the raccoons in the park?" Lucy asked. "They walked right past us." "Yeah, the mom was leading the three babies," Brian said. "Well, none of them had an egg in its mouth," Lucy said. "And they weren't carrying an egg in

their paws, either." "You're right," Bradley said. "They were probably just going home to sleep. Raccoons hunt for food at night." "Maybe they ate the eggs before we saw them," Nate suggested. "They could have," Bradley said. "But they'd leave the eggshells on the ground. Let's go look!" The kids ran toward the pond. "Let's split up," Bradley said. "Look everywhere on the ground." "What if the raccoons ate the eggshells, too?" Brian asked. Bradley shook his head. "Yuck, I don't think painted eggshells would taste very good!" The kids walked around the pond. Right away Pal started barking at the swans. They were on the water, flapping their wings. "Chill out, Mr. and Mrs. Swan," Nate said. "No one is going to hurt you. We're just looking for eggshells."

"Maybe they have a nest somewhere," Lucy said. "They think we're going to bother it." The kids walked quietly and carefully through the tall grass. Bradley led the way, with Pal in front on his leash. Out on the pond, the two swans kept watch. "Careful," Bradley whispered over his shoulder. "There may be snakes." "Who's afraid of snakes?" Brian said. "I am!" Nate answered. Suddenly Pal barked and tugged on his leash. Bradley saw the hair on Pal's neck stand up. "What is it, Pal?" Bradley asked. He looked at the ground in front of Pal. Then he saw what had made Pal bark. A black snake was curled up in a patch of sunlight. The snake raised its head and poked its tongue into the air. Nate came up behind Bradley. "What's going on?" he asked.

Bradley pointed at the snake. "Don't move!" he whispered. Nate took one look and gasped. "I couldn't move if I t-tried!" he stammered.