The oddest things seem to happen to me. Most of them are funny or weird, but there
was one that was downright creepy.
I used to work in an office that had a tall copier. Actually, it was a scanner, copier, and
printer. Every day, I used it many times and in all three capacities. While I was waiting on it to finish the job, I would often look out the back door since it wasn’t far from the copier.
One day, one of my coworkers asked me to scan something for them. I walked over to the copier, raised the lid, and laid the document onto the glass section of the scanner. Immediately, I placed my left hand on the control panel, which sat adjacent to the glass section. In the blink of an eye, a long-legged icky, brown spider jumped out from under the lid and toward my hand. Thank goodness I have quick reflexes. I barely jerked my hand out of the way in time. Obviously, it had intended to attack me.
I hate to admit it, but this old tomboy screamed. Listen, if you’re ever around me and you happen to hear me scream, chances are there’s a spider close by or, Heaven forbid, on me. In the case of the later, you may need to call for help because I will be coming unglued.
As luck would have it, our manager was in the office that day. Hearing my commotion, he asked: “Brooke, what in the world is wrong with you?” I replied, “There’s a spider in the copier!” To be honest, I was still traumatized. The thought of how close that spider came to biting me or getting on me made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. In a loud and booming voice that everyone in the office could hear, he said: “Aww, there’s no spider in the copier. How would it even get there?” I pointed and answered: “It must have crawled in through the back door.” He laughed in response. At this time, I was becoming rather aggravated. I crossed my arms and said: “There’s no way I’m going to use that copier again until the spider’s gone.”
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for even. Amen.” Matthew 6:13 (KJV)
My solution to avoid that spider was to stay away from it. In fact, avoidance is something we should all practice every day. I’m not talking about spiders, but temptations that can lead to ungodly actions. Pray about it and walk the other way.
My boss smirked as he walked over to the copier and raised the lid. Immediately he jumped and jerked his hand back. With the other hand, he smacked the side of the control panel. Without uttering another word, he turned and went back to his office. If he had dared to look in my direction, he would’ve seen a big smile on my face. Not only did he prove that I was right, but he also got rid of the spider.
Brooke Cox is an author, speaker, and storyteller. She was a 2016 Selah Awards Finalist for Debut Novel. Her children’s book: “Dinosaur Eggs,” is now available. It is based on Ephesians 6: The Armor of God. Her novel “Until the Moon Rises: A Conniving Cousin Mystery” is also available. Also, she has two books out in her storytelling series: “Saucy Southern Stories.” The Amazon links for her books may be found on her website: brookecoxstories.com. Please feel free to contact her. She would love to hear from you.