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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Adults
- Theme: Love stories / Romance
- Subject: Horror / Scary
- Published: 11/19/2017
The Spiders You Know
Born 1960, M, from Bellevue/ NE, United StatesPete crawled through the opening in the foundation of the old, two-story house he was working on. He 'shimmied' across the dirt on his belly, dragging his tank behind him; until he found a rats' nest. Two rodents scurried away as he pulled their crude home apart. Inside, he found ten or more recently born rats, that he picked up and placed in a plastic bag. It seemed cruel, but their parents were never going to want anything to do with them again. He sealed it up and threw it back towards the access point. The homeowner didn't say a damn thing about rats, and it kind of pissed him off.
In the corner was a large mass of webs constructed by several spiders living within its confines. He could see two of them staying very still, though in plain sight; probably hoping they wouldn't be noticed. Pete studied the intricately built series of webs, and admired the craftsmanship of the spider 'condo'. They were his target today, so he crawled over close to them. As he deconstructed the web, he said, "now you all need to move on out of here". He watched as they fled the stick he was tearing down their fortress with. Soon, there were only little traces of the silky, sticky stuff the spiders had spun, to catch insects and other prey with. After pumping up the tank, he soaked the area down, and then sprayed everywhere else as he backed out of the crawlspace.
The inside of the house was already treated, so he carried the large tank back to his truck. He spent a few minutes brushing himself off, so he would be somewhat presentable. After ringing the doorbell, he stood and admired the turn-of-the-century construction of the old house. Someday, he and Marie would get a place like this one; and fix it up to suit their own needs. Mrs. Gray answered the door and smiled when she saw the dirty, disheveled, young man standing on her porch. "Morning again Pete", she said as she rummaged through her purse for the check Mr. Gray had left with her for the extermination job. "Mr. White told us he's seen nary a bug since you treated his house last year", she added, before handing him the check. "Thanks ma'am", was all Pete said, before taking the porch steps two at a time, and then trotting back to his truck. He was out of earshot, before Mrs. Gray noticed a large Wolf spider, clinging to the back of his shirt. She shook her head and went back into the house.
It was almost two o'clock and Pete had to hurry to the little rest area, off the highway, where he would secretly meet his beloved Marie. Her parents owned the stockyards and wanted something more for their daughter than the local kid who hunted bugs for a living. They wouldn't let Pete in, or around their big, fancy home, in a professional capacity, much less, to 'call upon' their daughter. They hadn't figured out, yet, that the two had been rendezvousing at the 'area' for months. They were in love, and hoped that love could, actually, conquer all.
The two 'kids' shared the 'pop' Marie picked up on her way out to their version of 'lookout point'. Pete took a drink and let out a huge "braaaappp", before smiling at Marie and attempting to kiss her with his burp breath. "Pete Levy, you stop acting like a child right this instant", she said. "We don't have a lot of time here boy", she added before pulling him close to her, and waving her hand at the lingering fumes of his 'natural' mouth gas. The little roadside respite was deserted, except for the two young people. They kissed as he mashed her between himself and the side of her car. Before long, they were in her back seat doing what lovers do.
As Pete finished buttoning up his shirt, Marie had all her beautiful, long, brown hair pulled forward; brushing out the tangles left by their passionate session. She flipped her sorted out 'mop' back and looked at the man she loved, who was sitting there staring at her. "When we gonna get married?", Pete asked, as his, hopefully, future bride's smile faded. "You know momma and daddy don't approve", she answered before putting her hand on his cheek and mouthing, "I love you".
Pete wasn't happy with that answer. He had been putting money back since high school to buy a place and settle down with whoever turned out to be foolish enough to actually love him. He had nearly ten-thousand dollars saved to make all that a reality, and he knew he had found true love with Marie. The money would make a decent down payment on a place of their own; leaving enough to serve as a cushion for their living expenses. Between the two of them, he felt they could live quite comfortably. Her parents could get on board and help out, or not. He wondered sometimes if she was serious about being his wife and having his babies, though he already knew the answer to that question. The woman definitely wasn't seeing him on the sly because of his looks or his wealth. She had to love him!
