The truth shall set you free – The Yellow Spider

The mountains were tall and covered with snow even as the warm air weighed heavily on the foothills below/ This was the perfect time to spin a large web. Summer was nearly over and the yellow spider had to feed well for the coming winter. The snow capped peaks only reminded her of the coming cold, as she busily spun an intricate large web at an isolated damp corner of the wooden house.

The yellow spider waited patiently as she kept spinning a larger and larger web. As dusk fell, small insects flew right into the web and got caught in its sticky strings. It was going to be a good night’s hunting for the yellow spider as she had already lured three insects into its web. The insects struggled to break free but soon lost energy and gave up, as the darkness of night enveloped them, The warm air gave way to a cool breeze seemingly coming down from the mountain. The yellow spider had a heavy dinner of insects and decided to sleep in the corner of its web.

.Just then she heard the noises of two humans. They were approaching her small wooden home. They swung the door open and went in. They kicked off their shoes and laid down their heavy rucksacks. The yellow spider knew they were going to be spending the night here but never understood how they stayed only a night and moved on. She always stayed for a season at least after she built her web. The two humans suddenly came out and started scavenging around her home and started picking up dry branches and leaves. Soon they had a hot fire going. Oh it was going to be a long night. The spider was planing to sleep early with the cool breeze but these humans had made the air warn again. And there was so much smoke that the yellow spider was almost choking.

The yellow spider softly crawled over to the other side of the wall, where the smoke didn’t disturb her. She saw the humans still scavenging and this time it was not for dried branches or leaves but for fresh fruit, of which there was none, and anything else edible. They were obviously hungry but could not find anything to eat. The yellow spider didn’t understand why they didn’t just spin a web and catch what they wanted to. Just then one of the humans noticed the spider’s web and the insects stuck on it. They started plucking the insects and putting them in their large bowl. They were stealing the yellow spider’s food. This infuriated the spider and the spider decided to take action. As soon as they went back to their fire with their bowl of the spider’s food, the spider started spinning a web around them. Lightly at first but soon, with multiple threads, it became increasingly tight and strong. The humans didn't realise it as the spider was very stealthy and the silk of the web was so soft, it was hardly noticeable. Soon the humans fell asleep around the fire and the spider continued to weave an intricate and strong web around the humans. By the time the early rays of the sun, heralded the dawn of another day, the humans were covered in the silky web. They opened their eyes and realised they couldn’t move. Soon they panicked and that only made the web tighter and stronger. They shouted for help and the spider knew that it’s all night effort wasn’t wasted. It dangled from a tree branch high above and slowly lowered itself over the face of one of the humans. The humans were frozen in fright and despair. The yellow spider smiled wickedly. The humans asked the spider, if it had tied them down like this and the spider said yes. After all the humans had stolen the spider’s food. The humans begged for mercy and the spider asked them why they had stolen her food. The humans said they didn’t know. Now the spider was incensed. She asked the humans how couldn’t they have known. The food was in the web, that they not only plucked from but also destroyed the web. The humans were ashamed. They knew they were caught in their own lies.

The humans apologised and asked the yellow spider for forgiveness and asked her how they could make things right again. The yellow spider said “The truth shall set you free”. Then the humans realised their true mistake and confessed to the spider that hunger had overtaken their minds and they weren’t thinking clearly. Obviously if a spider’s web had food, it was meant for the spider. But in their hunger they didn’t realise that they were stealing another being’s food. Suddenly the spider’s web seemed to weaken and the humans got free. They then realised that the truth had set them free!

And the spider built another beautiful web where it managed to gather enough food for the winter.

Be anything you want to be – The Yellow Spider

The Yellow Spider always thought it was a tiny litttle, yellow spider living on a wall. It would watch other kids play. Watch them sing. Watch them laugh. Watch them cry. Watch the sun rays filter through its cobweb. Watch the dark nights from his bouncy bed beside the spider web. He always thought what could he do and be happy. The Yellow Spider met a group of other spiders who were red. They looked attractive. Even pretty. Even prettier than him. They offered him to walk along with their troop. He asked them where they were going. Red spider said, to the most beautiful planet on earth aye! Yellow spider's eyes twinkled. Can we do that? He asked...Can we leave where we are and move to another planet? ... yes, o yes said the red spider. With hopes and dreams and excitement the yellow spider joined the troop.

