A snake, a delivery truck and Ronald.

...when we're out together.......

The snake was lying on the motorway between the concrete barrier of the central reservation and the outside lane; most of the drivers saw it but not many of them were certain that it was dead so several of them made sure to run over it, believing that it was their civic duty to do so.

Ronald Higgins driving a small white Transit van on his way home from a delivery of fresh baked bread was unluckier than most and hit the concrete at more than 60 miles per hour and subsequently spun into the path of a delivery truck on its way north to deliver fish to the supermarkets of a Parisian suburb.

The snake was French.

It is not clear in International incidents like this – British driver, French Reptile (or vice versa) – where exactly Police responsibilities and motivation lie, so once the Gendarmes had finally penetrated the home bound commuter traffic and set up a cordon around the crash scenes they decided to concentrate their efforts on the delivery truck driver who was sitting on the front bumper of his vehicle, or what remained of it, looking dazed and confused.

 formerly published in The Archives.