In this story by R. K. Narayan, a passing cyclist alerts a family to a deadly cobra he saw slithering into their overgrown garden. After speaking angrily to their servant about his neglect and an unhelpful interruption by neighbors, the family undertakes a frantic search. The garden and lawn are trimmed to the ground, but there is no sign of the snake. Finally, the servant appears carrying a sealed water-pot in which he claims to have trapped it. Questions emerge when, shortly after he takes it away, “another” cobra appears. Themes include responsibility, fear, community, tradition, deception

A Snake in the Grass Text / PDF (1,000 words)

Narayan carefully constructed the story in a way that questions the work ethic and honesty of the servant. Yet it is the neighbours who brand him lazy… the family only berates him for his neglect of the garden. Could the poor man merely be overworked and his request for a grass-cutter reasonable? In this instance, additional themes would include social class, exploitation and scapegoating.

An interesting question is whether the story’s title refers to the errant cobra, or idiomatically to the hapless servant. The moral… don’t believe what you are told unless you are 100% sure of the honesty and motivation of the source.