Emily and The Spider (3 page)

The bird flew onto ‘Little Em’s’ shoulder.
“Got anything to eat? Except bugs, of course” he said leaning over
to look at Bes.

As the odd trio walked deeper into the
jungle, Emily began to feel hungry.

“Got any food ideas, you two”? she asked.

“Plenty of fruit around” said bird.
“Watch”.

Bird flew off. All of a sudden loud ‘thuds’
could be heard all around them and Emily looked up to see bananas,
mangoes and coconuts falling from the sky and landing on the
ground.

“Dinner is served! Didn’t I tell you I would
get something eh? Maybe a little bruised, but still good. It’s
bouncy fruit, my favourite kind”.

Again, Bird flew onto ‘Em’s’ shoulder.

“Thank you Bird” she said.

‘Little Em’ walked over to a particularly
large bunch of bananas and bent down to snap one off, when a noise
made her jump!

“Ooooooh, my back” came a deep, slow voice.
“I’ve been attacked, a vicious banana assault”!

Emily tentatively lifted up the bunch of
bananas. There, underneath, was the largest spider that she had
ever seen! Bigger, even, than the dinner plates back at the
house.

“Are you alright”? she asked, a little
scared.

“Do I look alright? Asleep here minding my
own business and some fool goes throwing fruit around”! replied the
very large spider.

“I’m ever so sorry” said ‘Em’, “we didn’t
know that you were there”.

“Obviously”! said the large creature.

“Well, we are very sorry” said ‘Em’. “Who are
you”? she asked.

“My name is Goliath. Yes, that is what most
folks call me”.

“Pleased to meet you, Goliath” said ‘Em’, “my
name is Emily and these are my friends, Bes and Bird.” Emily looked
around for bird. “Well Bird is around here somewhere”.

Goliath observed them all for a moment.
“Well, I see you do make an odd band of traveling companions, don’t
you? But it’s nice to see new folk around here”.

Bird swooped down and landed near to Goliath,
but not too near!

“You are massive” he said. “I don’t normally
hang around down here, but you are one BIG bug. I mean, I’ve seen
big bugs before, and of course Bes is a little bug, but you are one
BIG bug”!

“Pleased to meet you Bird” said Goliath.

“We’re off to find Bes’s dad” ‘Em’ said.

Bes looked at Goliath and smiled. “He’s a
spider too” she said.

“I kinda worked that one out for myself” said
Goliath in his low, deep voice. “You know, I recall now, a while
back, a little spider did come running through here. In an awful
hurry he was”, Goliath paused to think for a moment….”come to think
of it, he was a Bird Ea..”.

“Which way did he go”? said Emily, cutting
Goliath off before he could say anymore.

“Oh, er, well, he went that way”. said
Goliath, pointing with one of his legs, further into the jungle.
“That way, I believe”.

Emily looked at Bes and Bes looked at
Bird.

“It’s awfully dark in there” Bird said
slowly, for a change.

“I don’t mind showing you the way” said
Goliath, “not much else for an old spider like me to do
anyhow”.

“Thank you, that would be great” said
‘Em’.

Goliath looked at the little spider, “how
would you like to ride with me young un’”?

Bes looked over to Emily for approval.

“Go on then” she said.

So Bes ran quickly down Emily’s arm and onto
Goliath’s back.

“Off we go then. Follow me” said Goliath.

So, off they went, with Bes on Goliath’s back
out in front, Emily following on behind and Bird fluttering around
above them.

It was starting to get a little dark as the,
now four, companions walked, and flew, deeper into the jungle. Dark
and dangerous, for now they were getting close to the one who
thought he owned the jungle. The one who had smelled ‘Little Em’,
the one had been waiting patiently for her to come closer. Close
enough to be within eating range!

He watched silently as they crossed his path,
unaware that they had broken all of his ‘laws’. One by one he
observed them, the large spider, not really a threat, the small
passenger, harmless to him, the small blue and green bird, barely a
snack, and of course, the little girl, harmless, but good eating.
She would last a good few days.

