Remind me to be extra careful when something like Snakes on the Plane is on tv.
I was at the in-laws' and the television was on, showing a very censored version of Snakes on a Plane.
"Why would anyone want to watch Samuel Jackson lose his bad-assedness due to the scissors of censorship?" I announced. "I mean, all the best bits have been cut from the movie, and you will never hear the signature line from the movie anyway!"
I went back to reading my papers.
As I flipped through the papers, I realised that Joy, all 3 and a half years of her, was standing at the back of the living room. Her already very big eyes were even rounder than usual. It was just a few seconds but you could tell she was pale with fright.
In horror, I shouted, "Hey! Don't let Joy watch this kind of movie! Get her back in the room with her cartoons!"
Mommy shooed her back into the bedroom to join her brother watching a cartoon, and I muttered and complained about our carelessness.
Lame as the censored version was, it was enough to give this little girl a big fright.
Sure enough, when we got home and it was bedtime, Joy cried and kept saying she didn't want snakes and that she was scared. She specifically asked for me to sleep with her.
It seemed she did not think Mommy was capable of dealing with the snakes in her room. Mommy was a little offended that her daughter did not trust her snake-busting skills but I told Mommy, "This is an issue of national security, so of course I am the man she asked for."
"Papa is here," I said, "Don't be scared, Joy Joy, ok?"
Then I did some kung-fu actions, pretended to fight a monster snake, and threw said snake out the window. I hoped my imaginary snake did not hit anyone below or land on anyone's laundry hung out to dry.
"See? Joy Joy? No more snakes!"
Then I said a little prayer for her and stayed in the room till she fell asleep.
I have a funny feeling I will be on Snake Watch guard duty for the next few nights.