After exchanging dozens of little 'goodbye' kisses, they finally drove away, in different directions, from their 'lover's paradise'. With an appropriate amount of time and distance put between them, Pete circled back towards town. He turned onto the dirt road, on the outskirts, and navigated the rest of the way home. Momma would have supper 'warming' in the oven for her special boy. He had a conversation with himself as he drove. "I wish I knew what was going on in that girl's head? She doesn't even make me wear a condom when we're 'doing it'. Maybe she's hoping for an 'accident'", he surmised as he turned into his mom's driveway. He sat in the truck for a moment to contemplate his day. He didn't seem to notice the large wolf spider, that seemed to be 'stalking' him, crawling along the back of the truck seat, and then disappearing.
After he whined to momma for a few minutes, the wise woman, who spent eighteen hours 'pooping' him out (her words), so long ago, lectured him on patience. She finished with, "everything will turn out just fine if the love between you is true". She put her hand on his arm and squeezed.
After shoveling in his supper and giving his momma a hug, Pete walked out of the kitchen; still angry about his love life. Lying in his bed he said, "dang people didn't tell me about the rats...Marie ain't never gonna marry me, and I don't know if I can afford to be a proper husband, to the girl, anyway." Pete closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, just as, the same spider, that was now, obviously, following him, crawled across the head board, then disappeared behind it. The young man dreamed, like he knew he would, about his least favorite things... rats.
It had been about three weeks, and Pete's life didn't change much. He still met his Marie at their roadside place, and they still had 'relations' each time. He grew more concerned with every passing day. The boy had good reason to be concerned. While he looked for work, hours after receiving his high school diploma, Marie had a 'coming out' party, attended by all the 'most eligible' bachelors in town. While he learned the trade he was 'destined' to pursue, she spent time 'sunning' by the pool; when not learning how to run a large household, and the other things a married lady of means might be expected to know. It had been three years since the two 'acquaintances' graduated high school; where her and Pete were just passing friends. They had just become a romantic 'thing' in the last seven months. The lady went through several high class 'frogs' before falling in love with her lower, middle-class 'prince'. Her one and only concern was that the boy she loved didn't seem to have many 'layers'.
Pete, had been working out of town jobs more and more, but always made time for the love of his life. It was Friday and the two were scheduled to meet, but Pete was still two towns away; when he was supposed to already be there. The homeowner didn't tell him about the skunks, though Pete knew exactly what he would be dealing with, by the smell he caught wind of, as soon as he arrived at the job site. Being before the cell phone age, he couldn't just call and let her know he was going to be late. She could wait until he got there, or head home. After spraying for bugs and setting traps for the 'little black kitties with white stripes down their backs', he steamed her way. As he sped down the dirt road that came out near the rest area, he, again, began to talk to himself. "Boy, I hate skunks almost as much as I do rats! I kind of hope she goes home with the way I smell right now".
Marie sat on the hood of her car. The heat from the recently run engine warmed her 'buns' as the coolness of Fall nipped at her nose. She daydreamed of being married to Pete and about all the babies they would have. She pictured herself sitting on the porch knitting, while her man sat and rocked the first of several kids in his grandma's old, wicker rocking chair. She was suddenly jarred back to reality as a familiar black pickup truck skidded to a halt, just short of making contact with her fender.
It was the Johnson boys and they were up to no good. Both of them were a little dense, and made her nervous that it was only the three of them in the middle of nowhere. These boys were crazy, and had been raised by two, equally ornery parents. They weren't the worst people in the world, but were definitely the type to worry about which end of a knife would hit a person; but only after they threw it at them. They were not great thinkers by any means. Pete and Marie occasionally had problems with them, but Pete had been 'going at it', with the brothers, since his early grade school years.
Jay sat next to Marie, and put his arm around her. "Saw you and Pete fogging up the windows here the other day", he said, as he let the side of his hand drop down onto her bosom. The other brother, Johnny, who always had a crazy look in his eyes, stood on the other side of her and said, "y e a h". That was usually all he said, when the two of them were together; which was always! It made Jay the brains of this outfit, and that was a scary thought. He tried to kiss her, but got an elbow in the gut for his effort. She escaped the two lunatics and ran towards the woods. Marie wasn't sure how much the two 'boys' had to drink today, or if they were just kidding around, but she wasn't taking any chances.
