beside her
A light touch.
Or was it.
Had she been asleep?
Shadows camouflaged the walls.
Looking around she realized how much it looked like a Halloween fun house .
A shiver.
It’s the chill. That’s all.
Not the suggestion of….something.
(Image: Victorgrigas/ commons.wikimedia.org)
Change the channel. Where’s a vintage laugh track when it’s needed?
“Lucy.” Good. Always good.
But that big red lipstick: now there’s a horror!
Lucy: laugh and the world laughs with you.
(1957.Public domain/commons.wikimedia.org)
A long stretch – Looking carefree and casual.
Perception is the key.
“Move as if confident and you will become confident,” they mentored her.
Cheered, she stood and turned towards the kitchen.
The kitchen for some mood-enhancing chocolate. Yes.
And prison-yard bright lighting.
A sweeping waltz step and – toe stubbed by the sudden halt.
Warning reaching out from 1927.
(US Public domain/Universal Pictures/commons.wikimedia.org)
There: a slight shape shift.
A sudden burst of audience laughter, oddly macabre. At Lucy – or her?
Fool!
The TV flickered bullets of light.
Then she saw the thin bamboo-like fingers
Had Tim Burton picked her living room for the set for his next film?
Wake up! Wake up. You must wake up!
1915 film.(US public domain/ Feuillade/commons.wikimedia.org)
But she wasn’t, asleep –
Only mesmerized.
That odd jerking movement on the smooth leather.
Her skin crawled along with it.
Making herself small, an unworthy target, she huddled behind the arm of the couch.
Reduced, but never letting that dark movement out of her line of sight.
Her action, she told herself, kept her out of the cowering category.
“Face your fears,” they had told her.
Simply a wad of hair and overactive imagination.
Really. Just that.
Slowly she swayed to eye level with….
The shriek stabbed like lightning across her brain.
“Noooooo, Molly! Nooooo! Do not eat the spider. Molly sit!”
She did – after one quick gobble.
An unexpected treat!
Seasonally adjusted boo,
Phil, the Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge
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37 Comments
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Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge 
I was just sent scurrying for my own prison-yard bright lighting Not a story to be read in the dark. Thank Molly for the ghostly thrills!
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Big tail wag from Molly. Thanks from haunting the comment section!
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Spiders make my skin crawl. I hope Molly’s stomach wasn’t upset by such an unaccustomed treat!
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I think the dog can and will eat anything….playing havoc with the backyard peaceable kingdom. Thanks for braving the spooky scenes
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Oooh, those thin bamboo fingers would make anyone a little nervous. Looks like Molly is none the worse for the wear, unlike her eight-legged tormentor. Love it, Phil!
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Creepy thoughts bug everyone. Molly, ever vigilant, is searching for more intruders. Thanks for dropping in!
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The thought of eating a spider is the creepiest thing of all. On the other hand – if only we could get rid of all the world’s creepy-crawlies so easily!
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The dog eats anything…don’t like the way she eyes the coffee table. On the bright side, there are no stray crumbs on the floor. Thanks for bugging the comment section
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Had no idea where this was going! Thanks for a creepy time.
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Whew! – it worked then. Thanks for risking the read.
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The first post ever including waltz, Tim Burton, Lucy, and shivers.
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Thanks for being brave enough to join the dance!
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Your life was much too dull before the arrival of Molly, wasn’t it? Great story.
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The German seems so calm and sedate in retrospect. Thanks for snapping up the story
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Good job Molly. You can come to my house and take care of our spiders anytime.
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After you’re done catching spiders at Emma’s, come to Nashville Molly. Our four cats are behind on the job.
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There must be some sort of cat union with rules..we had a cat that hunted just about everything – especially the tiny indoor spiders – and now we have RC Cat that simply can’t be bothered. Thanks for peeking over.
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She eager to show she’s contributing. Thanks for squashing along
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LOL sometimes dogs are great at taking care of pests. Our goldens eat bees. 😉
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So far Molly has left the bees alone – but they elected to relocate to the front yard flowers. Wise choice, apparently. Thanks for buzzing over
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Hilarious… a spider eating dog. Possibly a new trend in treats. Mine ate Christmas beetles… mmm… crunchy, which made me quite unhappy, & busy rescuing them as I they are pretty & I like them.
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Well I’m glad I had the light on for this!!! lol
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Meow! Shove a dog out first! Thanks for risking the trip
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I have a spider eating Siamese! My warning sign is the loud snuffle snuffle from his long nose when he’s on the hunt. And he won’t sit, before or after his snack.
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And cats get that little bunching shoulder twitch just before the pounce. Thank goodness for the hunters! Thanks for pouncing on this one.
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That is the new ‘green’ aphid and arachnid treatment – the bug and spider eating dogs. Love it!! Mine tried to pick up a frog but apparently it tasted terrible and she dropped it, running her tongue in and out as though the aftertaste was horrible. So funny.
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No accounting for tastes. I’ve tried to relocate some frogs to the front yard(they eat mosquitoes). Molly loves to make them jump until the poor frogs are exhausted – or escape under the fence. Thanks for hopping over
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That was terrifying! Glad Molly ate the spider. I keep being told most of our spiders are not deadly but I firmly believe that heart-attacks are and they are likely to give me one 😀
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Love they eat mosquitoes, but spiders outside please! Thanks for creeping over
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Go Molly! 🙂 I’m not a big spider fan or fearer, but I love great stories. Very fun read.
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Thanks. Glad you dared to read
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You do know how to get the spooky on. 🙂 Great photos and stories.
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It’s that time of year…you just never know what’s lurking….thanks for stopping by for a scare.
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This had me scurrying to hide under the bed…love it.
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Thanks for joining the haunting
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You had me fooled there for a bit and I enjoyed your element of surprise.
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That was a fun one to write – glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for dropping over
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