Jerry

"Baby Turtles and Aligators are cute pets, but they grow up" Not Jerry, our friend is definately not one you'd F**k with, becareful what you order online, it may comeback to bite...

I sat at my mahogany desk, I slowly rocked the back mechanism on my office chair backward and forward just to hear the creak. That creak had a strange way of relaxing my over stressed mind. For years I have done this and for many more I'll do it again. Why? Because it has a numbing effect to it. Others will drink their weight in alcohol or take opiates of all sorts for this numbness, but I find mine in creaking my office chair.

I stared at my dusty monitor as I frequented all the trading, Securities Exchange and e-bay pages. Looking for a buyer, a seller or even both, my work involves very little social interaction, little salesmanship, very little mercantile skill at all. To think back in the old days people would populate the market square and chant stupid but hypnotic spiels, all day and everyday. YUCK! All those people, all those germs, not to mention all that bacteria.

Luckily, the only interactions I do mainly is talk to the post office, it's a daunting chore, but a nessesary one if I am to provide for my house. The other is to buy food, but nowadays anything and everything can be dropped at your doorstep. Except the horror of talking to the supermarket truck driver, what a head-case!

Last week when I first met him he tried to grab my hand, but I quickly withdrew, then he preceeded to ask me 'How ya goin'?' Like my goings and comings are any of his business. I just instructed him to hand me the digital signing pad and leave my groceries on the doorstep. The audacity of that man, he gave me a weird look like the one my parents gave me constantly.

I need to calm down, maybe creak my chair a bit more, there we go.

An hour later I realised it was Jerry's feeding time. Yes, Mister Clock says so. I then arose from my chair and walked into my kitchen. In the kitchen stood a large oak pantry, right next to my Samsung fridge. I quickly opened the cupboard and ducked down to the bottom shelf and grabbed the container that had at least a dozen live crickets hopping around in what looked like a cut piece of egg-carton.

I raced to my bedroom, the bed was always made and the clothes were always folded and organised according to their garment type, with the colours arranged in alphabetical order. For example a green t-shirt would go on top of a red one but under a blue shirt. If one thing was out of place I could only consider myself as un-organised and barbaric as the other members of the Human race.

I walked across my recently vacuum carpet to a glass box placed on top of my Ironing board. “Jerry!” I sang as I opened his lid.

When I had emptied all of the agile crickets into his tank, I had noticed a huge crack at the bottom left corner of the side that faced my bedroom door. It was a large enough crack for Jerry to escape. This was every Spider owner's worse fear!

Though I never was quiet sure what type of Spider Jerry was. All I knew about him was that he was an endangered specie from the Deep Forests of Congo. I had bought him off the 'Silk Road' he was my journey to the dark-side, as I've purchased him off the Deep Dark Web. So yes, he was highly illegal, smuggled into the Country by someone for hunter trying to provide for his wife and kids. I felt oddly compelled to let him stay the night, not as a kindness but as I needed to know everything he could tell me about the Spider.

There was a scientific name for Jerry's specie, but his terminology was poor at best and my Latin was worse than his English. Jerry was an odd Spider, he had eight legs that were of different colours. What attached me the most by his alluring form was his uncanny colour co-ordination, his legs from left to right and top to bottom were; aqua, blue, brown, cyan, green, ivory, pink and red (just like I'd arrange my clothes). When I first saw him on the Deep dark web, I knew I wanted him. He was my soul, my kindred spirit. If I were a Spider I'd be whatever Jerry was.

Jerry was not a shy Spider, if I were to stick my fingers in the tank, I could count on him to charge out from under his rock to try and bite them. Jerry was fiercely territorial, I knew that because a month ago I ordered him a rubber Spider and painted it's legs to match Jerry's just to see how would he react to his own kind. I felt it was important as I had wanted to breed him. Most Spiders would only live a year or two at best, but to my astonishment next Monday marks the fifteenth anniversary since that smelly Hunter had delivered him.

I was quiet at awe with such a noble and majestic creature, but because of little information I could find about him and his kind, I am not sure if he is a poisonous species or not, for that reason I've never handled him. If for any reason I needed to move him, I would always use a plastic disposable cup and a blank sheet of paper.