As she entered the large wooded area, she could hear the two chasing behind her. She was worried they would get 'lathered up' a little too much and go too far with her. Again, there wasn't a lot of deep thinking going on with these two, before, during or after they did something stupid. She ran until her side ached, before stopping to get her bearings. She could still hear them looking for her. Jay was cussing up a blue streak and Johnny just said, y e a h!". It would have been funny if she wasn't 'running for her life'. She turned away from their voices and began to run again, but, immediately, tripped and fell flat on her face. When the girl lifted her head a little to take a peek, she saw strange, thick, black weeds all around her. They seemed to be 'hairy', and were like nothing she had ever seen. She rolled onto her back, and gasped, as she realized she was laying underneath a spider; a spider the size of a monster truck.
It was as big and scary as anything she'd seen, on screen, at the Cineplex on a Saturday night. She knew that, barring any secret atomic tests being performed in their small part of the country, giant spiders weren't normal. Unless she got knocked out and was dreaming, she couldn't explain the large, hideous creature towering over her. She began to scream, but a little, gooey wad of something hit her across the lower part of her face with a 'splat'! Her mouth was covered, so she wouldn't be screaming anytime soon. The behemoth spun a little pallet, on the ground, and rolled her onto it. The sticky 'bed' kept her from moving hardly a muscle. As she lay there waiting for the Johnson's to find her, and, hopefully, save her from this 'thing', she noticed that hundreds of different types of spiders were gathering around them. The Johnson boys were getting closer and closer now, and she wished she could warn them; even though they were the scoundrels who got her into this fix in the first place. With her mouth covered so tightly, there was nothing she could do though. Hundreds of the smaller spiders were crawling on her dress, and, one, was perched on the web that was keeping her mouth shut. She stopped struggling after seeing that one. It just stayed very still, as if it was watching her.
The Johnson's caught up to Marie, and then just stood there, with their mouths agape, when they realized what they were facing. The huge spider knocked both of them off their feet and poked them with something that seemed to paralyze the boys. The spider wrapped them up tightly, head-to-toe, before lashing them about twenty feet up in a tree. Marie was so busy trying not to come 'unglued', over the spiders that were covering much of her dress and exposed skin, that she didn't notice all the other large things wrapped up and stuck in the same area as the Johnson's. She knew that this was the end for her, because the thing didn't wrap her up to save for later. She was sure that she would serve as a snack today for the 'mega spider' and all its friends! She cried a little as she watched the spider put the final touches on storing the Johnson boys. The next thing she heard was Pete yelling her name from the parking area.
She tried to holler back, to warn him, but her mouth was still covered. She guessed the creature left her nose uncovered because he, and his friends, liked to enjoy their meals alive; squirming and thrashing about. She could hear her man crunching through the blanket of dead leaves and sticks that covered the forest's ground. Unexpectedly, the spider carefully picked the webbing away from her mouth. Before thinking, she screamed at the top of her lungs for Pete to come save her. She immediately realized her mistake and knew that she was just being used as bait for the monster to lure Pete into its trap. She whimpered as she listened to her man getting closer and closer; knowing that the spiders were waiting on their unexpected opportunity to take 'revenge' on the one who had ended so many of their kind's lives!
When he appeared, shivers ran down her back, as she saw him standing there with a big stick in his hand; ready to fight the giant creature that was holding her captive. She felt tingling in her 'womanly places' at the sight of her 'warrior', and hoped it wasn't just spiders in her underwear. He stood there, ready to battle this monster, to the death, for the love of his life!