They started their journey. A thousand red spiders and one yellow spider.

As they took their first stop they ate food. The food was nothing like yellow spider ate before. They weaved their web for the night and went to bed. Yellow spider looked at the web patttern. It was oh so much more beautiful than what he had seen before. He didn't know you could weave a whole new pattern.

They walked and walked for the next few days. The yellow spider thought to himself "why are we walking and walking. Now i am tired. Now i wanna go home." The red spider asked, what happened buddy. Are you not enjoying the journey. The yellow spider said, i liked it but now i wanna go home. 'Why' asked the red spider.

I miss the air. The water. The sounds of children playing. And everything about my home. And i don't know why are we taking this journey. " we are going to find more beautiful places" where sand is orange, trees are yellow just like you and water is green. We are going to a place where everyone dreams to go. And look you are wanting to return home. Cmon, dont think that. Let's march forward.

The yellow spider thought to himself. Wouldnt it be nice to see orange sand and blue water and yellow trees? Oh yes. That would be the best thing. So he went to bed and woke up with a new hope. He marhed with the other spiders to the new land.

After a month they reached the new land. Just as promised, the sand was sunny orange, trees were beautifully yellow and water was deeper than deep blue. The spider felt wow! It danced and sang for a few days. And again that feeling of going back returned.

Then the red spider sat beside him and asked him, do you know what it means to be a red spider? You have a chance to be one.

Can we be that asked the yellow spider. Yes o yes said the red spider.

How? All you need to do is think and act like me. And soon your color will change.

Will you teach me how to think and act said the yellow spider? Yes i will. So for the next few days yellow spider trained to become red. And became red. Ah that was easy said he.

He now made new and more friends and got more gifts because other spiders started recognizing him.

I wanted it to come back thinking home is the best place on earth. And then see that its not the home. Its you. Its how you think and feel.

Any place is a heaven.

And you can be red, blue, green, orange or any other color you choose.

The Yellow Spider

 

The yellow spider knew she was different though she didn’t know why. Her dad was a big black spider with spindly legs and her mother a genrle brown spider. And yet all the yellow spider’s friends treated her differently. She remembered her first day in school, when the teacher introduced her to the rest of the class. Everyone was silent and looked at her curiously.

When they started playing, other than the tiny black spider, Bessy, that grew to be her best friend everyone else would whisper around her. But then over time, she got to know everyone in the class and they would all play together. School was so much fun. But Bessy, the little black spider remained the yellow spider’s best friend.

One day, the yellow spider went to the station. At the Peterborough train station, there is a black brick wall that you can still see to this day. The black brick wall supports the bridge over the train tracks. There the yellow spider saw a lot many spiders. So many that she had never seen before. So she went over to the black wall to take a closer look. There she found a lot of cob webs. Some spiders were busy spinning more cob webs while others were selling small insects that were caught in these cob webs to other spiders. These insects were food for the spiders. Suddenly a large spider came over and asked the yellow spider in a very loud voice, “What are you doing here? Is there something you want, you little yellow spider?”. The yellow spider was startled and ran away to its mother. The mother was already frantically searching for the yellow spider and asked her where she had been. The yellow spider was sobbing and said it had gone to the black wall to see what all the spiders were doing and a big black spider had called it a yellow spider. Was she really yellow? “Yes”, said the mother. “Look at your feet”. As the yellow spider looked down at her feet, she saw that her legs were yellow! “So what can we do now”, asked the yellow spider. “Well what is there to do” asked the mother spider. You are as much as a spider as any of us. Yellow is a mark of distinction, from the rest of us who are black, red or dark brown or any other color.

The yellow spider went back to school and told her best friend Bessy, what had happened at the Peterborough station. Bessy listened to her with rapt attention. And told her wow what a fun day. “One day, I will also go to the Peterborough station”, said Bessy

That is how the yellow spider knew she was different but to this day, does not know why! That is why the yellow spider loves the Peterborough station and the big black wall near the station. Oh there is one more reason why the yellow spider likes the station but that story is for another day!