He woke in a tangle of bedding and a complete sweat.
It was as though his entire night had been spent being inside a nightmarish world where there were ugly, eight-legged creatures everywhere. At every turn, these disgusting things could be seen creeping up on him. His alarm went off and he jumped with fright. He knew he was in a bad way. He lay there wondering if this had anything to do with having to walk past the Spider House, the day before. As it turned out, on that one occasion, he couldn’t avoid passing it. He looked at the clock, he was now running behind. The boss was a stickler for punctuality. It was hard getting out of bed. He felt positively twitchy as he made his way into the kitchen. He noticed that his hands were shaking as he filled the kettle.
He hadn’t even had his morning cuppa when the phone rang.
He picked up. “Hello?”
It was the head keeper. “Morning. Thought I’d better give you a heads up. Just had the boss on the phone. Bit pushy he was, considering he’s come up with some last minute work. He wants it done today.”
He stood listening in silence.
“Are you still there?”
“Yes, I’m here,” he replied.
The other went on. “OK. Apparently, Creepy Joe’s off sick so it’s down to you to fill in for him. The boss wants the Spider House emptied, with the inhabitants relocated to the store facility while I go in and give the place a thorough clean.”
Silence.
He paused, then he went on. “That should only take me a couple of hours. Then you need to return them all.”
Silence.
After another pause, he said, “He wants the whole thing done in a day. That should be doable, don’t you think?”
Silence.
“Don’t you think?” he repeated.
Silence.
“Hey! Are you still there?”
“Hello?”
“Hello?”