Aly loved October, when spiders spun ghostly webs to decorate for Halloween. Fall turned cold early. The thumbnail moon was spooky. Aly worried about the spiders, freezing in the dark. Aly knew how to help. That night, she tiptoed outside carrying her mother’s yarn box, full of tangled skeins. She gently gathered sleepy spiders, setting them in the box. Once … Continue reading “Halloweensie: When Spiders Decorate”
Aly loved October, when spiders spun ghostly webs to decorate for Halloween.
Fall turned cold early. The thumbnail moon was spooky. Aly worried about the spiders, freezing in the
dark.
Aly knew how to help. That night, she tiptoed outside carrying her mother’s yarn box, full of tangled skeins. She gently gathered sleepy spiders, setting them in the box. Once it was full, she went inside and left it on the kitchen counter.
Aly woke to a ruckus in the kitchen: Daddy whacking at scuttling spiders, Mommy waving a broom.
Interior decorating! Halloween would be a wooly tangle!
Author: Janice
A creative. Lifelong Marylander. After many odd jobs of adolescence and college, have always worked as a writer and published essays, op-eds, articles, and poetry in national news media and small presses. Collection of poetry, "Saturday at the Gym", about boxing, aging, and motherhood; collection of artwork and poetry, "What Are Mothers For?" On the verge of an empty nest for the first time in 30 years, my question is: What am I for?
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dark.
My wife would scream as well. Good luck and Happy Halloween!
Oh oh, that would have been a surprise for Aly’s parents. I wonder what the results of the decorating would be…
A box full of spiders is not a surprise I would welcome! Eek! Fun story — good luck!
Sweet, kind-hearted Aly! I’m glad she took care of the spiders… although I imagine things were a bit chaotic in the kitchen next morning! 🙂 Love “the thumbnail moon” – such a pretty description, and an original one! Thanks so much for joining in the Halloweensie fun!
Hoping you got my comment, Janice – not sure if it posted! But I have read your story! 🙂
Thank you–I felt so honored by your kind words! Thank you for taking time to read it. I actually revised it a bunch so it is about 200 words, and slightly different things occur. When my now 22-year old was 3 or 4, she told my mom that she loved our house when the spiders came to decorate for fall. I always loved that image–thank you for giving me a space to finally use it!
Fabulous idea, Janice…I love your lyrical language…and I can just imagine the Halloween wonderland that Aly’s parents discovered in the morning. 🙂