Black Widow Attack!

I was aware of their presence. They lurk in the shadows under cartons. protecting  their nest, their webs, their very existence. But in spite of that knowledge I challenged them. With my bare hands I destroyed everything they created. I tossed it aside with hardly a care. And they did what came natural to them. They used their defenses and bit me. It was a small bite, it was a small Black Widow. It hardly penetrated the skin and where it did, on my cuticle, the skin is thick and tough. The resulting bite was merely a small black patch where the damage was done. I had a similar bite a few years ago when I stuck my hand in a glove. That time I felt the prick. I turned the glove inside out and found the remains of the attacker still twitching. From then on I danced on my garden gloves prior to putting my hands inside. This time it was not gloves, I reached into the nest.

The day after my back was stiff and I felt tired. I thought it might be from working in the yard. But thinking back it was probably the last stages of an assault I thought I won.