Day 15: A Funny Story About a Spider

Between You, Me and the Lamp Post

Day 15: A Funny Story About a Spider

I know, it sounds weird … a funny story about a spider? Funny and spider don’t exactly go together. But it’s true. And there’s no need to run for the hills ladies, I’m just as scared of spiders as you are so there won’t be any pictures of the eight-legged monsters.

The picture you see above is where the following story took place. It didn’t happen to me, but to Ray, a close personal friend. In all the years I’ve known him I never caught him in a lie, so take it from me, this is 100% true.

It happened a long time ago when Ray was still a boy. He was on his way home from school in Barberton, South Africa, on a particularly hot day in December. The road was a dusty brown flanked on either side by corn fields.

At one point, Ray got the distinct impression that he was being followed, but when he looked over his shoulder there was nobody there. He walked a few meters more, looked again, but no, he was alone. Or so he thought.

After yet another couple of meters he turned again and this time he looked down and saw that an enormous tarantula was about three meters away from him. Despite the poor condition of the road and the intense heat, Ray took off like an Olympic sprinter.

When he looked behind him, hopeful to be as far away from the spider as possible, he noticed to his surprise that the eight-legged monster was following him, sprinting with all its might. Ray recalled running even faster, panting and praying for help.

When no help came and Ray’s heart, lungs, and legs could no longer keep up the tempo he knew he had to slow down. But he didn’t want to slow down, he wanted to get as far away from the brown-haired spider that was still following him.

In the end, he had no choice. The temperature must have been a scalding 43 degrees C (110 degrees F) and his body was giving up.

Expecting that the tarantula would be upon him within seconds, he looked back and noticed that the spider had slowed down too. When he slowed down even more, so did the tarantula. Finally, Ray came to a stop and so did the spider.

Ray stood there, looking at the beast, completely puzzled. When he had rested a bit he moved forward and so did the spider. Ray was not in the habit of swearing, but he admitted thinking at the time … well, I’ll be damned. When he increased his pace, so did the spider.

Eventually, a few trees came into view and thankful for the cool of the shade, Ray decided to take a break. He was no longer scared of the spider, as it seemed it meant him no harm.

It was no surprise to him that when he rested under the trees, so did the spider. But this time, when he moved further away the spider remained where it was. Ray moved further and further away, but still, the tarantula did not move. After a while, Ray went on his way and the spider stayed behind.

When he got home and told his family about the spider, his mother nodded with understanding. 

“You seem to know why the spider was following me,” Ray commented.

“Of course I do,” his mother said. “The tarantula was hot and was walking in your shadow to stay cool. You said so yourself that as soon as you got to the trees, the spider didn’t follow you anymore.”

It made perfect sense. The tarantula had walked in Ray’s shadow the whole time and increased its pace when he ran faster and slowed down when he slowed down. As soon as they reached the trees it found another source of shade and didn’t need him anymore.

Ray didn’t like spiders but he had to admit, it was a rather ingenious trick and proved that spiders are smarter than he thought. 

The fact of the matter is, Ray said, spiders are more afraid of us than we are of them.

Somehow I seriously doubt that. As I mentioned earlier I’m terrified of them and I have quite a few spider stories. But that’s for another day.