Archie Arachnid

Archie did not understand why he was different. He did not look any different from the other Mexican Red-Kneed Tarantulas. He had a huge black hairy abdomen that contained his heart, guts, reproductive organs, and silk glands, with gorgeous spinnerets at the back; a black hairy cephalothoraxes that contained his brains, jaws, eyes, stomach and leg attachments. Eight beautiful white banded hairy legs with splendid red-orange knees that were divided into seven segments and eight tiny eyes. Jaws that moved up and down in the same way other Mexican Red-Kneed Tarantulas jaws moved and marvels pedipalps.

“Why am I different?” Archie asked his mother after a particularly rough day of teasing by his brothers and sisters. “I know I don’t look any different from the others, but …”

“Archie,” she said. “What makes you think you don’t look any different from your brothers and sisters? How do you know what you look like, much less anyone else?”

“Because, Mama, when I look at myself in a clear forest pond, I look the same as you, my brothers and sisters.”

“Your fantasies, your stories about being able to see anything more than light and darkness, is the reason everyone thinks you are different, Archie.“

“Mama, I can see more than light and darkness. The world is full of beautiful colors and images. There are green trees, multicolored birds, fluffy white clouds and a huge yellow ball of fire that rises and sets every day. ”

“Archie,” she said, realizing for the first time that her favorite son really could see things that other Tarantulas could not. “The rest of us can’t see those things. We are only capable of determining the difference between light and darkness, between day and night.”

As she backed away from her son, she considered carefully what her next words would be. She knew that for his own safety and her sanity, Archie must leave the family cave. “Son … Archie … Archibald, you have … you have to go away immediately. You can’t stay here any longer!”

“Why, mama?” Archie said looking at the glorious rainbow colored web he was weaving.

“Because when the other Tarantulas realize that you actually do see what they can’t, they will …” She could not finish, instead she crawled to the mouth of the cave and left.

“Leave,” said Archie, adding one more strand to the web he was weaving. “But where will I go?” He did not understand why his mother wanted him to leave nor why he could see things other Tarantulas could not. However, he did know that his mother wanted only what was best for him and his brothers and sisters.

Finishing the web, Archie crawled to the mouth of the cave and looked around. It was dark outside. The day light world he knew was transformed; in the sky above him distant multicolored lights twinkled and in the east a silver ball of light was rising over the mountains. The brilliant green trees and cactus that surrounded the family cave were subdued and faded. Everything looked different, but in the darkness Archie blended with the shadows of the rocks. In the darkness he was just another segment of darkness, a shadow crawling toward the west.