Gemotions

He’d always hated spiders. And now… this. Her roommate, Maria, presented it with a flourish: a large, hairy tarantula in a glass enclosure. The air seemed to turn thin and brittle around him.

The hairs stood up on the back of his neck. His hands balled into fists, his knuckles turning white. He felt a creeping sensation across his skin, a phantom itch. He pictured the legs, the fangs, the silent, watchful gaze of the creature.

"He's a beautiful specimen, don't you think, Leo?" Maria asked, her voice full of enthusiasm. Leo couldn't speak. He just stared at the spider, and the world began to tilt.