Arachnid Hysteria

Arachnid Hysteria

Blake Proper stood in line at the Domestic Servants Unemployment Agency. It was highly unlikely he would get a new position quickly, but it was best to register promptly. When his number was called, he found himself looking at a familiar face.

“Proper,” it said as the eyes lit with a smile.

“Good to see you again, Ludd. I wondered what happened to you after you got sacked...”

“Water under the bridge, Proper. Do I take it you’ve been fired?”

“It was an unfortunate incident with Lady Darla.”

“For the record, what happened?” Edgar Ludd asked as he pulled out a form and picked up a pen.

“I was startled from my lunch by Lady Boodle screaming. I ran to her aid. She was pointing at something brown hanging from the ceiling. It was a spider. I took off my shoes and climbed onto a sturdy chair with a folded newspaper in hand to catch and remove it humanely.”

“Kill it, Proper! I demand you slaughter it!” she shouted.

“She broke my concentration badly! I jumped out of my socks and landed on her feet! Well, you’d think I’d assaulted her! She fell to the floor in a faint. I had to summon four footmen to carry her to the fainting couch.”

While Proper told his story, Ludd nodded continuously.

“I know what you’re saying! Something similar happened in the stables where I worked. I had saddled her mare and was helping her on, when a spider happened to land on her shoulder.

“I thought the old barn was going to come down around my ears, she screeched so loud! Startled me so, I dropped her into a pile of it!”

“I am enjoying my new position here, though. I have applications for this place if you’re interested.”