Chapter 3
– Web
You see ‘little Em’ did have one friend,
although I am not sure that many of you would consider this friend
very suitable for a little girl.
Emily’s friend was a spider! However, this
was no ordinary spider. It was big! Bigger than ‘little Em’s’ hand.
It was Colourful too with lovely orangey-red stripes and a fluffy
body.
Each day ‘little Em’ would collect all the
dead flies that had flown into her bedroom and died against the
window in the night. She would gather them all up and store them in
her handkerchief, her most valuable possession, and set off along
the veranda.
The large web was high up in the corner.
‘Little Em’ would take one of the kitchen stools out onto the
veranda to stand on. Once she had climbed carefully onto the stool,
she would take the handkerchief out of her dress pocket and throw
each fly, one by one, into the web. Slowly the spider would crawl
out of the corner and gather up the flies. Then, laden, she would
swiftly return back to the safety of her corner.
‘Little Em’ was sure that the large stripey
spider would each time, look at her and smile. At least, if that
was her mouth!
This would go on day after day. ‘Little Em’
would go and get the stool and feed the spider, her friend, and
then sit and watch her scuttle around.
One morning, after ‘little Em’ had gathered
the flies from the window and dragged her stool to the web, as
usual, she stood on the stool carefully and took out her
handkerchief. She looked at the web, but today something seemed
different, the spider was nowhere to be seen. Even after ‘little
Em’ had deposited the flies onto the web, still no sign. ‘Little
Em’ sat and watched and waited patiently, but still no movement.
Just as she was about to go, she spotted something in the corner,
up near the rafters. There was a small round ball that looked like
cotton wool. ‘Little Em’ wanted to see more clearly, but it was
dark up there in the rafters, so she quickly jumped down from the
stool, ran to the cupboard under the sink and fetched her daddy’s
torch.
Chapter 4
– The birth
‘Little Em’ climbed back onto the stool and
aimed the torch high into the corner where she had seen the small
white ball. As she switched on the torch there was a sudden
movement, her friend, the spider, shrunk back into the rafters to
avoid the glaring light.
“Don’t be scared” ‘little Em’ said. “I was
only looking to see where you were.”
As ‘little Em’ looked at the spider again,
she was sure that what she had said had been fully understood. The
spider raised her head as if to acknowledge her words. She looked
towards the small white ball and ‘little Em’ followed her gaze. As
the torch-light hit the ball, Emily gasped, nearly falling off the
stool. She regained her balance, stood up straight and focused the
torch-light back on the white ball again.
It was moving, there was no doubt about that
she thought.
“What have you got in there?” she said out
loud, not expecting an answer.
“My little babies” uttered a small voice.
‘Little Em’ did fall off the stool this time,
landing on the floor with a big ‘thud’. She looked around to see if
there was anyone else around, watching her, talking to her, but no,
she was quite alone.
“Now I am going mad” she said to herself.
However, her curiosity got the better of her and once again she
climbed up onto the stool. With the torch in her hand, she shone it
shakily back into the rafters.
“Could you please stop doing that?” a soft
voice said. “I find it rather off-putting and my babies are trying
to sleep”.
‘Little Em’ promptly switched off the torch.
“Ssssorry”. Was the only word she could squeak at that moment.
“Thank you. Now, why don’t you run along and
come and see me tomorrow” said the spider.
“But, spiders can’t talk” said ‘little Em’,
feeling a little more comfortable now.
“Well” said the spider
– Web
You see ‘little Em’ did have one friend,
although I am not sure that many of you would consider this friend
very suitable for a little girl.
Emily’s friend was a spider! However, this
was no ordinary spider. It was big! Bigger than ‘little Em’s’ hand.
It was Colourful too with lovely orangey-red stripes and a fluffy
body.
Each day ‘little Em’ would collect all the
dead flies that had flown into her bedroom and died against the
window in the night. She would gather them all up and store them in
her handkerchief, her most valuable possession, and set off along
the veranda.
The large web was high up in the corner.
‘Little Em’ would take one of the kitchen stools out onto the
veranda to stand on. Once she had climbed carefully onto the stool,
she would take the handkerchief out of her dress pocket and throw
each fly, one by one, into the web. Slowly the spider would crawl
out of the corner and gather up the flies. Then, laden, she would
swiftly return back to the safety of her corner.
‘Little Em’ was sure that the large stripey
spider would each time, look at her and smile. At least, if that
was her mouth!
This would go on day after day. ‘Little Em’
would go and get the stool and feed the spider, her friend, and
then sit and watch her scuttle around.
One morning, after ‘little Em’ had gathered
the flies from the window and dragged her stool to the web, as
usual, she stood on the stool carefully and took out her
handkerchief. She looked at the web, but today something seemed
different, the spider was nowhere to be seen. Even after ‘little
Em’ had deposited the flies onto the web, still no sign. ‘Little
Em’ sat and watched and waited patiently, but still no movement.
Just as she was about to go, she spotted something in the corner,
up near the rafters. There was a small round ball that looked like
cotton wool. ‘Little Em’ wanted to see more clearly, but it was
dark up there in the rafters, so she quickly jumped down from the
stool, ran to the cupboard under the sink and fetched her daddy’s
torch.
Chapter 4
– The birth
‘Little Em’ climbed back onto the stool and
aimed the torch high into the corner where she had seen the small
white ball. As she switched on the torch there was a sudden
movement, her friend, the spider, shrunk back into the rafters to
avoid the glaring light.
“Don’t be scared” ‘little Em’ said. “I was
only looking to see where you were.”
As ‘little Em’ looked at the spider again,
she was sure that what she had said had been fully understood. The
spider raised her head as if to acknowledge her words. She looked
towards the small white ball and ‘little Em’ followed her gaze. As
the torch-light hit the ball, Emily gasped, nearly falling off the
stool. She regained her balance, stood up straight and focused the
torch-light back on the white ball again.
It was moving, there was no doubt about that
she thought.
“What have you got in there?” she said out
loud, not expecting an answer.
“My little babies” uttered a small voice.
‘Little Em’ did fall off the stool this time,
landing on the floor with a big ‘thud’. She looked around to see if
there was anyone else around, watching her, talking to her, but no,
she was quite alone.
“Now I am going mad” she said to herself.
However, her curiosity got the better of her and once again she
climbed up onto the stool. With the torch in her hand, she shone it
shakily back into the rafters.
“Could you please stop doing that?” a soft
voice said. “I find it rather off-putting and my babies are trying
to sleep”.
‘Little Em’ promptly switched off the torch.
“Ssssorry”. Was the only word she could squeak at that moment.
“Thank you. Now, why don’t you run along and
come and see me tomorrow” said the spider.
“But, spiders can’t talk” said ‘little Em’,
feeling a little more comfortable now.
“Well” said the spider
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