The Spider

Once upon a time, the boy came across a spider. The spider wasted no time and buried her fangs near the boy's heart. The boy jumped backwards and swatted at his chest attempting to squash the spider. Removing his hands, the spider was no longer there. She had jumped away and disappeared.

There was something familiar about that spider, the boy thought to himself. He looked at the wound left by the spider. It wasn't too bad, a little red and swollen, and it still stung. He hoped the spider wasn't poisonous and continued on his journey.

It didn't take long for the boy's chest to hurt. He examined the wound more closely. It hadn't closed, and much of his chest was red and swollen. He decided he better find some help before things got worse.

After a couple days of journeying without finding help, the wound was festering and the boy couldn't go any further. He was too tired, too hurt, and emotionally drained. The boy curled up in a ball and slept.

He dreamed of past pain. The girl was there, but the girl was different. She had eight legs and beady, button eyes . He fled from the monstrosity, but everywhere he ran she was there. She tormented him and trapped him in her web. Words of how she cared would drip from her mouth laced with venom. Each word dripped onto his chest. Eroding away flesh. Eroding away muscle. Eroding away bone. And, eventually eroding away his heart.

Days passed and the boy awoke crying, clutching his chest. When he looked at his chest the wound was no longer there. Near where the boy slept was a twisted, melted lump of copper resembling a heart. The boy felt hollow inside. With a big sigh, he got to his feet and continued his journey.