Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Worms and spiders in the night

As I was drifting off to sleep Laine started screaming so I went in the room to calm her down. She woke up and told me that she couldn't go back to sleep because there was a giant worm coming out of a box. I told her it was just a bad dream and to hold her kitty and go back to sleep. She then said,

"I wish you would just trust me about it."

This made me feel nervous first, guilty second. Of course there wasn't a worm coming out of a box in her room (she regularly sees creepy things in the shadows) but I turned around to make sure, and so she would know I take her seriously. She was pacified enough and I went back to bed.

Everything was quiet and I was fading into sleep when I heard a very faint paper crinkle under my bed. I had been in bed long enough for everything around me to settle, that's why I was suddenly alert to the noise and didn't just dismiss it. Another faint crinkle and I sat up to hear more. I thought it was rodent of some sort. Eric woke up and asked me what I heard. I didn't hear the noise again but I decided to turn on my light and face the creature.

There was a spider on the floor next to my bed. It wasn't huge but it was big enough to crinkle the library receipt that was on the floor next to my bed. And big enough to make a popping noise when Eric smashed it between two spoons. While I went for the paper towel it crawled away, behind the mess of computer and tv cords next to my bed, so Eric yelled to get a spoon or something. Which I brought back with me. Eric had lost track of it and was going to leave it alone. Excuse me? I'm not sure why he thought I'd be able to sleep when a heavy footed spider was crawling about. We found the mini-beast pressed against the wall and the carpet behind the mess of cords and Eric jabbed at it with a spoon but he only got a leg and he couldn't reach his hand back to where the spider was hiding -- so I had to run and get another spoon which he used to pop the spider's guts out.

And then I went to sleep.

11 comments:

Sally said...

This post made me laugh! The popping sound was the best, as was the "heavy footed mini-beast". No wonder you're writing a book!

mindy said...

Reading that gave me the eeby-geebys. I was relieved to read that it was a spider rather than a rodent.

kelly said...

totally laughing at the picture of you two running around in the middle of the night killing a spider with... SPOONS!!

kelly said...

oh, and love the new moon widget!
never too old...

Alexis said...

I appreciate that you explained the choice of two spoons as your extermination device! Eric is so good to get up and help you. I'm pretty sure Derek would have left it up to me if he was already asleep.

Lynne said...

Paige, you're hilarious sometimes! Your description of giant Eric's battle with a giant spider is just what I'd expect after your week at the Young Writer's conference! Thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

I am telling you- I really think you should write novels..hahahaha..

Amy (Church) Thulin said...

ha ha ha That is a big spider. I would have braved the worm in the box and slept with my daughter.

Mickie said...

Hi, Paige,
I was "blog browsing" and came across yours and after reading your spider story, I'm not sure I will be able to sleep tonight:)I hope PETA doesn't find out, or you'll be in trouble like the president is for killing a fly!

Take care,
Mickie Fowler

Shannon said...

oh, Paige, I am nauseous! You had a spider on the side of your bed big enough to rustle paper?!? Thank heavens for brave husbands! (Kurt has told me more than once that he is concerned he won't make it into the Celestial Kingdom because of all of the spiders he has killed for me.)

and I am very curious about your book?

Kathy said...

It crinkled the paper??? That is unbelievably creepy and entirely too large! I am so creeped out by spiders... When we first moved here, Andrew called me out to the front of the house to show me something one day. Trustingly I went, and I swear Shelob had made a cave in a corner of the outside of the house. I have never seen a bigger spider and it freaked me out so badly, I pretty much jumped from the front door to the third step to avoid walking or pausing in that general area for weeks.

Sorry, I was just having a flashback...