It was reported today on This Is London (via the Evening Standard) that a small boy in England was surprised to find a two-foot snake inside his cereal box. It’s very English, the report, and bizarrely reported, even for England.

Five-year-old Jordan Willett, from Dawley, Shropshire, discovered the live reptile inside his box of Golden Puffs on Bank Holiday Monday. His mother Theresa, who was having breakfast with her son at the time, said she initially thought it was a free gift for children. Describing the incident, the 23-year-old said: “My lad, he went to open his cereal and luckily enough I was behind him because a snake popped out.

An expert called in to examine the corn snake, which is non-venomous and feeds on mice and birds, said he had no doubt the animal had been kept as a pet in England and had been well looked after.

Well, that’s comforting. Never mind that the child is traumatized and hasn’t spoken since.