A funny thing happened on the way to the office on Thursday. A woman announced she had lost her snake, causing unrest among fellow passengers and slight delay on the red line.

You might have read Eric Moskowitz’s brief about it on Metro Desk. Or Moskowitz’s story in Friday’s paper, in which you-know-who was quoted. Or, you might have read the first-person account.

Yes, this was a popular story on Thursday. That says a lot, considering what else went on that day:

• Governor Deval Patrick was inaugurated for a second term
• Ellen Weiss stepped down as the top news executive at National Public Radio
• Former Massachusetts state Senator Dianne Wilkerson was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison for taking $23,500 in bribes

And yet, the phantom snake slithered its way into the news cycle.

Of course, I still could see a snake on a train sometime:

The T does not expressly prohibit snakes. Guide dogs and other service animals are allowed at all hours, while nonservice pets are allowed only during off-peak hours. Dogs should be well behaved and properly leashed, while small domestic animals must be carried in lap-size containers and kept out of the way of exits, according to T policy.

Good to know.

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UPDATE

This story continued. Melissa, who lost her snake, put an ad on Craigslist (which has since expired). In an interview with WCVB-TV, Melissa shared pictures of Penelope, the missing snake.

Joel Abrams of Boston.com put together a dramatization of the event, using Xtranormal, a text-to-movie site.

Most of the dialogue comes direct quotes of Melissa, either from Eric’s story, my account or the Craigslist ad.