The spider's legs shuffled around a little to get ready for the young man's attack. Then, the strangest thing happened. The monster seemed to sniff at Pete, before making 'gurgling', 'sucking' and 'smacking' noises in his direction; like he was trying to say something to him. "I know", Pete answered the spider. "Had to deal with a barn full of skunks over in Darbyville... one got a pretty good piece of me", he added, before poking his stick in the ground and approaching. Marie was about to pass out as Pete got within reach of the creature, and she didn't notice that all the smaller spiders had crawled away from her. "How you doing Kit?", Pete asked as he unstuck his lover from the 'mattress' of silken webbing. More gross noises came from the spider. While Pete lifted Marie onto her feet, the wolf spider, that had seemed to be following Pete around, climbed out of his pocket, and up onto his shoulder. A more enthusiastic gurgling and smacking sound came from the ugly beast. Pete looked up and said, "no...this would be Oliver the Second...they really grow up fast, huh?". Pete dodged Marie's hand, when she tried to knock the spider off of him. Overwhelmed, her legs went to 'jelly', and she fell into his arms. "Whoa honey", Pete said, as he settled her back on her feet.
Marie continued to feel 'faint' as Pete and the huge, ugly monstrosity had a conversation; kind of like two old school chums, who hadn't seen each other in awhile. "That must be the Johnson boys", Pete said as he looked at the two fresh 'cocoons' fidgeting around above their heads. More smacking, sucking and gurgling came from Pete's 'friend'. "No, you can't keep them. You don't want the town folk down here with pitchforks and torches, do you?", Pete countered, after listening to the spider groan like a child, who had been denied something great by his parents.
After exchanging introductions and pleasantries with Pete's, and now, Marie's, 'friend', the two lovers headed back to the parking area. Pete and Marie had a candid talk on the way, then while leaning against her car; and then, finally, during extra passionate, 'hero' sex. She lay under him, enjoying the adrenaline-fueled session, but kept one eye on Oliver II, who was clinging, upside-down, to the car's headliner.
Not even Pete's mother knew that the 'miracle' exterminator, never sprayed a drop of anything more potent than water onto the homes he treated. When Pete asked spiders and other 'creepy crawlies' to vacate a home, they nearly always complied. It turned out, that Pete's persuasive powers over the wee creatures, also transferred to the elephant-sized arachnid who lived in the forest. Pete explained that he would often pick up road kill to make sure Kit stayed well fed, and could avoid hunting humans. The two had become great friends in the meantime.
It took a few years before Marie's dream of her and Pete sitting on the porch with their first son, became a reality. Jay and Johnny had turned up on the outskirts of town that fateful day, after their little adventure; naked, and with a story about a giant spider trying to eat them. After a few years, and some psychiatric help, they went into business together. It turned out that Johnny had a head for it, and they became very successful under his supervision. "Y e a h". The two former 'near-do-wells' avoided Marie and Pete like the plague. They would cross the street, or duck into whatever place was nearest, to avoid walking anywhere near the couple. They would, always, offer their deepest 'respects' when noticed though.
Marie watched as a large, hairy spider crawled across the porch towards Pete's rocker. She let it crawl onto her hand before lifting it onto her son's arm. The boy giggled and made faces at his eight-legged friend, Oliver IV. Pete, Jr., couldn't communicate with the little creatures yet, but that would come with time. Marie looked lovingly at her two main 'men' and put her hand on her very pregnant belly. Having spiders around, all the time, wasn't like the cute animals Cinderella had, making her dresses and such, but they were 'family'; creepy, creepy 'family'.
Kit finally relented and moved into the barn. He wouldn't live through another Winter, out in the woods, so Marie and Pete insisted. The expectant mother looked over at the three calves Pete had tethered close together in a very small pen. The animals weren't allowed to move more than inches, so they would be fat enough to feed Kit throughout the cold months. She leaned back, and then smiled broadly as she looked up at the thick, complex web structure, that covered the 'ceiling' of their porch.
Later that night, a noise woke the couple up. Pete carried the shotgun, with Marie walking behind him, hanging onto his shirt. They turned the porch light on and opened the door, ready to shoo away whatever varmint was skulking around their property, or stalking the calves. They both sighed in relief when they saw Kit, in the middle of the yard, wrapping up a large, stunned coyote, with another one, laying near, waiting for the same treatment. "I'd like to see a guard dog do that", she said to her husband, as they walked back into the house.
