“Nathan, don’t you dare take another step.” Mum’s voice sounded really strange. Kind of gurgly and gaspy. “Did you do this?” From the look on Mum’s face she already knew the answer.
Nathan nodded slowly.
“You will get rid of every insect in this kitchen if it takes you the rest of your life!” Mum looked like a volcano on the verge of exploding. “And then you will scrub the work surfaces, the cupboard doors and the kitchen floor until they are spotless. Do you understand?”
Nathan nodded.
“DO YOU UNDERSTAND?”
“Yes, Mum.”
Nathan nodded faster this time.
“I’m going upstairs . . .”
Mum lifted her foot so that the worm next to it couldn’t crawl over her slipper. “I am going upstairs to have a long shower and wash my hair. When I come back down, I want this kitchen the way I left it an hour ago.”
Mum tiptoed out of the kitchen, doing her best to avoid each and every creepy-crawly. When she reached the hall she turned to Nathan, gave him a furious look, and slammed the door shut behind her.
Spiders are . . . Necessary
“My fingers ache. My arms ache. My back aches,” Nathan complained. “There’s only a single hair at the top of my head which doesn’t ache.”
I’d eaten as many creatures as I could, but even I couldn’t finish all of them.
“Never mind your aches and pains,” I told him. “What’re we going to do?”
Nathan sighed. “After all these insects in the kitchen, Mum probably hates the idea of having a spider in the house even more now.”
“I’m not an insect,” I said, indignantly. “For one thing, insects have six legs and I have eight.”
“I know you’re an arachnid, not an insect,” Nathan continued, “but as far as Mum’s concerned, you creep-crawl about which makes you a creepy-crawly.”
Nathan finally got rid of the rest of the insects and trudged upstairs to his bedroom. His mum had already had three showers and we could hear the shower in the bathroom starting up again.
“Come on, Nathan. Think!” I told him.
“Come on, Nathan. Think!” Nathan told himself.
And we both sat there on Nathan’s bed, desperately trying to come up with another plan. Time passed and neither of us had come up with a single thing. The handle on the bedroom door turned. Nathan only just had time to hide me between the headboard and the pillow before his mum came into the room. She stood there, rubbing her wet hair with a towel.
“Shelby, Nadine and I are going to the park,” she said. “If you promise to behave yourself you can come with us.”
“I promise,” Nathan said at once.
“We’ll set off in about half an hour,” said Nathan’s mum. “See if you can keep out of trouble until then.”
And with that she left the room.
“What I need to do is persuade Mum that she can’t do without you,” Nathan said slowly.
“You tried that, remember?” I told him.
“Let me have another crack at her.” Nathan leaped off his bed. “I’ll take you out as far as the landing so that you can listen, but you’ve got to stay upstairs and out of sight.”
Nathan took me out to the landing and left me at the top of the stairs. He ran down to the living room. No way was I going to stay put. I should be down there, in the thick of things, I decided. So I made my way downstairs.
“Mum, please can I have a tarantula?” Nathan asked.
I sighed. Couldn’t he be a bit more subtle about it?
“Nathan, after what you just did I wouldn’t even let you have a toy spider. I wouldn’t even let you have a drawing of a spider,” his mum fumed.
“Oh please, Mum. I promise you wouldn’t even see it. I’d keep it in my bedroom in a proper cage.”
“I do go in there occasionally to tidy the place,” Mum sniffed.
“I’d keep it under the bed until I got home from school,” Nathan persisted.
“Nathan, you must be nuts! There is no way in the world I’m going to let you keep a giant spider in this house,” his mum replied.
“But Mum, tarantulas aren’t like ordinary spiders . . .” Nathan began.
“No, they’re bigger!” said Shelby.
Nathan’s mum raised her eyebrows. “They have eight legs and they spin webs and they creep and crawl about, don’t they?”
“Tarantulas don’t use webs to catch bugs for their dinner! They hunt their food and spin lovely silk nests as their homes, that’s all,” said Nathan.
