Badass Burmese Girls - Part I

Badass Burmese girl: snake priestess Saya Hnin-Mayla, kissing the star on the head of a King Cobra.

This will be the first in a series of stories featuring badass girls in my native country.  Please forgive my brashness, as my intentions are to remain always humble, but the Burmese mermaid counts herself among this elite group. 

In the hills of Northern Burma shaman priestesses perform a ceremonial dance with King Cobras, luring them from caves and planting kisses on their hooded heads. The cobras are in a kind of trance, apparently created by the lithe movements of the young priestesses.  As you can imagine, it's a deadly game, but few priestesses, surprisingly, die from this wildly dangerous devotional sport.  

King Cobras are highly poisonous snakes. They are also extremely strong and agile and can strike a target five to ten feet away. Those who are bitten die a horrible and painful death rather quickly. But the priestesses are Badass Burmese girls, impervious to the sting of death and unafraid, unlike their mermaid sisters of the sea.