Silent Retribution

I always knew it could happen...but NEVER to me.

My house lies in a constant state of "stand still" while I'm sleeping...or so I thought.

Perhaps they were just biding their time...waiting and stalking and synchronizing their fangs until the right moment they can strike.

And my last post was the straw that broke the camel spiders back. It was the confession that I use bug spray and Off! to kill spiders and any other vermon that would threaten my relaxation while camping and laying in my hammock.

I woke up a few days ago with a red bump on the inside of my upper arm. I gave it my best nurse's inspection (as I am 1/4 nurse now that 1st semester is behind me!) and moved on.

Day 2, the reddened area was four times larger and the center was blackish/brown. Fleeting thoughts ran through the recesses of my mind that perhaps it was the calling card of a nocturnal visitor...an unwanted visitor. I quickly shewed the thoughts away.

Day 3...cue doctor. Indeed my thoughts and fears were confirmed. My fingers gripped the arms of the chair as the words so flippantly poured past his lips. "Ooooh, let's take a look a that! It's a spider bite for sure." (Could this man seriously be enthused about this?! Does he not know what this means?! There was a spider. In. My. Bed. On me! While I slumbered. Navigating my person as if to be on a midnight hike through the tundra.)

Unacceptable!

I literally shuddered in the chair in the exam room as he continued to talk. I verbally notified him of my severe (and over the top) fear of all things arachnid. He tried to make it better by reassuring me that it was not a brown recluse bite. I would not have returned home if he would have said otherwise.

I'm sad, I know. But seriously, I killed three black widow spiders in my backyard in the past two summers. I can't take any chances!

I think I need a bubble suit to sleep in.