I could have murdered Morton last night. Especially as he was rolling on the deck in a fit of uncontrolled laughter. Just because I’d  leapt out of my bunk when a huge spider dangled from the rafters woke  me with its furry tickle. How was I to know it was fake?

Just because I’d come away from that prehistoric island with a jumbo case of arachnophobia  a few years ago, I guess he’d thought I was easy prey and just couldn’t resist.

It had been hard enough getting him to call me Lee. But now apparently he was making up for that lapse by scaring me silly.  It took Nelson’s firm hand   to literally pull him up off the deck, and out of my cabin forestalling any retaliatory action on my part.  I got the last laugh though, for while I quickly showered and changed into a new pair of pj’s, he was stuck in Sick Bay being treated for apnea. (He was laughing so hard, he couldn’t breathe) 

I was furious to say the least. Not only had Harry and I, with our guests Carol Denning and her father, but minus Jason Kemp who was eaten by a dinosaur, managed to escape with our lives from live  dinosaurs, an active volcano, and very hungry cannibals, now Chip had to rub it in that I’d run into a little trouble with a giant spider following of all things, a native girl who'd had eyes  not for me but for Kemp.

When I'd emerged from the head, Nelson was at my desk with two glasses and a bottle of whiskey. I noticed it was from his ‘reserve’ collection, but he was pouring it out liberally and simply grinned at me.

It was difficult to stay angry at Chip's joke. In minutes we were both laughing almost as hard as he'd been.

It was good to put the real life experience on the island behind us.