She’d studied her in college, the scaly goddess who lured men like a siren. From Aztec ruins to Crete, to this, her latest stop. A ruined one-story house in the Everglades. This, the guides said, is where men pledged their souls. “La Serpente demands true devotion from her Chosen.”

She pulled humidity-heavy vines from the doorway and ducked inside to find nothing but disappointment. Kudzu grew through the tiny house’s empty window frames. No true shrine, just an empty shell, like a discarded snake skin. Remnants of life scattered across the floor.

“You mustn’t seek her. She devour you,” they said.

La Serpente must be here. She could feel her in the heavy air.

She pulled a box into place and climbed up to the attic above. Only to find it empty. Next she inspected the backyard.

A soft hiss sounded, like a wheeze of breath.

Call to me. Show me your devotion, the voice came.

She rose and crossed to the remains of a table. The shrine? Someone had carved a serpent into the surface. She smiled. La Serpente, come to me, she chanted, speaking the spell and more.

She shuddered, heart rebelling at what would come.

Something wriggled across her foot. Fear gripped her, coiling around her, tightening.

The woman formed in the dust and sunlight. Beautiful and curvy like the snake goddess. Diamond shaped wrinkles curled round her nose. The goddess smiled and sank her fangs in.

No! Poisoned blood gurgling from her throat, she screamed.

[Juli D. Revezzo has long been in love with writing, a love built by devouring everything from the Arthurian legends, to the works of Michael Moorcock, and the classics and has a soft spot for classic the “Goths” of the 19th century. Her short fiction has been published in Dark Things II: Cat Crimes, The Scribing Ibis, Eternal Haunted Summer, Twisted Dreams Magazine, Luna Station Quarterly, and Crossed Genres‘ “Posted stories for Haiti relief” project, while her non-fiction has been included in The Scarlet Letter. She has also, on occasion, edited the popular e-zine Nolan’s Pop Culture Review… But her heart lies in the storytelling. She is a member of the Indie Author Network. Her debut novel, The Artist’s Inheritance was recently released. Visit her here.]