This is a weird story that happened to me a couple of years ago. I was riding my bike along a path that hugs the coastline for about ten miles. I came to a hill and got off to walk, and near the top I saw what appeared to be a golden viper about 15 inches long lying on the concrete path. It was short and fat just like a viper I had seen in a book years ago, although I had never seen one in real life before. As I got nearer it didn't move and so I carefully walked up to it and found it was not a viper at all but it was a rolled up piece of golden-brown bark from a nearby bush and the sun was reflecting off it and making it look bright gold. So I was mistaken entirely but it really did look exactly like a viper for a while.
Now the weird part.
The very next day I went for a ride again as I normally did to get some peace away from the kids and when I came to the same hill I got off to walk again and there near the top of the hill was another golden viper shaped object sitting in the exact same spot as the day before. This time I knew it was just a piece of bark and I casually walked towards it and to my absolute astonishment I found that it was a real golden viper exactly like the one I mistook the bark for the day before. It was exactly the same size and the same bright golden color that the bark had looked like. And it didn't try to escape, it just sat there looking at me for about five minutes and then slowly slithered away. I was about two or three feet away from it so I saw it very close up in the bright sunshine.
So there is a weird story for you. Oh and I have never seen a viper since then. It's the only one I've ever seen in real life.