The Desert Terror

Last time I was talking about times teaching at the summer daycare. Here I will continue in that same strain. In that same time, my summer days of 16 and 17, I encountered another confrontation with desert wildlife creatures. We were all eating lunch in the covered walkways while the sun beat upon the grass before us. Suddenly a great commotion stirred up in an area. Elementary aged children were gathered in a group excitedly chirping about something. As I made my way over to see what was up, another group gathered in a different area-- these were shouting and jostling to see something interesting.

I actually worked alongside my older brother for this job, and we were the only male teachers there. So we kind of split up to solve the issues. As it turned out a great big Colorado River Toad was hopping about cornered by the curious children in the one spot-- while at the other spot a great big tarantula was being studied by prodded with fear and fascination. My brother took the task of catching the poisonous toad in a bucket and tossing it over the far fence into the dry abyss of the Sonoran summer desert while I was left to deal with the tarantula.

The best tool I could find was this rather small lego bucket. So, amongst the nervous excited chillens, I popped the bucket over the hairy beast, doing my best to act manly and in charge, even though I was terrified of spiders. I swooped the bucket from the wall and held it with one hand up over my head speed-walking through the crowd of children toward the field. Then-- horror of all horrors -- the nasty bugger slid his hairy limbs over the hand holding the bucket. You see, he had climbed up the wall of the bucket and was grabbing onto my hand clinching the lip of the container.

I lost it. I screamed like a girl and tossed the bucket into the air-- and all hell broke loose. The children screamed and scattered, the teacher man in charge had failed them. He not only lost all composure in a scary situation, but he tossed the bucket and the spider into the crowd of children. The terrorized monster landed and immediately began weaving in and out of the legs of the hysterical kids.

I don't even remember what happened after that, I think I've repressed the memory because of the trauma and shame of it all. Needless to say, I lost whatever shred of manly respect I thought I carried. But I think the kids enjoyed that near-death-experience thrill of it all in the end.

And I bet the spider won't forget how he so thoroughly emasculated a proud young man-- isn't that what spiders are for after all?