Huge Great Big Spiders with Huge Great Big Teethies

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I am recovering from an Aussie encounter with a spider in the shower.


We had a rare experience in the antipodes. A campsite with shower curtains. Unfortunately it also came with a resident 8 legged monster.


It started coming at me just after I’d soaked my hair. It had a red hue and looked very poisonous. Deadly poisonous. So I let out a several blood curdling screams as I pulled back the shower curtain. Then I managed to trip over the shower tray, and land sprawling on the floor as I tried to escape. The spider was still coming at me. I got up, grabbed my travel towels and ran out of the shower room, yelling for Chris.


Chris claimed not to hear from the other side of the campsite. Luckily an Aussie lady came to my rescue.


“We all heard you scream from the other side of the campsite” She said “What is it?”


She had been sent by the men to check it out. (Chris reckons the men were probably scared of the crazy, half naked, screaming wet woman).


“A big spider, its got a red hue, I think it might be one of your poisonous ones.” I said.


“Oh, I had two spiders crawling over me in bed last night, I hate them. I hardly got any sleep after that”, she said, like it was a regular occurrence.


Boy was this woman both brave and professional. She knocked it off the shower curtain with her bare hands and then rammed it down the plug hole with a stick. She wasn’t taking any chances.


She and I were quite a sight. And lots of other campers stopped by to watch us. I was dripping and wearing two soaking wet travel towels the size of figs leaves. She was bending over the shower tray, wearing a denim mini skirt, flashing her tattooed muffin tops. I was in awe... These Aussie women are tough.


After thanking her, I resumed my shower. As the adrenalin wore off I realised I couldn’t stand on one foot without excruciating pain. Turns out I fractured a toe trying to escape the huge beastie. It cost $65 to have a doctor pronounce it broken and strap it up. She said it was probably a harmless Huntsman from the description I gave.


So its true, Aussie spiders can break your toes, but rarely result in death.


Copyright 2009

Jules Aaron

All Rights Reserved

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