As I was preparing for bed two nights ago, I was greeted by an unwanted guest in my room. I saw the tiny monster dart quickly across my floor and find refuge under a pile of books and papers by my desk. Naturally, like any sane person, I could not go to bed with the hairy demon alive in my room. At two in the morning, the hunt was afoot, and I went through the stages of killing a spider that we all dread.

Stage One: The sighting.

You freeze in your tracks as you spot the spider who has dared intrude upon your abode. You can feel the hair on the back of your neck stand on end as you realize that no one else is around to save you. You must confront and kill the beast alone.

Stage Two: The preparation.

You gather the weapons and convince yourself that its just a spider. You are 1000x bigger than this thing. It must be way more scared of you than you are of it ...Right?

Stage Three: Losing sight.

While mustering up the courage to get close enough to the beast to engage in combat, it scurries away into hiding. You lose sight of it and now must play a high stakes game of hide-and-seek.

Stage Four: The dread.

You tentatively start lifting books and moving furniture to find the creature in hiding. You half hope that you will find it quickly so the nightmare can end, and you half hope that you will never see it again.

Stage Five: The kill.

Just as you are on the verge of accepting that the spider has won and you will eat it in your sleep during the night, you spot it. You scream a little, gather your composure, and quickly kill it. You are victorious and can be at peace in your home once again!