finally , her violent thrashing caused the scales of the oneirophage 's phallus to dislodge , and then the dream-eater performed a sudden ecdysis to free himself from her extra weight , sloughing off his topmost phallus ' layer of integument and sending the gorgon to her doom with an empty snakeskin in her deathgrip , her serpent-hair flailing as she fell and dwindled from sight .