Garden Snails Can Bite

Snapshots In My Time, Of My Time.....Hauntings.

Middle School most likely 6th grade

I was always one to be picking up bugs, frogs and all sorts of other animals I
could find outside. Remember Summer Science Projects and my post about the Shadow Boxes?

Well, we had lots of garden snails around along with frogs, toads and lots of lizards. I was forever picking up frogs and having them urinate on me from fear. I also picked up lots of garden snails. I was in search of snails with pretty shells.

One summer day while on the back patio, I lifted a patio brick and found a pretty large garden snail. I had a prize. I picked him up and sat down on the back steps to let im crawl in the palm of my hand. Snails crawl so slowly that it would take quite some time for it to get over its' fear, come out of its' shell and begin to crawl around in my hand.

I waited. I waited about 10 minutes and it came out and began to crawl. It was soft and velvety. It was also just a little slimey but I was used to it. This was a common past time of mine and one I engaged in several times a week. In my open palm the snail crawled out to the tips of my fingers held outstretched. When the snail got to my index finger, I felt a sharb jab like a needle.

I dropped the snail. It has stung me or bit me with something. Who knew? I have never been stung by any sort of snail before. I rubbed my fingertip. It had a little puncture wound in the tip. I went in the house and watched my hands. I felt fine but I had just a naggin itch in my fingertip. I rubbed it.

I later came in the house and had dinner and took a bath. This was about 30-45 minutes after the snail stung me. I did not mention it to anyone as I really did not think any thing much would become of it. I began to itch . All over. I broke out in hives and whelphs all over my entire body.

I told my mother and she make me take a vinegar bath. She told me not to scratch but it was impossible. That itch was an itch of 10,000 itches all over my body. I thought I needed to go to the doctor. She did not. She continued to bathe me in vinegar and said that I had broke out in hives from the bite or was having an allergic reaction. I thought I might die becasue I was being poisoned by the snail bite.

She set up a fan and told me to sit in front and not to scratch. Finally in about 3 hours the itching subsided and the whelphs that broke out all over my body began to subside. I finally was able to go to bed and the next morning I was fine.

Since that day, I have never picked up another garden snail. The only snail type things, I still pick up today are at the end of a fork...escargôt. I love escargôt.