Storyteller Michael-Scott Earle
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Tamer Chapter 3 Scene 6 ROUGH What do you think?
🕑 Added 2021-09-10 13:19:56 +0000 UTC
I guess I’d been slogging through the creek for an hour when I thought I heard those chirping monsters that killed Kelg. They cut through the ambient noise of the loud jungle like a scythe, and my heart jumped into my throat.
In moments I was fast-walking up the debris and rock-strewn little channel, but insta-stopped when a gigantic spider web wrapped around my face like a death mask.
Motion caught my eye to my left. A dinner-plate sized black and yellow spider hopped along its web to check me out. Its body was maybe twice the size of my thumb, but the long legs could probably wrap completely around my hand. And its two fangs had to be twice as lethal if this was the dinosaur age.
I didn’t hate spiders like lots of people did, but I still yelped and flung myself backward, slipping and falling on the wet rocks.
The spider hovered at the edge of the rip I’d caused in its home, and we both regarded each other. The web was a gigantic snare crossing the entire width of the creek. A ten-foot circle of perfect golden silk glowed in the sunlight.
I scrambled to my feet and ran my fingers over my face, neck, and ears in a moment of panic. I had an irrational urge to swing my spear and tear the whole web down, but it passed once I’d brushed the webbing off my face.
The spider still sat there watching me.
“Ugh.” It was gross for sure, but less so knowing the spider wasn’t crawling through my hair or down my shirt.
“Sorry, friend. Just passing through.”
Did spiders live in the time of dinosaurs? I couldn’t remember learning about them in my “fancy” college, but I figured the lesson was right in front of me. At least one did.
