There is a young boy who often passes by my street and, every time he sees me, he points at my pregnancy and the only thing he says is: “You are carrying a serpent! Stop this pregnancy! Do not bring it into the world!”

I tried to accept his explanation.

—I’m sure it is—I replied. It can’t be anything else.

But something inside me wasn’t completely calm.

That night, when I lay down in bed, I couldn’t stop thinking about the child.

His voice kept echoing in my mind.

“You’re not carrying a baby. You’re carrying a snake.”

I tried to convince myself that it was all absurd.

After all, no one in history had ever given birth to a snake.

However, the intensity with which the boy said it worried me.

He didn’t seem to be lying.

He seemed completely convinced.

I closed my eyes trying to sleep.

But before falling asleep, one last question popped into my mind.