The robed man bowled into John from the side, nearly knocking him from his feet. After a brief scuffle while righting themselves the man ran into the far jungle. “See? He has the right idea!” said John.
The spiders hesitated for a moment, then streamed into the jungle after the man. “How strange,” said Julia.
“They must've had just about enough of me,” said John with a smile. After watching the jungle for a moment more, listening to the receding clicks and clacks of the swarm of spiders, the pair shrugged and hurried back toward the mansion.
***
The pirate heard the rustle of a massive amount of the large spiders. He stepped out of the jungle into a narrow alley between two leaning wooden buildings. A few people were in the alley, trying to push past him into the jungle he just left. He pulled his robe a little closer and looked out into the main street, seeing the man and woman there, readying knives and a shoe and crouching slightly, getting ready to fight.
A spider jumped on the man and he slashed it away. The pirate reached into his pocket once again to reassure himself. Another spider jumped, dodged by the man, landing on the lady. The man spun and knifed it then tossed it to the ground.
The pirate hurried into the street, running up against the man, grabbing him to hold him steady to keep him from falling. In the confusion the pirate took his hand from his own pocket, slipped it into the man's pocket, then pulled it free again. Then, with one more glance at the spiders, pressed on for the jungle across the lane.
As the trees and rubbery foliage closed around him, as he heard the sudden stillness of the spiders, he lifted his hand to the fading light filtering from above. Dangling from his fingers was a necklace of shells and light blue stones. Old, dirty, slightly chipped. It looked almost identical to the one he had been carrying in his pocket just moments before. The one he left in the pocket of the man, to replace this, the one that hung from his fingers, glowing dully in the fading rays.
The man had been out exploring a few days ago and entered an unusual cave he found on the far side of the island. In his vest, hanging just slightly over the lip of his vest pocket, was a necklace he had found in the market and bought for the lady.
The cave was full of old treasure. Chests heaped with gold. Jewelry of all shapes and sizes. So much so the inside of the cave shimmered with light, reflecting from all the gold and gems, despite only meager sunshine filtering in through the cave mouth and the dust and dirt covering the gold.
On the far side of the cave atop a pedestal sat the cave's real treasure. This necklace, the one the pirate now held. It wasn't so much a necklace as it was a talisman, a seal. It's what kept the spiders of the island restrained. If ever the talisman was moved, the spiders would surge forth, following its power and overrunning the island.
While the man had leaned over to inspect it more closely, he slipped on some piled coins and the necklace from his vest pocket spilled out onto the pedestal, knocking both the necklace and the talisman to the ground. The man snatched up what he thought was the necklace, pocketed a few coins in what carrying space he had, and left the cave. Unknowingly, he had picked up the talisman. The spiders had roused just the next day.
Luckily, he hadn't worked up the nerve to give the necklace to the lady yet, so it sat in his pocket until the pirate took it, replacing it with the original harmless bauble the man had bought. Also luckily, an old warlock had placed something of a contingency plan on the talisman, so that if it were removed and the spiders set free, the old pirate would also rise and seek it out, to retrieve it and set the island at peace once more. More lucky for the island than for the pirate, he mused.
The rustling of spiders grew loud as they entered the jungle behind. He shoved the talisman firmly into his pocket and made his way for the cave. He could finally get back to his sleep.
***
Julia and John sat at the governor's table for dinner. The spread before them was fine and rich.
“It sure has been quiet,” said Julia.
“Yeah. It's weird how those spiders just took off. Not that I'm complaining, mind you,” said John while spearing some roast pork with his knife.
“Well,” said the governor, fluttering his pale hands, “I'm just glad they're gone, whatever the cause.”
Suddenly John leapt to his feet, pointing, and shouted, “A spider!” The governor shrieked and fainted. A small spider, no larger than a coin, scuttled across the table. John smiled and sat back down, taking a bite of his pork. “You know, I might get to like it here after all.”
###
About the Author
Salubrious Farlight hails from another planet, in another star system. He's a galactic traveler that's gained many stories from throughout the cosmos. He's found Earth pleasing in a backwards sort of way and has decided to stay and share his stories. You can connect with him on Twitter at @SFarlight or at his website https://thecosmicwriter.blogspot.com. You can also find him on Google+, if you look hard enough.
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