Scaring Little Children

While many of the children think our library's pet tarantula Charlotte is the "awesomest" most are firmly convinced that if you are bitten you will die in agony frothing at the mouth and if I released her she would go on a bloody rampage in the library cruelly biting everyone with her razor sharp fangs.

I have to admit, I have done little to allay these superstitions. Kids are so much fun when they're scared.

When a child peers over to look at the tarantula I might tell them the story of how she escaped around a group of children. Or if I really wanted to scare them I might say how she bit me (and I'll leave out how I had gloves on.) The parents will stand on smiling by (because parents enjoy picking at their kids too), but the kids eyes will open wider and wider. They'll gasp, "She bit you!" They are in shock that I'm not underneath the ground. I'll nod sagely like a war torn veteran and tell them "never to pick up a tarantula."

Now after all the school visits with Charlotte and her proudly on display a whole community of kids will never approach a tarantula. But maybe I should have told the kids that Charlotte bit me when I was running and screaming through the library...