As they finally passed him by, he stepped
calmly out of the shadows and stood behind them.

“Isn’t it a beautiful evening”? the tiger
said menacingly. “Just out for a little stroll are we”?

Emily turned round sharply and found herself
face to face with a very large tiger. The tiger was big, big and
orange with black stripes and as it spoke, ‘Little Em’ could see
its teeth, big, white and sharp!

“Well, answer me” said the tiger in an
extremely well spoken manner. “All I asked was what a wonderful
evening it is for a stroll through my jungle”.

“Your jungle, your jungle, are you kidding,
you giant walking rug. It ‘aint your jungle” said Bird heatedly,
who was really just getting going, when Emily spoke up.

“Pardon us Sir”, she said softly, “but we are
on an important journey and we really must be on our way”.

“But of course, I wouldn’t dream of holding
you up, wouldn’t dream of it at all, my dear child” said the
tiger.

Emily turned to leave and continue on their
mission.

“There is one teensey weensey problem,
however. I am sure you will understand”? The tiger softly purred to
himself.

“Don’t trust him Emily” shouted Bird “let’s
just go quickly and leave him alone”.

“Not so fast my little flying entrée”, smiled
the tiger, suspiciously, “my problem, or should I say, your
problem, is lunch. You see, I haven’t had any and you appear to be
IT”!

Goliath whispered to Bes to go to Emily,
which she did very quickly. “Now listen here Mr Tiger” he said.

“Mr Tiger, Mr Tiger? Oh, I say, do call me
Stripe dear fellow, and please, do carry on. The pleadings of the
buffet can be really, quite amusing”. Stripe sat back and grinned
to himself while his tail flicked aimlessly behind him.

“Well, Mr Stripe, you harm any of my friends
and I will be most cross” Goliath stated.

“Yeh, and me too” Bird piped up. “Don’t go
messing with us now, I’m telling you”.

“Oh, do stop it” Stripe said almost giggling
to himself, “lunch is never meant to answer back”.

Stripe moved closer to Emily and sniffed. He
started to circle the little band of friends. As he walked past
‘Little Em’, Bes jumped onto his back. “Big fur ball, I’ll teach
him” she said as she quickly crawled up the tigers back towards his
head.

“I think that I shall start with you”, Stripe
moved towards Goliath and raised his paw to strike.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you”, rang the
tiny voice, clear in Stripes’ ear. Bes had crawled in there very
quickly. “I am going to bite you now and then crawl further into
your ear and drive you mad”. Bes sank her two little fangs into the
soft skin inside Stripes’ ear!

Stripe let out a massive roar and fell to the
ground wailing in pain. The noise was deafening!

“What happened”? screamed Emily. “Bes,
where’s Bes”?

Emily started to scour the ground in search
of Bes.

“Goliath, where is she”? Emily was
frantic.

There was a flash of blue and green as Bird
flew towards Stripe. He swooped at the Tiger’s head, just missing a
giant paw flailing around as the tiger writhed in agony.

He picked up Bes, who was waiting at the
opening of the tiger’s ear. “Got you” said Bird as he climbed high
into the sky. “You’re a brave little bug. Mad, but brave. I’m very
impressed. Bug on a rug! I never liked tigers much anyway”.

“Thanks for the lift” said Bes as they flew
down towards ‘Little Em’, who had had the sense to run away as soon
as Stripe had started to wail and she had realized that Bird had
rescued Bes.

Goliath held on to ‘Em’s’ monkey rucksack
with a vengeance as she ran as fast as her legs would carry
her.

“Are we safe yet”? ‘Em’ panted, after she had
been running for what seemed like hours.

“Yes, yes, I think so Emily” said Goliath as
he jumped down to the floor.

Bird landed on ‘Little Em’s’ shoulder. “Man,
that was close. This is one hell of a courageous little bug”!