I walked to the doorway and looked in.
“So how do they catch their food?” Shelby asked.
Nathan glared at his sister. I could see he was irritated. He was trying to persuade his mum to let him get a tarantula. He didn’t want Shelby putting in her two pence worth.
“If you must know, they hunt for their food. They lie in wait in burrows or go out searching for small mammals and insects and birds,” Nathan explained.
“Aren’t tarantulas poisonous?” Shelby asked, suspiciously.
“They’re venomous, not poisonous, but their venom doesn’t kill humans,” Nathan said.
“Venomous!” Mum exclaimed. “What if it bit Nadine?”
“Spiders very rarely bite people. Besides, Mum, spiders are necessary. Insects would take over the world if it wasn’t for spiders. Think of all the insects in the house they eat up. You hate flies and woodlice and stuff in the house,” Nathan tried.
“I also hate spiders in the house. Remember?” Mum said. “Wait a minute! Is that the reason I had all those creepy, nasty, ugly things in my kitchen?”
Nathan didn’t answer. I wondered if maybe now was a good time to beat a hasty retreat. I looked around. Nadine sat in her stroller by the front door, busy counting her toes.
“So that’s what all that nonsense was about!” Mum said, crossly. “Was I meant to scream for a spider to get rid of all those creepy-crawlies and then you’d rush straight out to the pet shop and buy one?”
It was definitely time to leave.
“Or did you have a spider closer to hand?” Nathan’s mum asked softly.
Nathan nodded slowly.
“Where is it, Nathan?” his mum asked.
“She’s upstairs on the landing,” Nathan admitted.
‘And what kind of spider are we talking about?” asked his mum.
“A . . . tarantula. Called Fangs.”
‘AARRGGGHHH!” Shelby jumped up and stood on the sofa, hopping from foot to foot.
Nadine and I looked at each other and shook our heads. What a big fuss about nothing! But now that Shelby and her mum knew about me, they wouldn’t rest until I was out of the house by the most painful route possible.
“Nathan, go and get that spider now,” his mum ordered. “And I’ll be right behind you to make sure that you do.”
“I’m not moving from this sofa until that spider is out of the house,” screamed Shelby. Anyone would think I ate people from the way she was carrying on.
Nathan and his mum came out of the living room. I had to get out of that house before Nathan’s mum found me. But how? How?
Spiders are . . . Brave
Nadine held me in her hands and stroked my back, but she didn’t have my full attention. I watched Nathan run upstairs, followed a few stairs behind by his mum. He came to an abrupt stop when he got to the landing.
“She’s gone!”
“What d’you mean ‘she’s gone!’?”
“I left Fangs right here.” Nathan pointed to the top of the stairs. “And I told her not to move. But don’t worry, Mum, she’s very tame and friendly and she wouldn’t hurt anyone.”
“I am going to the park with Shelby and Nadine.” Nathan’s mum’s voice was as hard as flint. “When I get back I want to see your . . . spider in a jar with the lid firmly screwed on so that I can get rid of it myself.”
“But, Mum . . .”
“No buts.” Nathan’s mum waved aside his objection.
“Catch that spider and have it ready for me to get rid of. You are in serious trouble already, Nathan. Don’t make it worse. I want that spider.”
Nathan’s mum marched downstairs and grabbed her jacket off a coat peg by the door. I crawled out of Nadine’s hand and moved deeper down into her stroller until Nadine was practically sitting on me. But I reckoned being sat on was better than being found by her mum.
“Shelby, come on. We’re going out,” Nathan’s mum called.
Shelby came running out of the living room like a ballet dancer on tiptoes. She grabbed her jacket and was out of the front door before you could say ‘I hate spiders!’ Nathan’s mum wheeled the stroller out of the house, saying to Nathan, “Find that spider!”
Nathan’s mum pushed Nadine and me down the garden path with Shelby in front of us. I was still wondering how on earth I was going to escape without Nathan’s mum spotting me and jumping up and down on me, when all of a sudden I heard the sound of angry yelping.