I had searched my room, yes, tore it apart. Despite it drove me to near insanity to disorganise my colour pattern of clothes in my cupboard, rip my nice-neat bed apart and throw my carefully arranged books and collectables on my recently vaccumed floor. Oh, the horror!

I heard a knock at the door. No doubt it's the prick of a delivery man, who is obviously mannically obsessed with touching me and asking about my goings. I'll have to resume finding Jerry later, because my groceries contain perishables and any re-order would mean I'd have to deal with another social encounter. Too much for me to handle!

I opened the door, he smiled and asked that dreaded question again. I rather not create conflict with the Man whom I trust to bring me uncontaminated food so I humoured the Idiot with a smile. He had learn't from our previous encounters not to touch me, but to just give me the Electronic pad and hand me the short plastic rod to sign my delivery.

Just as I marked my first initial on the screen, I felt a sharp pain on the back of my neck. I gave out a loud scream, before I clenched my chest. My heart, it felt like it was on fire, I felt like I wanted to rip it out from my chest and toss it away like a detonating grenade. My neck also felt it was on fire, it must be Jerry, he must of bitten me, but how could a Spider, venomous or otherwise give me an instant heart attack? At least though if I was to die right here my death would be quick by my count.

I couldn't care less if I was to go anyway, I have no family, no friends just a house I inherited from my parents. I know there is nothing awaiting me but the decomposition of my flesh upon death, but I believed if there was a God, he'd created Jerry as the most merciful of his or her poisonous creatures.

“Are you alright?” I heard the concerned Idiot asked. He caught me as I fell forward on my doorstep. “Kyle!” he screamed to his colleague. Who was in the back of the delivery truck. “CALL A F*****G AMBULANCE!” Such vulgarity was a true indication of his sophistication.

Everything around me went black.

I awoke in a cold dark place, I could feel the goosebumps, but I was unable to shiver. Actually, I realised I could not move at all. My body did not respond to my neural commands. Is this the afterlife? I had wanted to wash, especially since that nitwit truck-driver had touched me, not to mention whoever else while I passed out. Also I'm sure he hadn't of thought to close the door, he never struck me at all as a door-expert. Especially as he'd always knock, despite the installed door-bell with the bright red button on the right of my door. He's probably let Jerry out. Oh, my poor Jerry! I hope you have not left the house. So many dangers could befell my precious companion; he could get stepped on, he could get sprayed with pesticide or worse someone's undisciplined child could easily capture him and do horrible things to him.

Nevermind Jerry right now. I was sure maybe I was at a hospital, worse case scenario. I hate those places, they are always infested with disease-ridden people who are either physically or mentally impaired. One thing did not add up, why was I in cold dark room? Well no doubt if Jerry had bitten my neck, the Delivery driver would of seen him too. If I remember my 'Deadly Australians' lecture in year two clearly, the objective would be to capture the specie, to make it easy for Doctors to find an anti-venom. That Hunter had dark-skin and he said his brother had been bitten by one of Jerry's kind. Though that's all he said due to his poor English, and he didn't seem to be at grievance, maybe he survived. So I can assume that his skin melatonin may be an immunity to the venom. That has to be why I was kept here in this dark room. Something to do with that at least.

I noticed the coldness kept my heart-beat feeling non-existent or maybe my heart had stopped completely and this was the afterlife. Well I could imagine all the religious folk would be disapointed, because if this were the case, then I did not see a heaven or a hell. Maybe a purgatory, though it could be a Hell, as I was always selfish in life, I've never given a birthday or Christmas present to anyone, let alone donated anything to anybody.

I laid there for what seemed like hours, until all of a sudden I felt a vibration resonate from under by back. I felt it vibrate the fat on my buttocks and then travel up my back, to my neck and the back of my skull. Just a metre away from my stiff toes I saw a light approach me horizontally. It seemed to grow vertically upward as the vibrations and motion intense.

Was this finally heaven? The light those people with near-death experiences talk about? I was shocked as a large chubby old Man with half-moon spectacles appeared in the square of light.

