The old adobe house was worn by the torrential rains that have hit this region relentless for about two months in a row. The mud and straw bricks are suffering demolition to their ability to stick together and keep the house from falling down. The water of the torrential storm pounded the surface relentlessly and overpowering nature’s ability to preserve these bricks of mud. All this water is wearing away slowly creating cracks and crevices along the seams of the structure where rodents and other varmints can hide. The wood of the front door has dried and rotten giving way to the wind and the sun as it stands there bleached and cracked with one hinge already fallen off the mud made wall.
No man has entered this old adobe house for almost twenty years as it stands in the middle of the desert that was once a break room for the employees that worked down the road at the nuclear testing grounds for the military before the last war ended.
Windows broken and cabinets barren with no goods to eat or spoils to take, the house is ripe for habitation for a special visitor that has decided to make this his new humble abode with plans of redecorating the place with his special touch of spinning silk and finding a respectable place to rest his body from the scorching light of the sun and the wetness of the rain.
Sanchez is unlike most spiders as he does not spin webs to live in. he does make silk to make his home a little more comfortable or burrow things he wants to keep. Sanchez is a hairy tarantula that wants to make this old house his new home.
“Finding this old house was a miracle” said Sanchez to himself as he was checking the place out.
Standing on guard of his natural enemies, he crawled through every nook and cranny looking to find something to eat or use to make his stay there more comfortable. Outside the structure, there was a loud rumble in the sky as another thunderstorm approached with the darkness of the day.
Hungry but not yet ready to eat Sanchez continued his journey to inspect this house for his expected stay and shelter from the coming storm. Exhausted from traveling a long distance in the past few days, he was ready to find a place where he could lay down and rest for the night.
By the very nature of being a predator, Sanchez was a hunter. His hunting skills are made up of the unique ability to ambush his prey grabbing them firmly with his strong fangs and injecting paralyzing venom into his victim prior to eating it.
Never realizing why humans were afraid of him, Sanchez couldn’t remember one time when he was even threatened by a person that would cause him to bite or defend himself against them.
Possessed with his natural defenses of this venom and urticating hair that he can hurl at his enemy, striking them in sensitive tissues creating irritating itching sensations he felt invincible to be harmed or captured.
Living off a routine diet of smaller spiders, grasshoppers and cockroaches he can also attack and eat small rodents, lizards or snakes with the use of his venom and his mere size as Sanchez was an unusually large Tarantula over 14 inches long and who had parents just as big as he was now but who have died because of an unusual disease that struck them a few years ago.
Happy he found this place he rested his body and went to sleep for a good nice nap he has not had for many days now while out there in the desert. Waking up to the sounds of birds flying overhead and the rain drops now falling intermittently on the dilapidated roof, Sanchez was indeed hungry and looking for food.
Being cautious and checking first to see if the birds overhead are not his most common enemy, the tarantula hawk aka Pepsis wasp, he moves his eight eyes in every direction possible to ensure his own safety. He must also be aware of other enemies such as the scorpion or other creatures that compete for food in a barren place such as this house.
Sanchez is a smart and intelligent hunter. He likes to hide and live in piles of debris and conceal himself so he can ambush his prey with little effort in the hunt. Sometimes he just lives in burrows found but here, he has the whole house to himself to enjoy and be comfortable in.
His strategy is to run and hide, run and hide and when encountered by a foe larger than him, he uses these exact same tactics to elude or escape his enemies. Smart and slick he uses his silk as a warning system that detects motion and lets him know there is an intruder nearby so he can either escape or eat the trespasser. Other times the silk can be used to form molting mats where he can shed his old exoskeletons and wait for the new ones to harden. This takes place two or three times a year and it’s when Sanchez has to be most careful for not being caught or captured by his enemy
Sanchez is now five years old and knows he won’t live too much longer. Expecting maybe two more years of life, he has lived a good life and doesn’t have any regrets in how he lived his life. Sanchez has had a few girlfriends but they all moved along as some of them tried to devour him after he helped those lay eggs. His quickness and smartness has kept him alive so far and he has been very picky who he goes out with when he dates.
Having lived alone for such a long time, Sanchez now wants to raise a family and this old adobe house is just the perfect place to burrow and seek a mate for that purpose.
Thinking out loud he says to himself “I want to be free but yet, it feels like the need to be with someone is tugging on my mind.” confused Sanchez decided to go for a long walk and think about his current emotions.
Walking endlessly in the arid desert for several hours, he comes about some rocky terrain that has numerous caves and dark places where the enemy hides and captures their prey. On guard and ready to run if he has too, he seeks the high ground as his ability to climb vertically is astonishing well for his size.
Coming up to a cave dwelling, he senses life inside there and yells out “anybody in there, hello is there anybody there.”
