Steve lingered in the threshold of the office building. He was leaving work at 8pm and it was raining heavily. He was considering calling a taxi, but after a long day sitting at a desk he wanted nothing more than to stretch his legs. He stepped out into the rain, unfolding his umbrella ahead of him. The rain pattered against the nylon fabric of the umbrella. As he walked, he thought about the kind of car he would get once he had saved up enough money. There were twelve blocks between the office and his apartment and he didn't mind walking. The only problem with his limited means of transportation was that he was unable to easily visit family and friends. Although he received occasional visits from relatives, it was not easy to entertain guests in his tiny apartment.
As he walked, he passed by a covered bus stop. A woman stood underneath it, she called out to him. Excuse me sir, she called to him. He turned to look at the woman. She was shorter than him, her pale skin seemed to reflect the low light of the streetlamps and made her stand out more vividly in the darkness. She had long black hair and dark red lips. Clutched to her chest, she held a baby, bundled up in a white blanket as to shelter it from the rain. Please, she spoke again, I think we missed our bus, it's getting late and I'm not sure if the next one is coming. We live a few blocks that way, she motioned in the direction he had been walking. Could we walk under your umbrella with you, she asked, I don't want my baby to get wet. Steve agreed, and motioned that there was room under the umbrella for her to join him. Thank you, she exclaimed.
They walked for a while, in silence at first. Then she spoke. So, she asked, what do you do for work? Steve explained that he was an assistant lawyer working at a firm. She was silent for a moment. My husband was a lawyer, she said. He passed away, she added. Steve wasn't sure what to say, I'm sorry, he stated at a lack of words. Don't be, she smiled and looked up at him. Do you like your job, she asked? To be honest, I thought I would be doing something more important with my life, Steve said. When I was in college I never imagined that I would end up at some desk job taking care of paperwork. Hmm, she said thoughtfully, as if she was considering something. Who knows, she she said, perhaps your destiny will change. Steve smiled and shrugged. Is your house coming up soon, he asked? It's just a little bit further up this way, she said, gesturing ahead.
The walked a bit further. Suddenly she stumbled but caught herself. Oops, she exclaimed, it looks like my shoe came untied. She looked down, then back at her child. She wrinkled her eyebrows and looked up at Steve. Please, she asked, could you hold him while I tie my shoe? Sure, said Steve, holding his arms awkwardly forward. She smiled, taking each of his hand and positioning them carefully around the small white bundle. It was soft and warm, and he could feel it move as the child breathed in and out. He glanced around awkwardly, before looking back down at what she had handed him. The blanket was wrapped so closely he couldn't see the child's face. The question flashed into his mind, could the child breathe alright in there? Suddenly he noticed how strange the material the blanket was made out of felt. It was soft like silk but as he repositioned his hands it stuck to him in small fine threads. He pulled his hand away, watching as the threads clung to it. What is this, he asked, turning to the woman. She was gone. He turned looking around, she had been there just a moment ago, where could she have gone? Did she just abandon her child with him?
Suddenly, he felt a small sting on his arm. He glanced down but saw nothing. Then he felt another, and another. He winced, and pulled his hand up to his face. On his arm he saw a small group of tiny spiders. He shook his arm, holding the baby bundled in the other. He glanced down and saw a small tear in the blanket the baby was wrapped up in. Instead of a child curled up inside he saw only blackness. Then it moved. The blackness shifted as the silk bundle he was holding split open and thousands of tiny spiders poured out. He screamed as they covered him, crawling into the seams of his suit and biting him. He tried frantically to wave them off but they clung to him and continued biting. He felt sick to his stomach as his knees wobbled and his legs collapsed underneath him. Steve fell to the ground, motionless. His eyes stared forward, alive, but unable to move as he was slowly engulfed by the spiders.
No comments:
Post a Comment