The girl chose mercy over a harsh verdict when a giant spider settled inside her Sydney home, becoming an unlikely companion rather than a threat to guests.
In this Australian city, a resident described in a post on the Reddit forum AmItheAsshole explained how a large spider arrived in her living space, quickly earning a name and a place in her daily life. The 26-year-old writer stressed that the spider, a species known as the giant crab spider, wandered into the house and chose the living room as its territory. Rather than call for its removal, she embraced the unusual housemate because the creature helped by catching flies and mosquitoes, posing no danger to her or her household. The spider was christened Simon by its new owner.
One afternoon, a friend named Ben visited with a date, Shay, and warned the host about the resident arachnid. The guests were not intimidated by the sight of Simon, yet Shay reacted with surprise at his size and urged the homeowner to remove the spider. The host replied firmly that she would not kill the animal and that it would not harm anyone. It appeared that Ben had not clearly conveyed how large these crabs could be, and Shay did not realize the full extent of the situation.
Ultimately, the couple captured Simon and released him outside, but Shay remained unsettled and insisted on ending the spider’s life. The guests chose to relocate to a hotel rather than continue an uncomfortable evening. The host then asked the online community whether her decision had been fair, and many commentators supported her stance, suggesting that if Shay suffered from arachnophobia, she should have avoided visiting a home where a spider lived.
Earlier reports about unusual animal friendships in Australia noted another incident in which a resident found a spider in a car, decided to keep it as a pet, and named it. In that case, the spider named Steve briefly escaped, only to return to its owner’s usual surroundings, illustrating how such encounters can become memorable stories about connection with wildlife.