Wednesday Snippet! (Not recommended if you don't like spiders)

I missed last week because I was working on Amber Morgan stuff, but I'm back in the saddle! Read on to see Tristesse presenting Lola with a gift she really doesn't want.

Tristesse sat at her desk, ignoring Lola so utterly Lola felt invisible. All her attention was focused on the glass terrarium on the desk. It was filled with soil and a mix of real and plastic plants, and nothing else that Lola could see.

She knew Tristesse far too well to think the tank was empty, though. "What is it?" she asked, approaching warily.

Tristesse looked up, a bright smile on her lips. "Grammostola rosea."

"That sounds like a vaginal infection. What is it?"

"Come and see." Tristesse scooted the chair back and patted her lap invitingly.

Lola chose instead to hover at Tristesse's side and peer into the tank. It wasn't that sitting in Tristesse's lap wasn't enjoyable; it was just that she was sure she was about to be upset or annoyed, and she didn't want to be distracted by demonic wiles.

The tank looked empty up close, until she peered into the half coconut shell in one corner. Something inside shifted, making her jump. "Is that a spider?"

"A tarantula." Tristesse sounded pleased with herself. "A Chilean rose tarantula. They are very docile and associated with protection, resourcefulness, and cunning."

"Oh," Lola said weakly.

The spider crept almost reluctantly into view. It was a dusky pink colour, shaded darker around the legs and abdomen. It seemed huge and Lola had a sudden, horrible vision of it crawling over her face in the dark.

"You need a familiar," Tristesse continued. "Every good witch has one, yes?"

"You could have got me a black cat," Lola said, transfixed by the spider. She hadn't thought she was afraid of spiders until right this second.