“You see,” he finally said, “this isn’t affection. In large pythons, fasting and stretching along the owner’s body are typical behaviors before attempting to swallow large prey. The snake is measuring whether the size is right. The coiling is rehearsal for constriction. You have a fully grown, strong female. She’s powerful enough to cut off your breathing. Rarely, but such cases do occur. In short: your snake was preparing to swallow you. My recommendation is clear: strict isolation, a change of diet, and – better yet – surrendering her to a specialized facility. Today.”

The words struck her like ice. That evening, the woman sat on the edge of her bed and watched as Safran slowly glided across the sheet. At one point, the snake lay exactly as in that photo: coiled in a ring around a sleeping woman – only this time, the woman wasn’t asleep.