26 March, 2013

Little Miss Muffet Would Have Freaked

26 March 2013
650

R. Linda:

It came to me attention (what with the story on slimy things spoiling holidays and such) that there be one more creepy story to tell. This one involves a house and a rather lethal and large spider. Stop reading now if you are not a spider fan, or continue on but don't get at me if you lose sleep at night. OR, a very creepy feeling comes over you the next time you are up in your attic.

In Cardiff, Wales there be an abandoned 19th-century house that be contaminated with asbestos. An asbestos removal company was hired to go in and remove the stuff. I am assuming they were there to do that, or to look the place over for an estimate, information was not very clear because everyone had the jitters still, so . . .  It seems one of the workers discovered the sloughed skin of a rather large spider in the loft area. At first, he thought it was the spider, but on closer examination realised it was only the shedded skin.

A surveyor by the name Katie was up in the loft as well and she lifted a floorboard and thought she saw a large hairy leg moving in the darkness. I tell ya! They had some lights and I suppose when Katie screamed, that caught the attention of the others in the loft. They shined the lights over in Katie's direction it seems and something big and hairy was seen moving out of sight.

Well, with the disappearance of the hairy leg, AND Katie's scream, everyone fled the building! Yes, they did. Finally, a few got the courage up to go back to the attic and retrieve the skin, which at the time they thought was . . . wait for it . . . a dead tarantula! They took it to the Cardiff Reptile Centre where it was examined. Those experts knew what kind of tarantula it was. Yes, R. Linda a South American variety at that. A Chilean rose tarantula -- who knew they travelled so far? Not me that's for sure. Not only was it a Chilean rose, the experts warned the spider was twice the size of the shedded skin. And what's more, it was probably still on the loose. Holy moly! I will NOT be visiting Cardiff anytime soon, nor will I be buying a house there. Just to let you know.

It seems tarantulas swell to twice the size of their shedded skins. YIKES! The problem seems that since the skin was found in the asbestos-contaminated attic, the spider might be coated in the carcinogen. Can this get any worse?

No one knows how the spider got there. They think it could have been someone's pet that either got loose or they let go, or maybe it hitched a ride in a suitcase. Further, the experts are pondering amongst themselves if there might not be a breeding population. Em . . . time to move!

The skin has been sent out for testing to see if it is indeed asbestos-contaminated and results are imminent. The experts do say that if the analysis comes back with any trace of cancerous mesothelioma, it would be a world first! That aside, me question would be: would that be a bad thing for the spider OR would it cause a mutation where it grows bigger and deadlier? I mean what's the deal as the Weasil would ask. If one was to be bitten by an asbestos-contaminated tarantula, would one be immediately infected with the disease before the natural poison killed one, OR, do we need to find this spider and take it to chemotherapy?

And how are we sure there is only one up in that attic?

So here be a picture of one just to give you a creepy thrill I have included it.

 
How lovely is this?


Gabe
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7 comments:

mobit22 said...

yuck! yuck! YUCK! AND ICKY!LOL The HAIR on that thing makes me itch!

Dew said...

Gabe! I don't like spiders. That thing is HUGE! Makes me shudder. :-(

Gabriel O'Sullivan said...

And here I thought you liked spiders, the bigger the better. Or, is that liking chocolate covered spiders?

Gabriel O'Sullivan said...

Well, imagine Ms. Katie's shock at being THERE.

Anonymous said...

After being snowed in for three days with no water, and sporatic power, your stories have been a source of entertainment that is welcomed. Even if they are about the Wild Kingdom, LOL.

mobit22 said...

LMAO

yeah I can see me eating a spider! In my sleep, and if it's forced down my throat!

Dew said...

Gabe, its a jolly good job you're writing about and not dreaming about gaters, spiders, snakes and goats because each of them have their own interpretation in a dream. I would be thinking the Weasil story had more of an affect on you than you originally thought. LMAO