A Visitor in the Night...

At about 1 o'clock last night Neen and I went to bed. She hopped in first and I followed shortly afterward. While I was brushing my teeth Neen was convinced she could here a rustling noise on the bedroom floor, but when she turned on the light the noise stopped and we couldn't find evidence of anything. Minutes later as we were both lying in the dark talking the noise started again.... Neen grabbed her phone, turned on the flashlight and scanned the ground....

(At this stage I should add one important detail, our cats have on occasion brought live mice and shrews into the house to play with and eventually kill. It's cruel behavior I hate to see, and when possible I intervene, rescue said victims and release them outside. It was not beyond the realm of possibility we were dealing with a mouse.)

Cont. Neen nervously pointed the light towards the ground and shakily explored the darkness. A second later she screamed, the light was thrown and she leaped to the other side of the bed in hysterics. At this stage I didn't have a clue what we were dealing with. I clambered for the phone, turned the flash light back on and quickly pointed it in the direction of the floor.

Sitting atop Neen's yellow croc was a massive spider. I mean huge. At least 3 inches (7.5 cm) in length. Large enough in fact to be the source of the mystery noise. Neen at this stage was in palpitations behind me. I however was relieved it was just a spider. I sat at the edge of the bed and for a second or two pondered how and where I would move it. I realized I only really had one go at picking it up. If the spider jumped from my hands and ran under the bed, I wouldn't be able to recapture it easily and their was no way Neen would be able to sleep.

In one swift movement I opened the bedroom door. Lifted up the spider shoe and all, and made my way in the dark to the front door. I opened the door, squatted down and released the spider on the doorstep.

Now that my hands were free I turned the flashlight back on only to see my cat Sora leaping out of nowhere towards the spider. The spider scurried desperately back into the house towards my bare feet...I dropped the light in shock and for a few seconds stood frozen in the dark without any idea where either the spider or Sora had ended up. I flicked on the hall light only to see the spider running under my legs towards the sitting room with Sora in hot pursuit. Sora grabbed the spider by the leg and ran back out the front door with her catch. I truly wish I could have saved him but I fear it probably ended up in Sora's belly...