The Accra suburb of La was on Sunday virtually turned upside down when hundreds of curious residents joined by others from nearby areas trooped to the district police station to catch a glimpse of a snake that they claimed was talking. Although none of the curious onlookers saw the snake talking, the news, when it was thrown out, spread like wildfire, attracting many more to the scene. A man driving a grey Toyota Tundra vehicle allegedly stopped by the side of some young boys playing soccer at the Trade Fair site yesterday, beckoning one of them to come closer. The motorist handed a GH¢5 note to the boy and a snake-containing carton in a bag with an instruction that it be dropped at a nearby garbage dump. Not knowing that the carton contained a live African royal python, the boy readily proceeded to carry out the instruction; but before he could reach the dumping site, the serpent allegedly began talking in the Akan language, “Bue mi! Bue mi!!” to wit, “Let me out! Let me out!!” It was a scary moment for the bearer of the carton who managed to get quickly to the dumping site but not before raising alarm about what he had endured, attracting other playmates at the scene. A crowd soon began surging to the spot and the snake which was said to have been vomiting money, became a cynosure of hundreds of people. The carton contained not only the snake but pieces of white paper in the size of the Ghanaian cedi denominations. According to a guy simply described as 'Soldierman', the boy who took the bag containing the snake box suddenly heard 'Let me out! Let me out!!' coming from the container. He alleged that the boy brought it to him when he took it from the strange driver and they all heard the voice coming from the box. According to him, initially they thought it was a voice from a phone before they realized that indeed it was from the receptacle because neither of them had a phone. Then the shocking incident was relayed on Peace FM, attracting more residents as well as passersby. The scene later moved to the La Police Station where the snake in the carton was moved to the place with the crowd following. A man who claimed to be a pastor popped up at the scene and prayed over the snake because various theories were being adduced for the occurrence. While some said the serpent was a human being and would soon return to its former state of a man, others expected that it would resume the money-vomiting spree which they particularly longed to behold. The pastor prayed unceasingly but when it became clear that the serpent was going to remain a snake, the spiritual session stopped and the action moved to the police station. At the La police station, the Crime Officer invited Soldierman into his office to hear at firsthand a narration of what had happened with the box bearing the snake. The crowd found the various theories flying about too enticing to leave, as they remained glued to the place in spite of the demand by the police for them to leave. At the time of filing this report, word reached us that the snake had resumed "talking" but we were unable to tell what exactly it was saying. Photography business boomed momentarily, as photographers sold shots of the serpent which they had taken at the spot. With no zoo in Accra currently, it was unknown what the police would do with the creeping reptile, especially since the young footballer was in no mood to carry the "talking serpent" to his house. Some had suggested that it would be handed over to the Department of Wildlife officials. Royal pythons are favourites of jujumen. They are non-poisonous and do not bite but used greatly by jujumen when clients come seeking spiritual intervention. Internet fraudsters or 'sakawa' boys are known to keep such snakes upon the instructions of their spiritual master. The La "talking snake", some have suggested, had outlived its usefulness to its owner. Not knowing what to do with it, he decided to dump it on the garbage site using the young man for a fee of GH¢5. Snakes make interesting mythical stories and so when word went beyond La about not only a talking serpent but a money vomiting one, those who could afford it hired taxi cabs to go and satisry their curiosity. When Daily Guide braved the crowd and round itself in the perimeter of the La Police Station, it neither saw the snake talking nor vomiting money. The paper however managed to grab a picture of the serpent.