I wondered if this was God? From what I learnt about him via Google, many religions rediculously believed he created the World. So hypothetically speaking, if he did create something that's been around for the last six-billion years, then he wouldn't exactly be spring-chicken.

My theory that I was looking into the wrinkled face of God quickly changed as I noticed he wore a clean white overcoat that covered the his sides and back. He also wore a light-blue disposable apron .

This Old-timer was no God! He was an undertaker. That dark void of non-existence he kept me in was a drawer to keep dead-bodies. I tried to open my mouth, I had wanted nothing more than to say to him that I am still alive. I could not even blink. I was paralysed all over my body. He mouthed something inaudible as he turned me over to lay me on my face. I felt his gloved hands prod the back of my neck where Jerry bit me. Though I could not breath the still air slowly soaked into my nose. As the Man breathed I noticed he had definitely just came back from a cigarette-related break.

The disgusting air just lingered through my nasal cavity.

I heard a beep from a Dictaphone and the old-timer calmly recited my name, address, gender and time of death. He then continued to explain that a 'Kyle Jones' had called and ambulance only for me to be dead on their arrival. The Delivery man had helped the paramedics put me in a body-bag and that the bite on the back of my neck was most likely the cause of death. But he had mentioned nothing about my poor Jerry. The nearest people who know how to care for him are on the other side of the Indian Ocean.

I heard a burst through the door, whoever it was was in some sort of hurry, or he had no manners and did not think to announce himself. “DO NOT TOUCH THE DECEASED, DOCTOR!”

“But that's my job!”retorted the Old-timer.

“This person is the victim of a deadly Spider-bite! And the Spider is unaccounted for.”

I heard the Old-timer reply, “Well, there is no need to worry, Constable. I've personally been through every orifice of the deceased person and have found nothing to indicate this unknown Spider had taken residence in the cadaver”.

I was unsure if I should feel happy that Jerry isn't dead or violated that some stranger had helped himself to my private areas. Well, legally since I am deceased they are the state's private areas now. All I felt was worried about Jerry's safety and what would become of my house? Since I have not named an heir or heiress no doubt the bank's going to sell it to some grubby individual. The only calming thought was knowing that with Jerry's disappearance that poor unlucky person will share my fate.

“Doctor, I don't think you understand.” replied a Female voice.

“Oh, what wouldn't I understand, Doctor Davis?” replied the Old-timer.

“The Constable had found egg-sacks belonging to an undocumented Spider species all over the house, It's under quarantine until whatever laid them is accounted for.”

I heard a frustrated sigh come from the Old-timer, I knew that sigh it's the same one I gave when I felt the Delivery man had over-stayed his welcome by not leaving the instant he had laid out my groceries.

“And what, may I ask has that to do with me, Davis?” replied the Old-timer.

I heard the Constable pass what sounded like some paperwork stapled together, just lightly brushed by the air-conditioner. I heard another sigh and I felt the Old-timer shove me back into my drawer.

The light quickly faded, I was still laid out motionless on my front-side. I wanted to keep seeing the light. I hated the dark, even more so now. I had always kept some degree of control in my household, now I knew that for the first time ever, I was helpless as not only myself but all of my possessions will now be fiddled with by strangers, people whom I had no idea were clean or otherwise. I knew they'll probably fumigate my house. After that all of my life's work, my possessions will be the property of somebody else. Jerry and his, I mean her offspring will be destroyed, while I lay here in this undignified manner and decay.

I had realised at that moment how horribly we treat our dead, did my parents feel that way about me when they perished? As I laid motionless thinking about all of the violation upon my possessions I couldn't help to notice something had dropped from the roof of my enclosure, my heart rejoiced as I felt the sharp patter of eight legs as they raced down my back. Jerry's alive.

THE END … possibly

Reviews

[Tiny Drop]

Chilling like a cold night's wind. This story was beautifully written indeed. Jerry is still alive, what a happy realization!

[EJ's Horror]

Thank you very much, Tiny drop :)

[Suhd]

What a beautiful story-telling. Loved this story. The end is very hauntingly satisfying. It's a gripping story I must say. Well done :)

[EJ's Horror]

Thank you, Suhd. I'm very happy you've taken the time to read it and even more that you like it :)