"Eight" by Ferdia Kane

Phobias. Frequently illogical, sometimes irrational, and occasionally so ingrained they appear genetic.

Take your arachnophobia, for example. You’d never seen a spider. And yet most days you’d be anxious about their existence.

Was it the legs that bothered you? The hairy abdomen? The eight eyes? Did they have eight eyes? Good grief! Frankly, you hoped never to be close enough to count. Steer well clear of the blighters, mum said. Better to prevent than cure.

Your fears felt justified when you flew into the web. Paralysed with venom, your innards were drained and your wings fell off. 

You counted eight.

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