Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy. Last Christmas it was destroyed by spiders. I lived in a sun room at the time with The Random One and to make it more Christmas-like I put up Christmas lights using paperclips and securing them to the foam on the ceiling, which is used to make the room less hot during the day. But it didn’t seem like the room was merry enough, so I decided to put up a stocking. I used one of the plastic hooks meant for the shower to hold a razor; and used the suction cup to stick it to the window and hung the stocking. I thought it looked nice. Little did I know that my nemesis would not only move in there, but he would bring his roommate with him.
I did not realize that this was happening until I woke up in the wee hours of the morning, and my eye caught the spider sticking his head out of the stocking and although it was about five feet away from me I swear I could see his fangs, his fangs of death.
I literally rolled out of my bed onto the cold concrete in a panic, a panic worthy of an oncoming tornado, or hurricane. I was terrified. The stupid evil creature of terror had made his home in my stocking.
And of course I have an arachnophobia reaction to the Stocking Spider, since it is so close to my bed, and so close to my body and face. The fear of being near the stocking because of the spider soon spread to the half of the bed the stocking was beside, and soon the entire bed. I was afraid to sleep in my bed because of a stupid spider.
After forcing myself to actually climb into bed I would stare at the stocking, and the spider would poke its head out mocking me, almost seeming to say “You sure you want to sleep tonight? Are you afraid what I will do to you in your sleep?” Yes. My phobia of spiders basically made them out to be rapists. I honestly don’t know how I actually went to sleep with those images in my head
I do know that I did have nightmares, and about freaking spiders no less. When I awoke though… my terror throughout the night was combined with two spiders now watching me, craving my blood. Was my stocking some sort of fraternity?
Anyway, I refused to sit on my bed that night and The Random One looked at me like I was an idiot.
The Random One was tired of my antics about the “Stocking Spiders” and was reaching her boiling point since she was studying for class
I put on a brave face and grabbed a shoe. I climbed on the bed and was able to look down on the Stocking Spiders. They looked creepier than ever, so I stepped off my bed. But I couldn’t give up, this was a great chance to release my phobia over the little evil creatures. So I stepped up again, to step back down. I felt like a malfunctioning robot. The Random One got annoyed at the squeaking of the bed and my whimpering. She grabbed the shoe and climbed up on my bed.
The Random One quickly hit the stocking with the shoe twice, and with a sudden movement, as quickly as a flash of lightening, grabbed the stocking and threw it on the floor.
I stood at the doorway watching this in complete shock and terror. When The Random One was finished stomping and jumping she looked at me like “That is how it is done”
“There” she said and I stood stiff as stone as I looked at the stocking drenched in fear.
“What if they are still alive?” I asked my younger sister
The Random One sighed and said 
So I went and got a bag, and The Random One stuffed the stocking and the Stocking Spiders and she zipped the top of it, squeezing out the air as she did so. She dropped the bag and went back to her homework. I kicked it under my bed, and it stayed there for over a year.