An echo of his words relay his own voice several times as it bounces off the walls of the chambered cavity of the cave and convinced nobody was inside there he proceeds cautiously into the darkness. Taking several steps into the darkness, he again feels like someone is staring at him with numerous eyes and he steps back to ensure a clean escape path if something jumps out to hurt him.
Suddenly, a voice calls to him “who are you and what do you want in my cave?”
Sanchez, startled nervously said “I am Sanchez, the hairy tarantula and I mean you no harm.”
Suddenly, coming out of the darkness comes a beautiful black and brown female tarantula who introduces herself as Monica, the owner of the cave.
“Why Monica, I didn’t know anyone lived here and I am sorry for trespassing.”
“Oh, that’s okay” said Monica with a very soft voice, “it’s nice to have visitors every now and then. Will you come in please?”
“Sure, I would love to join you in your cave” said Sanchez with a deep voice.
“My my you sure have a lovely parlor” said Sanchez as he settles in, resting his legs.
Monica impressed with Sanchez’s manners said softly “would you like to see the rest of the cave perhaps the upper chambers as well?”
“Oh no, no” said Sanchez feeling a bit out of place but feeling assured Monica was not out to harm him.
“I can see by your weariness you have been traveling a long time Sanchez, you must be tired.”
“Well, I am a little bit tired but just sitting here talking to you has given me a well needed rest and energy to go on” said Sanchez.
“Oh, do you have to go so soon, would you like to stay and eat with me?”
Sensing no harm in her voice, Sanchez said “sure, what do you have.”
“Give me a few minutes to make you something to eat while you rest your weary legs” said Monica. “I am sure you must be weary.’
“Feeling comfortable and almost ready to say something out loud, he sensed a deception in Monica’s eyes as she looked at him with a strange smile giving him an eerie feeling.
At the same time, his hairy legs were sending him an alarm that he could not ignore as something was wrong but he didn’t know what it was he as couldn’t get the reason why he was so nervous.
Monica, speaking softly and with a warm affection said to him ‘come eat, dinner is ready.”
Sitting down with Monica watching him eat, Sanchez began to relax a little and said to her “this is delicious what is it?”
“It is sautéed snake and I made it just for you. I caught it fresh yesterday but it was so big, it was just too much to eat in one meal. I am glad I could share it with someone so it doesn’t go to waste or spoil.”
Wiping his chin after eating the delicatessen created by Monica Sanchez looked up at her and said softly ‘that was simply delicious, I have never tasted snake quite like this before. What did you add to make it so tasty?”
“Why thank you Sanchez, I am pleased to hear you liked my cooking.”
Relaxed and now kicking back a little as he digests his food and enjoys the drink Monica gave him, he says to her, “why do you live in such a large cave when you are here all alone.”
Monica, looking at Sanchez says to him, “my my you sure are a handsome devil, why do you live alone?”
Blushing Sanchez said to her “I have found this great little place just a few hours from here that is great to raise a family and I was wondering if you would move in with me.”
“Why Sanchez that is the sweetest thing anyone has said to me in years” snickering with a slight laugh in her voice Monica said, “I would have to think about that for a while because I really like it here.”
“Perhaps we can talk about it some more tomorrow” was her final response on his question.
“Now go upstairs and go to sleep while I clean up and join you later for a little talk.”
Hearing Monica clean up her kitchen, Sanchez rested his eyes and weary legs to take a well-earned nap.
The next morning, Monica came upstairs and said to Sanchez ” I came up to check up on you but you were sound asleep so I left you alone and let you sleep, I hope you feel better today.”
Sanchez, thinking to himself “what a sweet creature she is, I must have her for my own.”
Stepping down the stairs, he saw Monica looking at him with a strange desired look as he noticed her eyes fixated and dull, unlike last night when they were brilliantly bright.
Feeling like she was setting a trap, Sanchez was looking for a way out of the cave but found out the only way out was to pass by her and risk being seen leaving. He just couldn’t explain the strange feeling he had about Monica but continued to feel threatened as if she was about to harm him in a very strange way.
He turned around to see how he could escape her view when Monica said to him in a very soft voice “Sanchez, can you come here please, I need your help.”
Monica giggling in a silly manner kept saying out loud “please Sanchez, I need your help with something. You look so strong and this is much too heavy for me to carry.”
Sensing something evil, he gave into her desires and walked to her with eyes wide open but not knowing what to expect.
“Alas my love, the time has come for you to join me and live here with me inside this cave.”
Thinking of only her a moment of passion, Sanchez dropped his guard and said to her “here I am Monica, here I am.”
Showing her jumping ability and pouncing on poor Sanchez’s back, she bit him hard and smiled as she waited for the venom to take hold of his senses. She dragged him aside and into her darkened chambers of her cave for Sanchez was never seen again.
Monica was a hairy tarantula spider who needed a mate. She looked long and hard for another tarantula to visit her cave but nobody ever came to knocking on her door for years and years until one day, she met Sanchez.