Centuries ago, an ancestor of mine was riding her horse into town. She needed to get there quickly if she wanted to get the best fabrics, they always went quickly. Her name was Elizabeth and she was trying to earn her family money by sewing dresses and the like and selling them on market days. The rush to get the fabrics was not without its drama, but Elizabeth usually managed to ride into town and use her charming smile to get what she needed.
This day though, she made a grave mistake. In her hurry, she didn't notice the large spider web spun in the underbrush and she ran her horse right through it. Suddenly, Elizabeth heard a terrifying high-pitched scream. Rearing her horse, she spun to see if someone was in trouble, but only saw the broken spider web. A moment's silence passed before another scream. Elizabeth saw it was coming from the gossamer web. She dismounted and carefully crouched down, her disbelieving mind telling her that surely some larger creature must have been caught in the underbrush, but this was not the case.
All Elizabeth saw was a large black spider in her broken web, screaming. "You've ruined my home," wept the spider.
Blinking rapidly, Elizabeth tried to make the hallucination of a talking spider go away, but she couldn't. "Are...are you real? Or am I mad?"
"You're mad? What for? You've destroyed my home not the other way round!"
"I-" words were failing her, but Elizabeth saw no other way to deal with the situation other than to roll with it, "My apologies, my fair lady spider, I was in a rush and didn't see your home."
"In a rush," huffed the spider, "a poor excuse if I ever heard one."
"I am sorry for your home, but I was trying to get to the market. I support my family by sewing clothing and the best fabrics go quickly. If I want to keep us fed, I need to get to the market."
"Fabrics you say?" asked the spider, a hint of smugness in her tiny voice. "What if I told you that I could provide you with the rarest of all fabrics?"
"What fabric would that be?" inquired Elizabeth, still unsure if she was hallucinating.
"Spider's silk, of course," cooed the spider. "It glistens in the sun, but is strong and can hold up through rough weather."
"That would be a rare fabric indeed," Elizabeth said in an awed hush. "What would you want for it?"
"Well," began the spider, "First you will help me find a new spot for my home. But I would also want a promise from you that you, nor anyone in your family, would ever harm another spider's home. And, you must tell those who buy the clothing made of spider's silk where it came from so that others will treat us kindly too."
"That's a fair bargain."
And so a deal was struck. Elizabeth helped the spider find a new home and she made sure her family would be kind to all spiders they met. They were confused at first, but when the saw the first spider silk dress, they finally believed Elizabeth's story. However, when Elizabeth went to the market to sell the clothing, when she told people it came from spiders, no one would buy it.
"Who would want something from such cursed creatures?" scoffed a customer as she left Elizabeth's stall.
How would the spider really know if I lied? thought Elizabeth. She then began to tell people that spider's silk was just a name she'd come up with while crafting it and the clothing began to sell rapidly.
But one day, the spider had tagged along with Elizabeth and saw her lie. Furious, the spider cast a curse upon my family and we have been plagued by spiders ever since. Over the generations, the curse has become more mild so not many of the severe infestations are remembered today, but still spiders haunt us when we least suspect it. Just the other day, one made a home in a bunch of grapes that, through the curse, it knew I would select. Because the curse had grown so weak, I managed to flush it out when I rinsed my grapes. But still, looking at its corpse in my sink, I knew that the curse still lingered.
(Prompt by me)
This day though, she made a grave mistake. In her hurry, she didn't notice the large spider web spun in the underbrush and she ran her horse right through it. Suddenly, Elizabeth heard a terrifying high-pitched scream. Rearing her horse, she spun to see if someone was in trouble, but only saw the broken spider web. A moment's silence passed before another scream. Elizabeth saw it was coming from the gossamer web. She dismounted and carefully crouched down, her disbelieving mind telling her that surely some larger creature must have been caught in the underbrush, but this was not the case.
All Elizabeth saw was a large black spider in her broken web, screaming. "You've ruined my home," wept the spider.
Blinking rapidly, Elizabeth tried to make the hallucination of a talking spider go away, but she couldn't. "Are...are you real? Or am I mad?"
"You're mad? What for? You've destroyed my home not the other way round!"
"I-" words were failing her, but Elizabeth saw no other way to deal with the situation other than to roll with it, "My apologies, my fair lady spider, I was in a rush and didn't see your home."
"In a rush," huffed the spider, "a poor excuse if I ever heard one."
"I am sorry for your home, but I was trying to get to the market. I support my family by sewing clothing and the best fabrics go quickly. If I want to keep us fed, I need to get to the market."
"Fabrics you say?" asked the spider, a hint of smugness in her tiny voice. "What if I told you that I could provide you with the rarest of all fabrics?"
"What fabric would that be?" inquired Elizabeth, still unsure if she was hallucinating.
"Spider's silk, of course," cooed the spider. "It glistens in the sun, but is strong and can hold up through rough weather."
"That would be a rare fabric indeed," Elizabeth said in an awed hush. "What would you want for it?"
"Well," began the spider, "First you will help me find a new spot for my home. But I would also want a promise from you that you, nor anyone in your family, would ever harm another spider's home. And, you must tell those who buy the clothing made of spider's silk where it came from so that others will treat us kindly too."
"That's a fair bargain."
And so a deal was struck. Elizabeth helped the spider find a new home and she made sure her family would be kind to all spiders they met. They were confused at first, but when the saw the first spider silk dress, they finally believed Elizabeth's story. However, when Elizabeth went to the market to sell the clothing, when she told people it came from spiders, no one would buy it.
"Who would want something from such cursed creatures?" scoffed a customer as she left Elizabeth's stall.
How would the spider really know if I lied? thought Elizabeth. She then began to tell people that spider's silk was just a name she'd come up with while crafting it and the clothing began to sell rapidly.
But one day, the spider had tagged along with Elizabeth and saw her lie. Furious, the spider cast a curse upon my family and we have been plagued by spiders ever since. Over the generations, the curse has become more mild so not many of the severe infestations are remembered today, but still spiders haunt us when we least suspect it. Just the other day, one made a home in a bunch of grapes that, through the curse, it knew I would select. Because the curse had grown so weak, I managed to flush it out when I rinsed my grapes. But still, looking at its corpse in my sink, I knew that the curse still lingered.
(Prompt by me)
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