I risked crawling out from behind Nadine to peep out of the stroller – and what I saw made my blood run icy cold.
A pit-bull terrier was charging towards us and it was in a real rage. I saw why at once. Flying just behind the enraged dog was a wasp. The pit-bull and the wasp had got into a fight and, from the look of it, the wasp was winning. From the mad look on the pit-bull’s face, he’d been stung, and now he was heading straight for us . . .
Shelby screamed and hid behind her mum. Her mum tried to move Nadine’s stroller out of the way but it was as if all her fingers had suddenly become thumbs and the stroller had taken on a life of its own and refused to move. The pit-bull terrier was still charging in our direction. I crawled up Nadine’s shoulder. Nadine was bawling. She could see the dog coming and she was terrified. I couldn’t blame her. That pit-bull was howling mad and wanted to lash out. It wanted to sink its teeth into the first thing in its path which, unfortunately, was Nadine. It came closer and closer, baring its teeth. Nadine’s mum tried to get in front of the stroller but her cardigan got caught up in one of the handles. I could feel her trying to swing the stroller around, but she couldn’t. Meanwhile, the pit-bull had only one thing on its mind – biting Nadine. I scampered on top of Nadine’s head. The pit-bull was only half a metre away. I thought I heard Nathan’s voice but I had to concentrate on the pit-bull. No way was that dog going to get to Nadine. I had to time this exactly right.
The pit-bull opened its mouth wider. I jumped onto its face and ran up to the top of his head. The pit-bull obviously agreed with Nathan’s mum when it came to big spiders. Terrified, it veered to the left and crashed into Nathan’s mum’s garden wall.
The dog collapsed in a dazed heap as his head hit the bricks, and I scurried over to the stroller. Nadine scooped me up and hugged me to her. I could hardly breathe, but I didn’t mind.
“Nadine, let it go. Give it to Mummy.” Nathan’s mum tried to take me out of her hands but Nadine started howling.
By this time we were surrounded by people, and a man from the next-door house ran out saying, “It’s OK. I’ve called the police and the RSPCA.”
Nathan came running over as well. It was total chaos!
“Nathan, is that your tarantula? Get rid of it – NOW!” Nathan’s mum screamed at him. “It’s going to harm Nadine.”
“No, she isn’t,” Nathan protested. “In fact, Fangs just saved Nadine from that dog. I saw it all from my bedroom window.”
“That’s true, Mum.” To my surprise, even Shelby was on my side. “If it wasn’t for Fangs . . .”
“Fans! Fans!” said Nadine, hugging me tighter.
By this time an RSPCA van had pulled up next to us and the man and woman who came out were busy muzzling the dog, who was still in a daze.
“Mum, please let Fangella stay. She wouldn’t hurt a fly,” Nathan pleaded.
His mum raised her eyebrows.
“Well, maybe a fly,” Nathan admitted. “But she wouldn’t hurt any of us. Please can we keep her. Please?”
“Shelby?” Nathan’s mum asked.
Shelby frowned. She looked from me to Nathan and back again. “I don’t want it in my bedroom or anywhere where I could trip over it.”
“Neither do I,” said Nathan’s mum. “All right, Nathan. You can keep your spider – but only on one condition.”
“Yes, Mum!” Nathan said at once.
“Hold on. You haven’t heard the condition yet.” Nathan’s mum smiled. “Your spider has to live at the bottom of the garden. You can build a place for it to feed and sleep and it can run around the garden when I’m not there! Is it a deal?”
“Yes, Mum,” Nathan said, beaming.
And he wasn’t the only one who was grinning. I was going to stay outside. I’d see the stars and the sky and the moon and the sun again. Yippee! Nathan managed to prise me away from his sister’s grasp, and I gave him one of my cheesy, fangy grins.
“Well done, Fangs!” he said. “See, Mum! Not only are spiders beautiful, amazing, useful and necessary, but Fangs is the bravest spider of them all!”
And I wasn’t about to argue!
