“apparently you have
been mis-informed”.
‘Little Em’ got down off the stool and turned
to walk away, stunned.
“Good night Emily” whispered the spider.
Chapter 5
– Help!
Miss Perivale was always up early in the
morning.
“A good stiff constitutional and plenty of
water” she always used to say.
Emily always whispered “nutter” under her
breath.
This morning was the same as many for Monica
Perivale. Up at 5 am, brisk walk, plenty of water and then a few
laps of the veranda.
Miss Perivale was a mean woman. Never
married, no children and this job, tutoring Emily, was all she
had.
And another thing about Miss Perivale was,
she hated insects, especially spiders…..
As she finished her third lap of the veranda,
Miss Perivale was a little puffed so she sat down on a stool, that
had been conveniently left out. As she did so she happened to look
upwards, she immediately squawked “aggghh, how dreadful”! Mumbling
to herself, she proceeded to her room.
It was rather unfortunate that Emily had left
the kitchen stool there, by mistake, the night before, or Miss
Perivale would probably have glided straight past otherwise. But
seeing the stool and feeling a little ‘puffed out’ she had chosen
that moment to sit. And sit she did on ‘Little Em’s’ stool directly
under the spiders web!
A minute later she reappeared with, what
looked like, a deodorant sprayer. It was, however, much more
lethal. She removed the plastic cap and aimed the nozzle into the
rafters. She turned her head away and let the killer spray do its
work.
Miss Perivale released the whole can onto the
spider, the web and the babies contained in the cotton wool
ball.
The can, now empty, was thrown onto the lawn.
Miss Perivale turned to leave, looking very pleased with
herself.
‘Little Em’ woke up and rushed out of bed to
go to see her friend, with no slippers, no dressing gown, just in
her nightie. She ran to her stool and immediately climbed up.
“Hello” she whispered. But there was no
reply.
“Hello there” she repeated. Again, no
reply.
Maybe it was a dream after all, she thought
to herself.
“Psst”, “Spider, are you there”? Still, no
reply.
Emily sat now on her stool. Why didn’t she
answer, she wondered.
As ‘Little Em’ was just about to turn and
leave, to take the stool back to the kitchen, she was sure that she
heard the faintest of noises, a noise that was no more than a
squeak.
She crouched down to the floor and waited,
listening. There it was again. She moved closer to the floor. She
could just about make out a tiny voice, “mummy, help” it said.
Chapter 6
– Bes
“Hello” said ‘Little Em’, “are you ok”?
“Help me” came the tiny voice again.
Emily could not see the source of the voice,
so she said “I’m sorry, but I can’t see you”.
“I’m down here”, came the tiny voice, “in the
corner”.
Emily looked to the corner, made by one of
the wooden pillars supporting the veranda roof. There, hidden away,
was a tiny spidling, no bigger than ‘Little Em’s’ thumb nail.
“Oh, hello there” said Emily.
“Where’s mummy?” said the baby spider.
“I was wondering that too” replied Emily.
“Where did you come from”?
“Me?” asked the spidling. “I think I came
from the nest up there”.
‘Little Em’ put her hand out near the baby
spider. “Don’t be scared” she said. “Climb on”.
The spidling crawled into Emily’s hand and
Emily stood up.
“You are very pretty” said ‘Little Em’ to the
spidling. “What’s your name”?
“I don’t have a name yet”. “My mummy will
give me a name when we find her”.
Just then Emily looked around. She saw the
saddest sight that she had ever seen in all her eight long years.
There on the grass on the other side of the veranda was her friend,
the spider. The spider was not moving. Emily knew in her heart that
the spider was dead!
“Oh, baby” she said to the spidling. “I am
been mis-informed”.
‘Little Em’ got down off the stool and turned
to walk away, stunned.
“Good night Emily” whispered the spider.
Chapter 5
– Help!
Miss Perivale was always up early in the
morning.
“A good stiff constitutional and plenty of
water” she always used to say.
Emily always whispered “nutter” under her
breath.
This morning was the same as many for Monica
Perivale. Up at 5 am, brisk walk, plenty of water and then a few
laps of the veranda.
Miss Perivale was a mean woman. Never
married, no children and this job, tutoring Emily, was all she
had.
And another thing about Miss Perivale was,
she hated insects, especially spiders…..
As she finished her third lap of the veranda,
Miss Perivale was a little puffed so she sat down on a stool, that
had been conveniently left out. As she did so she happened to look
upwards, she immediately squawked “aggghh, how dreadful”! Mumbling
to herself, she proceeded to her room.
It was rather unfortunate that Emily had left
the kitchen stool there, by mistake, the night before, or Miss
Perivale would probably have glided straight past otherwise. But
seeing the stool and feeling a little ‘puffed out’ she had chosen
that moment to sit. And sit she did on ‘Little Em’s’ stool directly
under the spiders web!
A minute later she reappeared with, what
looked like, a deodorant sprayer. It was, however, much more
lethal. She removed the plastic cap and aimed the nozzle into the
rafters. She turned her head away and let the killer spray do its
work.
Miss Perivale released the whole can onto the
spider, the web and the babies contained in the cotton wool
ball.
The can, now empty, was thrown onto the lawn.
Miss Perivale turned to leave, looking very pleased with
herself.
‘Little Em’ woke up and rushed out of bed to
go to see her friend, with no slippers, no dressing gown, just in
her nightie. She ran to her stool and immediately climbed up.
“Hello” she whispered. But there was no
reply.
“Hello there” she repeated. Again, no
reply.
Maybe it was a dream after all, she thought
to herself.
“Psst”, “Spider, are you there”? Still, no
reply.
Emily sat now on her stool. Why didn’t she
answer, she wondered.
As ‘Little Em’ was just about to turn and
leave, to take the stool back to the kitchen, she was sure that she
heard the faintest of noises, a noise that was no more than a
squeak.
She crouched down to the floor and waited,
listening. There it was again. She moved closer to the floor. She
could just about make out a tiny voice, “mummy, help” it said.
Chapter 6
– Bes
“Hello” said ‘Little Em’, “are you ok”?
“Help me” came the tiny voice again.
Emily could not see the source of the voice,
so she said “I’m sorry, but I can’t see you”.
“I’m down here”, came the tiny voice, “in the
corner”.
Emily looked to the corner, made by one of
the wooden pillars supporting the veranda roof. There, hidden away,
was a tiny spidling, no bigger than ‘Little Em’s’ thumb nail.
“Oh, hello there” said Emily.
“Where’s mummy?” said the baby spider.
“I was wondering that too” replied Emily.
“Where did you come from”?
“Me?” asked the spidling. “I think I came
from the nest up there”.
‘Little Em’ put her hand out near the baby
spider. “Don’t be scared” she said. “Climb on”.
The spidling crawled into Emily’s hand and
Emily stood up.
“You are very pretty” said ‘Little Em’ to the
spidling. “What’s your name”?
“I don’t have a name yet”. “My mummy will
give me a name when we find her”.
Just then Emily looked around. She saw the
saddest sight that she had ever seen in all her eight long years.
There on the grass on the other side of the veranda was her friend,
the spider. The spider was not moving. Emily knew in her heart that
the spider was dead!
“Oh, baby” she said to the spidling. “I am
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