Marijuana long has been a lucrative sideline for some people here. Crime makes Brewer nervous. That's why she values snakes. A big one, coiled fearlessly, sometimes waits in the dark of her driveway. It's the rubber snake she put out to scare would-be burglars.
People here have a healthy fear of the rattlers that lurk in the ocean of palmettos.
Pickup trucks go out of their way to run them over. Folks shoot them on sight. She does not despise rattlers even though one bit her on the right shin. She figures snakes have the same right to happiness as she does. She also figures they prefer sleeping in the dark.