Mia didn’t notice the snake at first. The baby monitor had gone dark for less than a minute, maybe two. When the feed returned, Ava, the baby, was still asleep—tiny, warm, safe. But something had changed. Something in the crib with the infant, coiled beside her head, calm as a breath, was a snake.
It wasn’t hissing or striking but just resting there, its head turned toward her like it belonged. The mom froze. With doors locked and windows sealed, it made no sense. But the moment Mia saw the pattern on the snake’s back, her heart didn’t race; it dropped. It was Nimbus!