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.
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