Unlike Miss Muffett’s experience, the spider didn’t sit down beside me. I sat down beside it, on the porch swing. I didn’t notice it at first because it was so small, maybe l/4 of an inch. When I did see it, I wasn’t sure at first just what kind of insect I was looking at. As it turned out, I wasn’t staring at an insect but an arachnid. Now I’ve seen plenty of spiders but never one like this one. His body was a shiny gold and in front were two black specks. I suspect those black specks were fangs.
I asked him politely if he’d mind having his picture taken and he didn’t answer so I took that as a yes. Only thing is, my camera wouldn’t cooperate. It kept focusing on the background and not the spider. Therefore, the spider photos show a fuzzy gold blob with two black dots at one end. A person had to use her imagination to see a spider in that picture. Another thing I noticed. That tiny creature could jump at least four inches. So, he was not only beautiful, he was an acrobat. And, an architect. Spiders spin the most beautiful webs and they do it without pre-planning, it just comes naturally. Oh, that I could spin mysterious tales that effortlessly!
We inhabit the world with lots of unusual, beautiful, talented creations of the Lord. I think He must have had a good time when He thought up that spider. My sister said that she thinks the Lord had fun creating live oak trees. She was an Oklahoma girl who moved to Texas and live oaks ranked high in her estimation. I agree that our Creator must surely have a sense of humor and lovingly placed lots of living things, including spiders and trees, in the Garden of Eden where everyone and everything lived in peace until the snake came along. But that’s another story.
Sad to say, the usual response to a spider is a shrill scream and a rise in blood pressure. True, spiders are to be respected and a couple of them, the black widow and brown recluse are dangerous indeed. But they also do a lot of good things like spinning webs to capture those pesky mosquitoes and flies. And a trap door spider once inspired me to pen a rhymed story about it for my granddaughter. It’s quite long so I won’t include it here.
People have spun tales and poems about spiders for years. Miss Muffett, The Spider and the Fly, Eensy Weensy Spider. They really haven’t done anything to deserve such vile reputations. A spider is just a spider and we should expect nothing else from it; however, we sometimes view spiders with fear, revulsion, amazement, wonder, or respect, depending on our outlook. I am thankful for a glimpse at a tiny creature, a new creature to me, who just happened to drop in for a Sunday visit.
And, now, I’m thinking of how I could use a spider in a mystery. I can see it now–someone who pretends to be something she isn’t and then is caught in a web of her own making. Should I name it The Spider’s Web or The Web of the Spider?
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