Before taking a trip to Arizona, I promised my 12-year-old nephew that I would bring back something special. In fact, I already had the gift: a package of rattlesnake eggs.
Rattlesnake eggs are a classic prank, but I was pretty sure my nephew wouldn't know about the gag. I had a genuine opportunity to surprise someone with a prank gift that I remember seeing when I was a kid.
When I came back from my vacation, I presented my nephew with his gift. He opened the box and couldn't believe that I'd given him rattlesnake eggs. He loves creepy, crawly things, so he was really excited.
He stopped for a second when he read the warning on the package, "To prevent hatching, store in a cool, dry place." I wanted to add a little anxiety to his experience, so I made an uncertain face and told him that the package had been in my car's trunk the whole way back from Arizona. I said something like, "It gets pretty hot in the trunk because the A/C doesn't go back there. But it's probably fine. I haven't heard any rattling or anything."
He looked even more concerned, but I just waved it off and chuckled. "I wouldn't worry about it. Check them out, they're really cool. Just be careful," I told him.
My nephew's young, but he's also bright. He suggested that I should open the package since I was the one who left them in a hot trunk for several days.
I laughed again and told him to open his gift.
Of course, when he eased back the envelope's flap, the rattlesnake eggs came to life and made a loud sound. It's not exactly the sound that a rattlesnake makes, but that hardly matters when you've set someone up for the joke and they already half-expect something bad to happen.
My nephew literally screamed and jumped off the couch. I've never seen him run so fast!
My sister (his mom) and I cracked up. We had tears running down our cheeks. I had those intense belly laughs that make you feel like you just did 100 crunches.
Oh, my nephew looked so upset at first. The angrier he got, though, the more we laughed. Eventually, he had to admit that it was a pretty good joke. Then I smoothed things over by giving him his real gift.
One thing's for sure, my sister and I will never let him forget the time he ran from the room over such a well-known prank!