Jenny looked at Hope and for the first time realised just how delicious the monkey girl really looked.
She felt a strange rumble in her tummy as she fell forward onto her belly and she slithered forward out of her clothing.
With her tongue she tasted the air, the scent of the monkey was like a flare of greasy, sweating flesh that she could not ignore.
Jenny was dimly aware that her body had changed somehow but as her brain was much smaller now and all of it was needed for hunting her prey she didn't give any more thought.
"No eat!" Hope squealed as Jenny advanced towards her. "No eat Hope, me friend!"
"What's all this noise?" Cook asked as she barged into the room. "Hope, what are you shouting about."
"Jenny is snake, Jenny try eat hope!" Hope scampered up onto Cook's shoulder and perched there out of the way of the predator.
"Well of course she's a snake you silly girl. Ever since poor Katie got ran over by that van and broke her paw she hasn't been able to chase the mice away. Jenny's the replacement rat catcher, she's not going to escape outside where it's too cold for her is she?" Cook looked at the snake. "Go down into the celler and start work at once you lazy girl!"
Jenny dimly understood that she wasn't to eat Hope the monkey girl and slithered away down the stairs to catch rats for the rest of her life...or was she?
As Jenny started to stalk her first rat a shadow fell across her long, sleek body!