whoâs the best!ââ
âShe sassed her!â Julep said. âShe sassed a goddess!â
âIndeed she did!â Edith nodded.
âSo, what happened next?â Felix asked suspiciously.
âWell, Athena grew furious and threw off her disguise. Standing before Arachne in all her goddess glory, she shouted, âPrideful girl, you shall have your wish.â And so they sat down in front of two looms. Athenaâs tapestry was one of shimmering beauty and elegance. But so was Arachneâs. However, what Arachne had chosen to weave was disrespectful to both gods and mortals alike. She had woven a picture that made fun of the gods. It made them look silly, ordinary, and very mortal!â
âAnd then?â Felix asked.
âYou see, Arachne, by being so proud, had insulted all of the gods. Athena rose up in a fury and tore the tapestry from the loom. She struck Arachne on the head with the shuttle she had used for weaving. In that instant, Arachne began to feel her head grow smaller, her fingers and legs shrink until they were spindly. Like this.â Edith raised one of her eight legs and waved it about for effect. âAnd Athena said to Arachne, âStupid, vain girl, go and spin your thread and weave not tapestries but empty nets, and learn that the gods and goddesses must be worshipped properly by humans.â
âThe End?â Julep asked.
âYes.â Edith nodded and turned to look at Felix, who was very quiet.
Finally, he spoke. âMay I make a comment on this story?â
âCertainly, Felix,â Edith said. There was a slight tremor of anxiety in her voice.
âFirst of all, I am not a human. I am not a girl. And I already am a spider. So, from my point of view ââ He paused. âFrom our point of view, this is not such a bad story. She was turned into one of us, a spider.â
âTrue,â Edith agreed.
âAnd second,â Felix continued, âyou have always told us that spiders have been around much longer than humans. We were here first â four hundred million years ago. So it isnât an accurate story.â
âMyths are never accurate. We donât read them for accuracy. We read them to learn.â
âI get it, Mom. Iâve learned.â The words seemed to clog deep inside Felix. He could hardly go on, but he did. âAnd I wonât brag, but please, just let me do my art. And ⦠and ⦠and â¦â
âAnd what, dear?â
âRemember, Mom, back when we were on our way to the Kontiki Antikies shop, I said I had something I wanted to bring up with you.â
âUh ⦠vaguely, yes.â
âYou said, âLater, when weâre settled.ââ
âSo I did. Yes.â
âWell, I know weâre not exactly settled, but I would like to bring it up now.â
âCertainly.â Edith nodded.
The tiny hairs on Felixâs front legs began to quiver.
âItâs just that I feel I donât belong.â
âDonât belong?â The entire web seemed to hum with Edithâs alarm. âWhatever do you mean? Weâre a family. You belong right here.â
âThis is so hard to say, Mom. I feel that I belong with my family but not my species.â
âWhatâs he talking about?â Julep said.
âSsshush!â Jo Bell said. At this moment, Jo Bell began to feel deeply sorry for her brother. Felix was different, but she loved him, and right now she felt as if he was about to turn their whole world upside down and inside out.
âJust because weâre called recluses shouldnât mean we have to hide away!â
They were interrupted by a meow coming from the cabinetâs back panel.
âFatty?â Edith asked.
âBaggage backs up to the lavatories,â Fatty said from a small air vent at the top of the cabinet. âYour creation is beautiful, Felix. Simply beautiful. And Felix is right. It truly
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