The Spiders You Know(John Filkins)
Pete crawled through the opening in the foundation of the old, two-story house he was working on. He 'shimmied' across the dirt on his belly, dragging his tank behind him; until he found a rats' nest. Two rodents scurried away as he pulled their crude home apart. Inside, he found ten or more recently born rats, that he picked up and placed in a plastic bag. It seemed cruel, but their parents were never going to want anything to do with them again. He sealed it up and threw it back towards the access point. The homeowner didn't say a damn thing about rats, and it kind of pissed him off.
In the corner was a large mass of webs constructed by several spiders living within its confines. He could see two of them staying very still, though in plain sight; probably hoping they wouldn't be noticed. Pete studied the intricately built series of webs, and admired the craftsmanship of the spider 'condo'. They were his target today, so he crawled over close to them. As he deconstructed the web, he said, "now you all need to move on out of here". He watched as they fled the stick he was tearing down their fortress with. Soon, there were only little traces of the silky, sticky stuff the spiders had spun, to catch insects and other prey with. After pumping up the tank, he soaked the area down, and then sprayed everywhere else as he backed out of the crawlspace.
The inside of the house was already treated, so he carried the large tank back to his truck. He spent a few minutes brushing himself off, so he would be somewhat presentable. After ringing the doorbell, he stood and admired the turn-of-the-century construction of the old house. Someday, he and Marie would get a place like this one; and fix it up to suit their own needs. Mrs. Gray answered the door and smiled when she saw the dirty, disheveled, young man standing on her porch. "Morning again Pete", she said as she rummaged through her purse for the check Mr. Gray had left with her for the extermination job. "Mr. White told us he's seen nary a bug since you treated his house last year", she added, before handing him the check. "Thanks ma'am", was all Pete said, before taking the porch steps two at a time, and then trotting back to his truck. He was out of earshot, before Mrs. Gray noticed a large Wolf spider, clinging to the back of his shirt. She shook her head and went back into the house.
It was almost two o'clock and Pete had to hurry to the little rest area, off the highway, where he would secretly meet his beloved Marie. Her parents owned the stockyards and wanted something more for their daughter than the local kid who hunted bugs for a living. They wouldn't let Pete in, or around their big, fancy home, in a professional capacity, much less, to 'call upon' their daughter. They hadn't figured out, yet, that the two had been rendezvousing at the 'area' for months. They were in love, and hoped that love could, actually, conquer all.
The two 'kids' shared the 'pop' Marie picked up on her way out to their version of 'lookout point'. Pete took a drink and let out a huge "braaaappp", before smiling at Marie and attempting to kiss her with his burp breath. "Pete Levy, you stop acting like a child right this instant", she said. "We don't have a lot of time here boy", she added before pulling him close to her, and waving her hand at the lingering fumes of his 'natural' mouth gas. The little roadside respite was deserted, except for the two young people. They kissed as he mashed her between himself and the side of her car. Before long, they were in her back seat doing what lovers do.
As Pete finished buttoning up his shirt, Marie had all her beautiful, long, brown hair pulled forward; brushing out the tangles left by their passionate session. She flipped her sorted out 'mop' back and looked at the man she loved, who was sitting there staring at her. "When we gonna get married?", Pete asked, as his, hopefully, future bride's smile faded. "You know momma and daddy don't approve", she answered before putting her hand on his cheek and mouthing, "I love you".
Pete wasn't happy with that answer. He had been putting money back since high school to buy a place and settle down with whoever turned out to be foolish enough to actually love him. He had nearly ten-thousand dollars saved to make all that a reality, and he knew he had found true love with Marie. The money would make a decent down payment on a place of their own; leaving enough to serve as a cushion for their living expenses. Between the two of them, he felt they could live quite comfortably. Her parents could get on board and help out, or not. He wondered sometimes if she was serious about being his wife and having his babies, though he already knew the answer to that question. The woman definitely wasn't seeing him on the sly because of his looks or his wealth. She had to love him!
