The Amazing Italian Jumping Spider

A few months ago, Mr and Mrs Noah decided to visit their very good friends in Italy, Mr and Mrs Casa di Ragni, so Mango and Sid decided to go and stay with their friends at the nearby kennels.

Mr and Mrs Noah hadn’t seen Mr and Mrs Casa di Ragni for a long time so they were looking forward to the trip. They packed brightly coloured t-shirts and shorts, hats and sandals, and off they flew for their holiday in Italy.

Unfortunately, when Mr and Mrs Noah arrived in Italy, their luggage didn’t! It didn’t get put on the aeroplane to Italy at Heathrow Airport, and it sat there for the next 4 days – just in time for Mr and Mrs Noah to finish their holiday in Italy. “Never mind,” said Mr and Mrs Casa di Ragni. “We’ll lend you some of our clothes.” So they did!

To cheer up Mr and Mrs Noah (it wasn’t much fun having no clothes of their own to wear, particularly as they had packed brightly coloured shorts and t-shirts especially for the trip), Mr and Mrs Casa di Ragni showed them around their beautiful old Italian home. They had bought the cottage and its very large and, presently, overgrown gardens with a view to restoring it to its former magnificent splendour. It had spectacular views across the valley below, and Mr and Mrs Noah were very impressed. “What an idyllic place you have found to live, high up in these hills.”

“ Ah,” said Mr Casa di Ragni. “You haven’t seen the best bits yet.” With that, he proceeded to lead them outside and down some rickety old steps. At the bottom of the steps, there were several very old and broken wooden doors, covered in cobwebs and grime. “Look inside,” said Mr Casa di Ragni. So, Mr and Mrs Noah peeped into the eerie darkness. They were told that these rooms were known as cantine. “These,” Mr Casa di Ragni said enthusiastically, “were the old stables and rooms where the people kept their animals in the olden days. They go right under the whole house. Come and look!” Mr Casa di Ragni had, by this time, disappeared into the gaping dark hole. He was followed by Mrs Noah, then Mr Noah and, finally, by Mrs Casa di Ragni, who was brandishing a torch.

“Be careful, because we don’t know what might be in here. Check out the room with the torch, Mrs Casa di Ragni.” As she shone the light around the small, dark room, they clambered over all sorts of dirt and debris into another small, dark room… and then another!

“Wow, there’s some really old stuff down here,” Mr Casa di Ragni said.

“Oh, look! Bats!” Mr Noah said.

“Agh!” Cried Mrs Noah.

“Look,” said Mrs Casa di Ragni. “Down there! What’s that?”

“Oh, don’t worry,” said Mr Casa di Ragni. “It’s only …”

A second later, Mrs Casa di Ragni let out a piercing scream. She dropped the one and only torch and shouted, “IT’S GONE UP MY TROUSER LEG!”

“What has?” asked everyone in surprise.

“I DON’T KNOW!” cried Mrs Casa di Ragni.

“Stand still!” said Mr Casa di Ragni. “Let me see!”

“****** that!” Mrs Casa di Ragni exclaimed, and carried on screaming as she struggled out of her trousers in the dark to find out what had gone up her leg. By this time, Mr Casa di Ragni had found the torch, switched it on, and shone it at Mrs Casa di Ragni in her state of undress!

“Ah, I see what the trouble is,” said Mr Casa di Ragni. “It’s just one of those little Italian jumping spiders. Let me remove it from your leg, dearest!”

“Agh! ****** ****!” Mrs Casa di Ragni shouted.

As Mr Casa di Ragni bravely wrestled with the scared little spider, Mrs Noah turned to Mr Noah and said, “Did you see that?”

“See what?” Mr Noah asked.

“Oh, Mr Noah! Did you not see that she was wearing beautiful frilly knickers, and all she lent me was some really old and faded BIG ones!”