Page 35 of Now and Again

Juliet couldn’t help but let out a little snort. ‘A spider?’

‘It’s really big!’ Riley said defensively. ‘Honestly. I don’t think it’s indigenous to England. I think it probably got here in a banana crate. He looks Australian to me.’

‘Do we get our bananas from Australia?’ Juliet said, trying not to laugh. ‘I thought they came from South America.’

‘Then he’s from Peru! Like bloody Paddington Bear! But there’s no chance he’s local, I’m telling you! He’s exotically large.’

Juliet’s snort became a big laugh. ‘Let’s go and look at this Peruvian gentleman, shall we?’

***

It waskindabig.But just standard, English-countryside big. Nothing to write home about. ‘You got a glass and some card?’

Riley was aghast. ‘You’re just gonna get him out like that?’

‘Did you want to ask to see his passport first?’ Juliet asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Riley frowned. ‘He looked bigger before. He must have been standing near the shadows, I couldn’t tell where his legs ended.’

‘So, we doing this or what?’

Riley went into her bathroom and came out with a glass and a magazine. ‘These do?’

Juliet took them and advanced toward the spider. Who had chosen this moment to start running away from the glass, right towards Riley. She shrieked. Juliet had to move quickly, dashing up behind the spider as it made a beeline for Riley’s feet and clunk, glass down. She slid the mag carefully underneath, trying not to hurt any of those long legs, and he was fully encased, ready for transportation. Juliet looked up at Riley, frozen in front of the door. ‘Might wanna shift.’

Riley didn’t need telling twice. She jumped aside as Juliet took the prisoner through the door and downstairs, right out the back door. The security light illuminated her way around the pool to the back of the garden. She couldn’t risk it coming back in. She dropped it near a rosebush and went back inside. He scampered off without a backwards look. Juliet wished him well.

Upstairs, Riley was peeking out of her door. ‘Is he gone?’

‘Yes. But he told me to tell you he’s local, Medford born and raised.’

Riley smiled, despite herself. ‘Where is he now?’

‘Rose bushes at the far end of the garden. He won’t be coming back.’

Riley nodded. ‘Thanks. I’m sorry to have dragged you out of bed.’

‘I wasn’t asleep anyway,’ Juliet told her.

‘No?’

‘First night in a new place,’ Juliet explained, embarrassed.

‘Yeah, I know that one. You know what might help?’

‘Cocoa?’ Juliet asked, hopefully. She wasn’t quite ready to go back to bed right now. She kind of liked hanging around the house in the dead of night with Riley.

‘I was more thinking whisky. But I reckon I could combo,’ Riley suggested.

Minutes later, Juliet was leaning on the breakfast bar, sipping her Irish hot chocolate. It took the edge off, she had to admit. Leaning across from her, taking tentative sips, Riley looked like she was calming down from her leggy invader.

‘So, you regret moving in here yet?’ Riley asked with a small smile.

‘It’s only been a few hours.’

‘Long enough,’ Riley said.

‘You’renot rushing off,’ Juliet reminded her.

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