'Once more round the floor' by C Seden

He leaves. You see a spider. It moves in shadows through the room. Your feet propel themselves upward to your knees and you hold yourself tight, eyes shut, quivering. You want to leave, to scream, but a greater fear still paralyses you, so you sit, alone, afraid.

Dancing shadows imprison your body, dancing fears imprison your mind. You are frozen and small, that is all, but it will pass.

Open curtains frame and fade the world from dusk to black and a key turns the lock. Footsteps tread the dark and a shadow dances through the kitchen now.

He is back and the spider times its leave to set you free. You see a man. He moves in oblivion, calling through, 'How was your night love?'

You answer 'Fine. Only...'

'Only what?'

'There was a, a spider.'

His eyes drop but yours follow hopefully still, softly scanning for sympathy, anything.

'But you dealt with it, right?'

'I dealt with it, sure,' You hesitate, wanting to choke the lie, but can't.  'Just like you said I could. It was all in my mind.'

He relaxes, thinks, brings you a drink and you tense, shrink, tie down a scream and his world is protected. One more turn round the dance floor and you'll tell him, again, one more turn.