After exchanging dozens of little 'goodbye' kisses, they finally drove away, in different directions, from their 'lover's paradise'. With an appropriate amount of time and distance put between them, Pete circled back towards town. He turned onto the dirt road, on the outskirts, and navigated the rest of the way home. Momma would have supper 'warming' in the oven for her special boy. He had a conversation with himself as he drove. "I wish I knew what was going on in that girl's head? She doesn't even make me wear a condom when we're 'doing it'. Maybe she's hoping for an 'accident'", he surmised as he turned into his mom's driveway. He sat in the truck for a moment to contemplate his day. He didn't seem to notice the large wolf spider, that seemed to be 'stalking' him, crawling along the back of the truck seat, and then disappearing.
After he whined to momma for a few minutes, the wise woman, who spent eighteen hours 'pooping' him out (her words), so long ago, lectured him on patience. She finished with, "everything will turn out just fine if the love between you is true". She put her hand on his arm and squeezed.
After shoveling in his supper and giving his momma a hug, Pete walked out of the kitchen; still angry about his love life. Lying in his bed he said, "dang people didn't tell me about the rats...Marie ain't never gonna marry me, and I don't know if I can afford to be a proper husband, to the girl, anyway." Pete closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, just as, the same spider, that was now, obviously, following him, crawled across the head board, then disappeared behind it. The young man dreamed, like he knew he would, about his least favorite things... rats.
It had been about three weeks, and Pete's life didn't change much. He still met his Marie at their roadside place, and they still had 'relations' each time. He grew more concerned with every passing day. The boy had good reason to be concerned. While he looked for work, hours after receiving his high school diploma, Marie had a 'coming out' party, attended by all the 'most eligible' bachelors in town. While he learned the trade he was 'destined' to pursue, she spent time 'sunning' by the pool; when not learning how to run a large household, and the other things a married lady of means might be expected to know. It had been three years since the two 'acquaintances' graduated high school; where her and Pete were just passing friends. They had just become a romantic 'thing' in the last seven months. The lady went through several high class 'frogs' before falling in love with her lower, middle-class 'prince'. Her one and only concern was that the boy she loved didn't seem to have many 'layers'.
Pete, had been working out of town jobs more and more, but always made time for the love of his life. It was Friday and the two were scheduled to meet, but Pete was still two towns away; when he was supposed to already be there. The homeowner didn't tell him about the skunks, though Pete knew exactly what he would be dealing with, by the smell he caught wind of, as soon as he arrived at the job site. Being before the cell phone age, he couldn't just call and let her know he was going to be late. She could wait until he got there, or head home. After spraying for bugs and setting traps for the 'little black kitties with white stripes down their backs', he steamed her way. As he sped down the dirt road that came out near the rest area, he, again, began to talk to himself. "Boy, I hate skunks almost as much as I do rats! I kind of hope she goes home with the way I smell right now".
Marie sat on the hood of her car. The heat from the recently run engine warmed her 'buns' as the coolness of Fall nipped at her nose. She daydreamed of being married to Pete and about all the babies they would have. She pictured herself sitting on the porch knitting, while her man sat and rocked the first of several kids in his grandma's old, wicker rocking chair. She was suddenly jarred back to reality as a familiar black pickup truck skidded to a halt, just short of making contact with her fender.
It was the Johnson boys and they were up to no good. Both of them were a little dense, and made her nervous that it was only the three of them in the middle of nowhere. These boys were crazy, and had been raised by two, equally ornery parents. They weren't the worst people in the world, but were definitely the type to worry about which end of a knife would hit a person; but only after they threw it at them. They were not great thinkers by any means. Pete and Marie occasionally had problems with them, but Pete had been 'going at it', with the brothers, since his early grade school years.
Jay sat next to Marie, and put his arm around her. "Saw you and Pete fogging up the windows here the other day", he said, as he let the side of his hand drop down onto her bosom. The other brother, Johnny, who always had a crazy look in his eyes, stood on the other side of her and said, "y e a h". That was usually all he said, when the two of them were together; which was always! It made Jay the brains of this outfit, and that was a scary thought. He tried to kiss her, but got an elbow in the gut for his effort. She escaped the two lunatics and ran towards the woods. Marie wasn't sure how much the two 'boys' had to drink today, or if they were just kidding around, but she wasn't taking any chances.
