The Bone Magician (26 page)

‘Very well, if that is your wish,’ said the toad, goodnaturedly.

‘And once you have recovered my silver apple,’ said the princess, ‘then that will be the end of it?’

The toad cocked its head to one side. ‘I ask only one thing,’ it said, ‘in return for my help.’

‘And
that is?’ The princess looked surprised. After all, what favour could she possibly do the toad?

‘As soon as the apple is in your hands, you must kiss me.’

The princess could hardly keep the look of disgust from her face, but such was her desire for the apple that she agreed all the same. So
she closed her eyes, picked up the toad, all the time grimacing, and dropped it quite harshly into the bucket before lowering it into the well.

‘I have it,’ called the toad from the bottom of the well, and the princess began to pull up the bucket. As it came nearer
and nearer she regretted her rash promise and cruelly let the bucket go. It rattled all the way down and hit the water with a loud splash. The princess ignored the toad’s cries and ran back to the castle.

That night there was a terrible storm with torrential rain. The next morning the princess went back to the rose garden as usual, but
when she saw the well she gasped, for it was overflowing with water and there, sitting on the grass, was the toad with the silver apple between its feet.

‘The rain has lifted me out of the well,’ he said. ‘It was so unfortunate that you dropped the bucket
yesterday.’

The
princess, sensitive to the toad’s good nature, felt dreadful remorse at the way she had treated him.

‘Would you like the silver apple?’

‘I would indeed,’ she said, ‘but first I must do something for you.’ She bent down and kissed him gently on the
cheek. And lo and behold when she opened her eyes again the toad was gone, and in his place stood a handsome prince.

Pholcus phalangoides

Also known as the daddy-long-legs spider,
Pholcus
usually remains perfectly
still in its web during the day. When disturbed, however, it shakes itself vigorously up and down, causing the web to vibrate along with it, to ward off predators.
Pholcus
’s long legs are an advantage
because they allow the spider to keep well away from dangerous prey while simultaneously flicking spinnerets at it to bind it up.
Pholcus
feeds on insects and other spiders, even its own kind. At night the males
search out females and make their presence known by gently vibrating the web. Initially the hatched spiderlings stay around the mother’s web, but as they grow they move away to avoid being eaten by their siblings.