I'm Arachnophobic.

I was only 5 years old when I had a scary encounter with a spider.A huge one. So this is what happened at that point of time.

I was in the toilet,peeing when I decided to be cheeky and just chanted

"Spider spider,come out if you dare!"

I giggled at my joke soon after. After I'm done, I had my shower. So while I was singing, a huge hairy brownish-blackish spider appeared right infront of me. I freaked out and I screamed at the top my lungs. I continued screaming till one of my sister rushed to the toilet.My sister came rushing to the toilet to find out why in the world would I just screamed at the top of my lungs.When I told her what happened,she did not believed me.She kept asking me to bathe and that there is no spider or whatsoever.I protested back saying,

" Theres a big huge ugly spider hiding behind my towel!"

As my towel was put on this metal bar, the spider crawled to my towel while I screaming.

I began to cry cos I know that if I were to bathe alone, the spider would just keep on crawling the whole toilet and I will just stoned there for as long the spider is there.

I made a plea to my sister,asking her to bathe me. She had no choice but to just agree. I was indeed happy because I knew that whatever happens, the spider would crawled up to my sister's leg first as I would be seeking shelter from the spider behind her back.

As I finished bathing, I asked my sister to help me take the towel from the metal bar. I saw her expression on her face.She was terrified.At first,she just kept quiet.I,too,just stared at her waiting for her to the towel.By then I was making alot noise because of the cool breeze that slapped me gently on my skin.She gathered all her courage and ganered her strength and slowly stretched out her arms towrds the metal bar. There was silence between us. No one knew where the spider could have gone.

As she pick up the towel,the spider came crawling out fast and the both of us screamed! My sister let go of the towel and quickly ran away from the kitchen toilet. I was also screaming and I just ran out of the toilet,without any clothings or towel wrapping around me.I was crying and screaming at the same time whereas all my sisters were like screaming and laughing at the same time.

From then on,I have never stepped into the kitchen toilet or go anywhere near there. I kept telling myself that a scary monster is there and it will eat me up.Eventhough my Mum convinced me that the spider is killed, I would never take her word.

From this experience, I learned that if you chant something like

"Spider spider,come out if you dare!"

it would really come out and all our macho-ness would melt us into a coward gone mad.

Till this day,whenever I see a spider,whether is it big or small, it will sent shivers down my spine. Thats all I've got for now.

Love,

Ashlina is Arachnophobic.