Conditional Reality

I've never seen a snake around the house, but last year I found a complete snake skin in the grass while I was mowing the lawn. I called Kim to come look at it. She carefully pulled it out of the grass, a dry ghost to hold in our hands. The imprint of the head and eyes were clearly visible. The jaws looked ready to snap shut on some unwary prey. The scaly pattern of the skin was there too. It was all dim and translucent, but the power of the snake remained like the essence of a lost love.