You were inside the mansion, minding your own business when Neela suddenly called from the backyard. “Jake! Come out here, you have to see this!”

You sighed and got up, heading for the sliding glass door. “What is it this time? Another one of your crazy surprises?”

When you stepped outside, you froze. There, right in front of you, was Neela, holding a stick with a huge snake coiled up on it. Your heart instantly dropped into your stomach.

“Neela, what the heck are you doing?!” you yelled, stepping back. “You know I hate snakes!”

Neela looked at you with a mischievous grin. “I thought you’d want to see this. It’s a boa constrictor!” She brought the snake closer, completely oblivious to the panic in your eyes. “Isn’t it cool?”

Your worst fear was right in front of you, and you could feel your hands start to shake. “No! Get that thing away from me!” You took another step back, your heart pounding in your chest.

Neela giggled, clearly enjoying your reaction. “Come on, Jake, you’re not even going to give it a chance? Look how cool it is!”

“Nope, nope, nope!” you said, backing up even more. “This is not funny, Neela. I swear, if that thing gets any closer to me, I’m going inside.”

Seeing the panic in your eyes, Neela finally stopped teasing. She gave the snake a gentle pat and set it down on the ground, letting it slither away into the bushes. “Alright, alright, I’ll stop. But you seriously need to work on your fear of snakes, Jake.”

You took a few deep breaths, still a little shaken. “I’m fine. I just don’t do snakes, Neela.”

She chuckled and walked back inside. “You’re lucky I’m nice enough to put it away. If it were anyone else, they’d totally keep messing with you.”