I'm in a bar in a small town near the town where I live. I'm having a beer at a long wooden table. The decor is old fashioned in there - it could be the 16th century. Even some of the other people look like they could be from that era. There are two long-haired students sitting at the other end of the table with beers. They are glum and are cynically eyeing me. I'm tetchy, and I snap and suddenly say something sarcastic. When they respond, their faces change, softening. This makes me feel immediately guilty for being so aggressive. They didn't hear what I said apparently, and are politely asking me to repeat it. They have accents I recognize: "You're German aren't you?" I say. "Yes" one of them replies. I change my stance, and attempt to be friendly. I ask them what part of Germany they're from and what they're doing in this country. They are students here apparently. I ask why they chose to study in such a small town, and not somewhere more exciting like a city. They regret coming here apparently. They took bad advice from someone they knew. However this town isn't all bad I tell them. "Have you been to the mill cellar? The waterworks?" They haven't. I tell them about the cellar - which is a huge medieval vault which contains an enormous water-powered machine - like a watermill but underground - perhaps powered by an underground river. I tell them there is a hotel above it, which is also medieval. Later I'm with my partner - we have booked a room in that very hotel. While she is in the bathroom, I inspect the bedroom. It's large with stone walls, and polished floorboards. There's a four-poster bed. I notice a fairly big spider on the bed, and brush it off onto the floor. I instinctively go to stamp on it, but I stop myself, remembering that spiders are useful creatures. As I turn away, I notice another one - this one is enormous - it looks like a tarantula - black and shiny. My skin crawls. I'm afraid of it and back away. I call out to my partner. I quickly glance around the room looking for a container like a bowl to catch it in. Then I notice a scorpion, tail in the air, advancing across the floor towards me. "Jesus Christ!" I shout to my partner again "There's a fucking scorpion! We've got to get out of this place!" I then get the feeling that there are more of these creatures hidden somewhere. I wake up. It was a very vivid dream. I go into the bathroom, and while I'm brushing my teeth, I look down and you'll never guess what - a small sider is crawling down my upper arm. I brush it off quickly.