the little death

so i’m inspecting a fascia (bumper cover) that’s come in from out of town, looking for damage because the box was kind of trashed.

ick, i think, as i run my hand over some thick webbing. i turn the part over, then drop it back on top of it’s box and step back as i spy three things in rapid succession.

the spider is still in there, hanging out on a bit of web where i was about to put my hand.

it’s a pointy mean looking jet black number.

with a red >< hourglass on the underside.

fuck! i’ve never actually seen one. i was going to try to catch it in a jar or something, but realized there was no way i was going anywhere near it. so i knocked it onto the floor with a stick and smashed the hell out of it.

i’ve inspected hundreds and hundreds of panels and parts in the four years i’ve been here. god. i could have been killed at practically any moment.

[there's actually a debate right now over whether the brown recluse or the hobo spider are actually dangerous or even particularly venomous, but the black widow is still a potentially lethal little bastard.]