Spiders

Spiders

Oliva sits patiently waiting to be seen. With her sweaty palms clamped together that lay nervously in her lap. Her eyes on the break of tears and her mind racing with negative thoughts. She turned her attention to the room warm décor. The most magnetic item in the room was the large mahogany executive desk with unique hand carved details that brought sophistication and beauty to the room. The desk only had a few items on which included a pen holder, a snow globe with an hourglass connected to it and a notebook. Fascinated with the snow globe she reached out to touch it when, from the corner of eye, she saw a spider walking across the desk. Maybe it was her imagination, but it seems as if the spider stopped and stared at her. Psychologically shaming her with eight illuminated eyes that penetrated fear and discomfort. Oliva started to hyperventilate, standing at full attention knocking the chair she was sitting in over. Tiptoeing backwards towards the door until she was standing directly under the door frame Bumping into a person she turned around and presented a slight smile. After explaining the situation, the spider was removed, and the appointment proceeded as normal.

Oliva closed her eyes and counted back from ten as directed by her psychiatrist. A mid aged woman named Samantha with red hair, freckles, and a beautiful smile. She had been coming to see her for months for her night terrors. Every session always ended the same as the last. To the point that she was afraid to sleep. Being sleep deprived disrupted her ability to complete daily tasks and was causing her family to worry about her. She felt both embarrassed and hopeless but agreed to give it one more chance. Ten, nine, eight and before finishing the word seven she was under complete hypnosis. Oliva ‘s eye shot open to the sound of her name being called. The voice was calm and familiar. She wanted to respond with her words, but no sound came. Her throat was extremely dry, and swallowing was a challenge. There wasn’t enough moisture in her mouth to produce saliva. She took a few deep breaths but decided to take smaller ones.  The air that went through her nose and circulated through her body felt like small knives slashing her insides. She instantly tried to move but found her body wrapped up in a soft but sticky substance. The only thing that was unwrapped was her head. Not wanting to panic she moved her eyes around but all she could see was a dim light. Behind what appear to be shades from a window. Oliva then heard a shuffle until the sound of the shuffle she was in complete silence. She waited for a few seconds before trying to free herself. Then she heard the shuffle again but this time there was another sound. The shuffle turned into many thumps, now Oliva was afraid. The humidity in the air was overwhelming causing Oliva to struggle to breathe. Tears filled from her eyes like a violent rain. Then the thumping sound got louder and louder until it was right next to her ear. Olivia felt something hairy and prickly against her cheek. Oliva looked around and saw a million small dark and empty eyes staring back at her. She quickly realizes what she was looking at and the situation she was in. Oliva was in a spider wed and she was its prey. The eyes belong to small baby spiders and the hairy thing against her cheek was one of the mother’s legs. The mother’s body was the size of a bull, and her legs were long and thick. Her fangs laid directly on top of Oliva’s forehead. Causing her to rapidly move her head from side to side but the drool covered her face and hair. She desperately tried to scream but she had no voice. She then heard a smacking sound. She looked down and the baby spiders were now all over her body. Olivia eyes grew large with terror wiggling trying to break free, but her attempts fail. Oliva closed her eyes preparing herself for the worst. She let her thoughts drift off. When the sound of her name being called snapped her back giving her hope, but the voice was more frantic now. The dim light in her eyes was fading and she could feel the spiders puncture her skin and liquefy her insides.

Three, two, and the sound of one rang loudly in Oliva’s ears. Although she was safe it was visibly clear that reliving her nightmare had taken a toll on her. She was offered a cold glass of water and a few minutes to regain her senses. Oliva was barely out of high school and the oldest of six siblings. She had a part time job and she helped around the house with chorus. Her mother an intimidating alcoholic with a big personality would say mean and disrespectful things to Oliva. Whereas Oliva had a timid personality and low self-esteem. Most of her session revolved around self-reflection, coping skills, and positive thinking along with understanding her nightmares. Her doctor explained that dreams can be a tricky thing to explain. Sometimes they represent our unconsciousness, other times they serve as a warnings sign, and some appear to change our perspective. When the session was over Oliva was feeling numb and out of place. When she got home, she was hit with the aroma of her mother’s cooking. Along with her siblings’ demand for her attention. She was exhausted but still showered her brothers and sisters with love.  She walked towards the kitchen a little hesitant to see her mother because she never knew what kind of mood, she would be in. Just as she had expected her mother had been drinking. Beer cans was scatter around the kitchen tops. Her mother greeted her with rude comments, and then motion for her to come closer. Fidgeting with her shirt Oliva walk towards her mother but stop a few steps in. Her mother had a sinister smile and red blood shot eyes which instantly made Olivia fearful.

The next morning as Samantha was enjoying her usual cup of coffee, she turns on the television to check out the daily news. Her phone was in her hand and notice she had 3 missed calls from her boss. Curious on what the urgency was, she dialed the number. Waiting to hear a voice on the other end. When breaking news reported a devasting event. She dropped her phone in horror when she watched the latest news story on television. A mother of seven poisons six of her children which lead to their deaths. The oldest bound to a chair with duct tape and lost her life to strangulation. The mother’s name and all seven of her children names flashed on the screen. Samantha fails to her knees when she saw the oldest child’s name. It was Olivia. Completely heartbroken Samantha blamed herself for not seeing the signs sooner and took a break in her career. Now every time she sees a spider, she has flashbacks of her patient’s nightmare. Every detail replays itself over and over in her head.

The End