Bes spat on the floor. “Yuk, I had a tiger
hair in my mouth”!

The troop of monkey’s had been watching all
of this with great delight. Even though they worked for Stripe,
this could not be missed. Any opportunity to see him come undone
was priceless. However, they knew what had to be done, so they
would wait and watch until they could get the little girl. The one
that their master, Stripe, wanted and they would deliver her to
him.

And so they waited, high up in the trees, and
watched, as the four friends walked along and ate ‘Little Em’s’
sweets and spoke of various things.

After traveling a little further, they all
decided that they were exhausted and that they should try and get
some sleep. So they all curled up on the floor of the jungle. They
all slept well, dreaming. Emily dreamed of home, Bes dreamed of his
family and Bird lay on his back and twitched. Goliath, however,
didn’t sleep. He kept watch, and as he had before, listened out for
any strange noise.

It happened just as the sun was rising over
the trees. The Proboscus monkeys had formed a chain, hanging from
the trees, dropping closer and closer, silent and ready to grab
Emily as she slept. The last monkey in the chain slowly placed his
hand around Emily’s arm. “Now” he shouted.

“Little Em’ opened her eyes, only to see the
face of a grinning monkey. Just as the chain of monkey’s began to
recoil Emily screamed “Aargh”! “Goliath, help”!

The three friends woke up to see Emily
disappearing into the trees above.

“She’s gone” cried Bes, “Bird, quickly, lift
me, follow her”.

Bird picked up Bes and flew off in the
direction that she had seen the monkey’s go.

“Emily, Emily” they all screamed.

Goliath started to climb the nearest tree.
“Wait for me” he shouted in his deep, low voice.

Up and up Bird flew, carrying Bes up into the
tree canopy, eventually breaking through into the open.

“Can you see her Bird” asked Bes
desperately.

“Yes, yes I can. I never took my eyes off
her. Those big nose bags of fluff have her. Look, they’re heading
over there to the river. Oi, big nose, let her go”! Bird shouted to
one of the monkey’s holding Emily.

Goliath heard this and started back down the
tree. “Must get to the river. Curse those monkeys” he said to
himself.

Bird watched the monkeys carry ‘Little Em’ to
a large rock that was over-hanging the fast flowing river. As he
watched the monkeys set her down, he saw a sight that he hoped he
would never see ever again.

“So nice to have your company again my dear”
said Stripe, as he sat up from where he had been sleeping.

He looked at Emily’s bag, that was still on
her back, and turned to the monkeys. “A member of you family, I
presume. It must be nice to see them do so well for
themselves”.

“We did what you asked us Sir”. The excited
monkey jittered and jumped. “Ok, Ok”?

“Yes, yes, my moronic little helpers. Now be
on your way. I have a luncheon appointment and I don’t wish to keep
her waiting”.

Stripe glared at the monkeys, who immediately
scattered.

“Ah, Emily, Emily. What a delightful fate it
is that we should meet again, and at my favourite restaurant as
well. I do hope that those foolish creatures didn’t harm you. I do
so detest bruised meat”!

“Why don’t you pick on someone your own size,
you stripey creep”? ‘Em’ shouted.

“Oh, how charming, my dear, I do pick on all
sizes, but today I particularly fancied some table service, and
look what the dumb waiters brought me”. Stripe moved closer to
Emily and she backed away quickly, getting closer and closer to the
edge of the cliff.

“Oh, don’t be difficult” said Stripe, “I
promise you I won’t feel a thing”.

However, Emily had made up her mind. As she
jumped she saw Bird and Bes flying just above her.

“Nooooo” screamed Bird.

“Just follow her” shouted Bes, “don’t you
lose her, don’t you dare lose her”.

“I won’t” said Bird, and he flew as close to
the water as possible.

Stripe walked to the edge of the rock and
looked into the river below. “Oh bother” he said, and he settled
back down to sleep.

The river was deep and powerful. ‘Little Em’
was struggling to keep her head above the water as she was swept
downstream.