The Encounter

Midnight.

I turn on the master bath lights and see a large spider in one of the porcelain sinks.

Finding a tube of cosmetics, I tried to give them a lift up and out.

The spider raced around in a slipping, sliding frenzy to escape the tube. “I’m trying to help you,” I reassured it.

Withdrawing, I found a small cloth and shaped a ramp in the sink. Recognizing the opening, the spider used it to climb up and out. Then it disappeared without even a backward glance or wave.

I wonder what she’ll tell others about her encounter with a human.