But the longer I looked, the more I realized: it didn’t look like a snake. Its movements were different—not smooth, but jerky, helpless. The creature seemed to be reaching forward, moving inside the wall, but its tail remained outside. “Probably something huge with a thin tail,” I thought.

A wave of anxiety and disgust, mixed with fear, washed over me. It felt like I’d seen something forbidden, something not meant for the eyes. I wanted to scream and, at the same time, just leave and forget.