Probably the most intimate new animal friend I made over the course of the holiday season was my new Pal "Hungry." It was eight in the morning and I had just dragged myself out of bed. My mom asked me to go to our dank old basement to bring up some logs for the fire. I brought up an armful and, putting some fresh wood on the coals, noticed a spider on it. Not wanting to harm such a cute arachnid, I retrieved the log from the coals and brought it to our front porch, where I deposited the spider. A minute later I felt a sharp pain on my upper spine. Reaching under my shirt I found Hungry the Barn Spider. He had crawled under my clothes while I was in the basement and then tried to kill me with a painful bite! He did this EVEN AFTER I HAD SAVED ONE OF HIS OWN FROM A FIERY DEATH. I kept Hungry for several days in a jar to insure that his bite was not venomous. Over the time of his incarceration we got to know each other better and, dare I say, I forgave him for his crime. Before I left I freed him in our drafty old barn, where, he has promised to bite my father sometime next summer. Notice the death's head design on his thorax and his big mandibles, pretty creepy!
Meet Hungry
Probably the most intimate new animal friend I made over the course of the holiday season was my new Pal "Hungry." It was eight in the morning and I had just dragged myself out of bed. My mom asked me to go to our dank old basement to bring up some logs for the fire. I brought up an armful and, putting some fresh wood on the coals, noticed a spider on it. Not wanting to harm such a cute arachnid, I retrieved the log from the coals and brought it to our front porch, where I deposited the spider. A minute later I felt a sharp pain on my upper spine. Reaching under my shirt I found Hungry the Barn Spider. He had crawled under my clothes while I was in the basement and then tried to kill me with a painful bite! He did this EVEN AFTER I HAD SAVED ONE OF HIS OWN FROM A FIERY DEATH. I kept Hungry for several days in a jar to insure that his bite was not venomous. Over the time of his incarceration we got to know each other better and, dare I say, I forgave him for his crime. Before I left I freed him in our drafty old barn, where, he has promised to bite my father sometime next summer. Notice the death's head design on his thorax and his big mandibles, pretty creepy!
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3 comments:
I would have looked the other way and let him try to withstand the heat of the fire. It's called survival of the fittest, look into it!
Dear Jeany,
By now it has become clear that we approach animals very differently. But how can you expect to gain their trust if you abuse them?
What will your father do when he is bitten by the Hungry family? Will you return to make sure he's ok? Your Dad I mean, not the spider.
Your Mom
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