Journal Entry #3

Last night I had a debate for my worldview class at the home school coop my family attends. It went quite well, much better than I had anticipated actually. I wasn't half as nervous as I had expected to be. I was on a team with two other kids. We were debating the negative side of the statement, "The death penalty should be instituted in all capital murder convictions." I did our side's opening statement, was cross-examined (or something like that), and sat down.

When I got home, I had a little surprise waiting for me. An eight-legged surprise, to be more specific. I was straightening up my room when I noticed a brown splotch, about half an inch in diameter, on my sweater, which was laying on my bed. I am not the neatest eater, so I though maybe it was some chocolate or syrup, but, upon looking a little closer at the splotch I discovered it was a spider! I don't know about you, but a half-inch spider is more than enough reason to ring the alarm in my opinion. I knew when I moved to the basement that I would encounter some spiders, but I was hoping they would be of the smaller variety!

What do I do? What do I do? I wondered, my stomach flip-flopping. I could get my mom or dad, but they were both busy and spiders have a way of mysteriously disappearing when you turn your head for just five seconds, so I couldn't risk waiting for them. I could get my brother, but he had a way of just scaring spiders, causing them to run all over the place, instead of killing them. No, I was going to have to do this myself.

First, I put on my thickest long-sleeved pajama top and the pajama bottoms that came closest to my ankles (I have never been able to find pajama pants that aren't high-water on me). I put on the toe socks my sister gave me for my birthday a few years ago that reach my knees to protect the exposed part of my feet and shins. I took out my contact lenses, pushed my glasses up my nose as far as they could go, and, taking one last glance at the vermin on my bed, I went upstairs.

Time for execution. I grabbed the handle of the vacuum with a sweaty hand and dragged in downstairs. I plugged the vacuum in outside my room near the stairs, just in case I had to make a quick getaway. Okay, Stephany, you can do this! I told myself. I disconnected the tube attachment from the vacuum, and lugged it into my room. Ha! That spider was still right where I left him. I took a deep breath, aimed the vacuum hose very close to the spider, and hit the on button. Vrooooom. The vacuum revved to attention, sucking up a few inches of my sweater, including the spot where the spider had been. Now what? I wondered as I watched the vacuum consume more and more of my favorite sweater. I had to turn the vacuum off. But what if the spider was still on my sweater? What if he jumped on me and bit me? What if I died? No, I had come this far and I had to finish this out. With trembling fingers, I turned the vacuum off. The power drained from it, and the hose went limp. I slowly and carefully removed the hose from my sweater and, what do you know! The spider was gone. Feeling triumphant, I hung up my sweater, put the vacuum away, and slept in peace knowing that if there were any more spiders, I could handle them.