Like any other day, it began with sunlight peeking through the blinds, emails loading, and coffee brewing. However, everything changed when I looked up towards the ceiling corner. Something… strange was sticking out there, just a little bit from where the plaster and wall met. slim. textured. Relocating? Perhaps. Perhaps not. But certainly not appropriate.
Initially, I attempted to justify. I told myself it might be a wire. Perhaps it’s a piece of a fixture from a prior remodelling or an old antenna. However, I got goosebumps from the way it just sat there, limp but purposeful. It appeared nearly natural rather than made of metal or plastic. Even snake-like. The alarm bells began to sound at that point.
Naturally, when confronted with a potentially fatal house finding in the twenty-first century, I did what any person would do: I snapped a photo and uploaded it to the internet.
The comments poured in in a matter of minutes. Some are beneficial. Some people—less so. And some of them were so hilarious that I briefly forgot I might be living beneath a real beast.
It appears that you have entered adult Hard Mode. Congratulations!
Have you attempted using a broom to poke it? In movies, that always works.
“That’s either a basilisk or a wire, bro. In any case, good luck.
“Make an electrician’s appointment. An exorcist, too. Just to be safe.
Plot twist: a free snake was included with the residence. Take a look at the listing!
Additionally, there were the practical people who gave advice:
“If it retracts when illuminated with a torch, it is alive.”
“Switch off the electricity and check the attic.”
“Please don’t approach it by yourself!”
I picked up a torch and carefully made my way to the attic, driven by a combination of curiosity, fear, and bravery from Reddit. Every creak of the floorboards seemed like a drumroll, and my heart was racing. I prepared myself by directing my light towards the space above the ceiling corner.
And there it was.
Fortunately, it’s not a snake, but it’s still not something you want to hide over your living area. An ancient HVAC pipe’s weak, worn insulation wrap had come away and was hanging just low enough to peek through a tiny plasterboard crack. It was greyish and textured, somewhat too closely resembling the appearance of reptilian skin.
The adrenaline took a bit to wear off, but the crisis was avoided. Funny how something as trivial as a piece of old insulation can throw your sense of normalcy into a loop. A calm morning quickly devolved into a complex enigma that made me momentarily believe I was living with a snake.
I can’t say that I regret the experience, either. If nothing else, it served as a reminder of the internet’s power and the strength of curiosity. The jokes were relentless, indeed. But in a strange sense, they were also consoling. Remind yourself that no matter how strange your day gets, there is always someone who has either experienced it herself or knows how to make you laugh about it.
I finally fixed the ceiling, fastened the pipe, and inhaled deeply. A typical day in the life of a contemporary homeowner. One thing is certain, though: I now take a closer look whenever I pass that corner.
Since you can never be sure what might be looking down from the ceiling. 👀
