‘Silk’, A Short Story
Four spider beings dance delicately upon a silk web. A family, a tribe, a unit, connected by invisible strings. What began as a repair has manifested into a beautiful palace of geometric windows. When the wind blows through the intricate net, they bounce in rhythm with nature’s breath. Together they sew an inviting dew dropped target to catch food. Taking turns to weave patterns between branches, the spiders rest as one adds to the lacework.
One night while working, one of the spiders noticed peculiar reflections in the rain drops which fell from the web to the river below. The moon was new, so there was little light to explain the sparkling swirls churning inside the water sacks.
Taking a rest on a nearby leaf with her brother, she asked him about the mirrors in the water she was witnessing. He confirmed he saw them too, but warned not to ask their parents. He overheard them talking about human beings once. It was a cautionary tale, about how they destroy the trees and dig up the land. They claimed ownership of the grass, trees, rivers and sky. They fight for territory on a planet which they are guests. For certain, they would see right through the delicate web and destroy it without even noticing. He imagined the reflections in the water were signs the humans were near, and he wanted to preserve his predictions in silence to not create alarm.
The sister found herself working the night shift more frequently. As she threaded silk and connected the strings at sharp angles, it began to rain. The sprinkle of water quickly sprayed from the heavens, and the angel tears washed her off the web as she plunged down below, into the deep stream of the river. As she fell, fear radiated through her legs as they desperately tried to grasp the air as if dancing in slow motion. She fell. And she fell. And she fell. Was this the end? And finally, it hit. The glossy water engulfed her tiny insect body and she began to drown. As she let the current digest her, all she could hear was the sound of sliced glass. Like a razor cutting into glaciers. She let go, and let the current take control of her destiny.
She fell asleep for what seemed like a century. When she woke, she opened her eyes and looked around frantically. A room draped in fabrics, silks, lace. Curtains and veils blocking any light from entering. Next to her, lay a mirror. She lifted it to her face and saw the reflection of a woman, distorted and repeating, like a kaleidoscope. A room of mirrors, her body replicated in the shape of a web. Pulling the mirror closer, looking deep into her eyes, were the swirls she had seen in the water. Pools of stardust reflecting in the darkest depths of her pupils.