As she entered the large wooded area, she could hear the two chasing behind her. She was worried they would get 'lathered up' a little too much and go too far with her. Again, there wasn't a lot of deep thinking going on with these two, before, during or after they did something stupid. She ran until her side ached, before stopping to get her bearings. She could still hear them looking for her. Jay was cussing up a blue streak and Johnny just said, y e a h!". It would have been funny if she wasn't 'running for her life'. She turned away from their voices and began to run again, but, immediately, tripped and fell flat on her face. When the girl lifted her head a little to take a peek, she saw strange, thick, black weeds all around her. They seemed to be 'hairy', and were like nothing she had ever seen. She rolled onto her back, and gasped, as she realized she was laying underneath a spider; a spider the size of a monster truck.
It was as big and scary as anything she'd seen, on screen, at the Cineplex on a Saturday night. She knew that, barring any secret atomic tests being performed in their small part of the country, giant spiders weren't normal. Unless she got knocked out and was dreaming, she couldn't explain the large, hideous creature towering over her. She began to scream, but a little, gooey wad of something hit her across the lower part of her face with a 'splat'! Her mouth was covered, so she wouldn't be screaming anytime soon. The behemoth spun a little pallet, on the ground, and rolled her onto it. The sticky 'bed' kept her from moving hardly a muscle. As she lay there waiting for the Johnson's to find her, and, hopefully, save her from this 'thing', she noticed that hundreds of different types of spiders were gathering around them. The Johnson boys were getting closer and closer now, and she wished she could warn them; even though they were the scoundrels who got her into this fix in the first place. With her mouth covered so tightly, there was nothing she could do though. Hundreds of the smaller spiders were crawling on her dress, and, one, was perched on the web that was keeping her mouth shut. She stopped struggling after seeing that one. It just stayed very still, as if it was watching her.
The Johnson's caught up to Marie, and then just stood there, with their mouths agape, when they realized what they were facing. The huge spider knocked both of them off their feet and poked them with something that seemed to paralyze the boys. The spider wrapped them up tightly, head-to-toe, before lashing them about twenty feet up in a tree. Marie was so busy trying not to come 'unglued', over the spiders that were covering much of her dress and exposed skin, that she didn't notice all the other large things wrapped up and stuck in the same area as the Johnson's. She knew that this was the end for her, because the thing didn't wrap her up to save for later. She was sure that she would serve as a snack today for the 'mega spider' and all its friends! She cried a little as she watched the spider put the final touches on storing the Johnson boys. The next thing she heard was Pete yelling her name from the parking area.
She tried to holler back, to warn him, but her mouth was still covered. She guessed the creature left her nose uncovered because he, and his friends, liked to enjoy their meals alive; squirming and thrashing about. She could hear her man crunching through the blanket of dead leaves and sticks that covered the forest's ground. Unexpectedly, the spider carefully picked the webbing away from her mouth. Before thinking, she screamed at the top of her lungs for Pete to come save her. She immediately realized her mistake and knew that she was just being used as bait for the monster to lure Pete into its trap. She whimpered as she listened to her man getting closer and closer; knowing that the spiders were waiting on their unexpected opportunity to take 'revenge' on the one who had ended so many of their kind's lives!
When he appeared, shivers ran down her back, as she saw him standing there with a big stick in his hand; ready to fight the giant creature that was holding her captive. She felt tingling in her 'womanly places' at the sight of her 'warrior', and hoped it wasn't just spiders in her underwear. He stood there, ready to battle this monster, to the death, for the love of his life!
