The wet straw roof was infested with centipedes. The hills nearby were so bare of trees that one could scarcely hear cicadas, even in midsummer. There had always been floods in the region and no trees could grow. But at least there were no snakes. Floods are horrible, but snakes make them worse.
Snakes cling to men as they are being washed away by the water.
More rats dashed out of the kitchen and darted under the porch. The bride looked at her husband as he stood at the edge of the porch. His sturdy, well-tanned legs were greatly reassuring to her. She blushed as she thought of their first night together. And she could feel her heart pounding as she began to think of the evening ahead and what would take place again.