• Fangs is a tarantula; tarantulas are particularly big and hairy arachnids (spiders) which are found in the wild in the United States, South and Central America, throughout Africa, Asia and all over Australia. Some species of tarantula are found in parts of southern Europe too.
• The biggest known spider in the world is the goliath birdeater: a kind of tarantula with a leg span (from the end of the front right leg to the end of the back left leg) of up to 28 centimetres and which can weigh over 170 grams, about as much as a Frisbee! Despite their name, goliath birdeaters mainly eat earthworms.
• There are over 800 known species of tarantula – the most recently discovered was a giant tarantula found in Sri Lanka in 2013.
• Tarantulas can look a bit scary with their large bodies and long, hairy legs, but most tarantula are harmless to humans – the venom in their fangs is weaker than the venom in a bee sting.
• When tarantulas are threatened, to defend themselves they can flick urticating bristles – hairs which cause irritation – at the face of a predator.
• As they grow, tarantulas moult – they shed their hardened outer layer which gives their body strength and shape. It is in this way that they can replace their urticating bristles and even any legs they may have lost!
• Unlike smaller spiders, tarantulas don’t use webs as traps, but instead hunt and ambush their prey.
• Tarantulas mainly eat insects but the biggest tarantulas hunt other animals like lizards, mice, birds and even small snakes!
• Although tarantulas don’t make webs in the same way that house spiders do, they do spin silk which they use to line their burrows and protect their eggs.
• As is true for many creatures, several species of tarantula are endangered because human activities like cutting down forests have led to the loss of their natural habitat. We must work hard to protect the environment to make sure that these amazing creatures can continue to flourish in the wild.
About the Author
Malorie Blackman has written over sixty books and is acknowledged as one of today’s most imaginative and convincing writers for young readers. She has been awarded numerous prizes for her work, including the Red House Children’s Book Award and the Fantastic Fiction Award. Malorie has also been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. In 2005 she was honoured with the Eleanor Farjeon Award in recognition of her contribution to children’s books, and in 2008 she received an OBE for her services to children’s literature. She has been described by The Times as ‘a national treasure’. Malorie Blackman is the Children’s Laureate 2013–15.
Also by Malorie Blackman
The NOUGHTS & CROSSES sequence:
NOUGHTS & CROSSES
KNIFE EDGE
CHECKMATE
DOUBLE CROSS
NOBLE CONFLICT
BOYS DON’T CRY
THE STUFF OF NIGHTMARES
TRUST
ME
PIG-HEART BOY
HACKER
A.N.T.I.D.O.T.E.
THIEF!
DANGEROUS REALITY
THE DEADLY DARE MYSTERIES
DEAD GORGEOUS
UNHEARD VOICES
(A collection of short stories and poems, collected by Malorie Blackman)
LOVE HURTS
(A collection of short stories and extracts, edited by Malorie Blackman)
For younger readers:
CLOUD BUSTING
OPERATION GADGETMAN!
WHIZZIWIG and WHIZZIWIG RETURNS
GIRL WONDER AND THE TERRIFIC TWINS
GIRL WONDER TO THE RESCUE
GIRL WONDER’S WINTER ADVENTURES
BETSEY BIGGALOW IS HERE!
BETSEY BIGGALOW THE DETECTIVE
BETSEY’S BIRTHDAY SURPRISE
HURRICANE BETSEY
MAGIC BETSEY
For beginner readers:
JACK SWEETTOOTH
SNOW DOG
SPACE RACE
THE MONSTER CRISP-GUZZLER
FANGS
AN RHCP DIGITAL EBOOK 978 1 448 19479 7
Published in Great Britain by RHCP Digital,
an imprint of Random House Children’s Publishers UK
A Penguin Random House Company
This ebook edition published 2015
Copyright © Oneta Malorie Blackman, 1998
Illustrations copyright © Jamie Smith, 2015
First Published in Great Britain
Orchard Books 978 1 860 39734 9 1998
The right of Malorie Blackman to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorized distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.