The spider's legs shuffled around a little to get ready for the young man's attack. Then, the strangest thing happened. The monster seemed to sniff at Pete, before making 'gurgling', 'sucking' and 'smacking' noises in his direction; like he was trying to say something to him. "I know", Pete answered the spider. "Had to deal with a barn full of skunks over in Darbyville... one got a pretty good piece of me", he added, before poking his stick in the ground and approaching. Marie was about to pass out as Pete got within reach of the creature, and she didn't notice that all the smaller spiders had crawled away from her. "How you doing Kit?", Pete asked as he unstuck his lover from the 'mattress' of silken webbing. More gross noises came from the spider. While Pete lifted Marie onto her feet, the wolf spider, that had seemed to be following Pete around, climbed out of his pocket, and up onto his shoulder. A more enthusiastic gurgling and smacking sound came from the ugly beast. Pete looked up and said, "no...this would be Oliver the Second...they really grow up fast, huh?". Pete dodged Marie's hand, when she tried to knock the spider off of him. Overwhelmed, her legs went to 'jelly', and she fell into his arms. "Whoa honey", Pete said, as he settled her back on her feet.
Marie continued to feel 'faint' as Pete and the huge, ugly monstrosity had a conversation; kind of like two old school chums, who hadn't seen each other in awhile. "That must be the Johnson boys", Pete said as he looked at the two fresh 'cocoons' fidgeting around above their heads. More smacking, sucking and gurgling came from Pete's 'friend'. "No, you can't keep them. You don't want the town folk down here with pitchforks and torches, do you?", Pete countered, after listening to the spider groan like a child, who had been denied something great by his parents.
After exchanging introductions and pleasantries with Pete's, and now, Marie's, 'friend', the two lovers headed back to the parking area. Pete and Marie had a candid talk on the way, then while leaning against her car; and then, finally, during extra passionate, 'hero' sex. She lay under him, enjoying the adrenaline-fueled session, but kept one eye on Oliver II, who was clinging, upside-down, to the car's headliner.
Not even Pete's mother knew that the 'miracle' exterminator, never sprayed a drop of anything more potent than water onto the homes he treated. When Pete asked spiders and other 'creepy crawlies' to vacate a home, they nearly always complied. It turned out, that Pete's persuasive powers over the wee creatures, also transferred to the elephant-sized arachnid who lived in the forest. Pete explained that he would often pick up road kill to make sure Kit stayed well fed, and could avoid hunting humans. The two had become great friends in the meantime.
It took a few years before Marie's dream of her and Pete sitting on the porch with their first son, became a reality. Jay and Johnny had turned up on the outskirts of town that fateful day, after their little adventure; naked, and with a story about a giant spider trying to eat them. After a few years, and some psychiatric help, they went into business together. It turned out that Johnny had a head for it, and they became very successful under his supervision. "Y e a h". The two former 'near-do-wells' avoided Marie and Pete like the plague. They would cross the street, or duck into whatever place was nearest, to avoid walking anywhere near the couple. They would, always, offer their deepest 'respects' when noticed though.
Marie watched as a large, hairy spider crawled across the porch towards Pete's rocker. She let it crawl onto her hand before lifting it onto her son's arm. The boy giggled and made faces at his eight-legged friend, Oliver IV. Pete, Jr., couldn't communicate with the little creatures yet, but that would come with time. Marie looked lovingly at her two main 'men' and put her hand on her very pregnant belly. Having spiders around, all the time, wasn't like the cute animals Cinderella had, making her dresses and such, but they were 'family'; creepy, creepy 'family'.
Kit finally relented and moved into the barn. He wouldn't live through another Winter, out in the woods, so Marie and Pete insisted. The expectant mother looked over at the three calves Pete had tethered close together in a very small pen. The animals weren't allowed to move more than inches, so they would be fat enough to feed Kit throughout the cold months. She leaned back, and then smiled broadly as she looked up at the thick, complex web structure, that covered the 'ceiling' of their porch.
Later that night, a noise woke the couple up. Pete carried the shotgun, with Marie walking behind him, hanging onto his shirt. They turned the porch light on and opened the door, ready to shoo away whatever varmint was skulking around their property, or stalking the calves. They both sighed in relief when they saw Kit, in the middle of the yard, wrapping up a large, stunned coyote, with another one, laying near, waiting for the same treatment. "I'd like to see a guard dog do that", she said to her husband, as they walked back into the house.
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