A fidus Aranea
Kevin L. O'Brien
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Text Copyright 2013 by Kevin L. O'Brien
Cover design and typography copyright 2014 by Kevin L. O'Brien
Trajan Pro font distributed under an end user license by Carol Twombly and Adobe
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License Notes
Please consider writing a review for this book on the retailer's website.
If you see any misspellings or typographical errors, please notify Kevin L. O'Brien using one of his online social networks. Thank you.
First printed 2008 in Help (Lulu)
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents, including those based on the real world, are either products of the imagination of Kevin L. O'Brien or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Because some ebook platforms do not support special characters, certain words may appear misspelled, but this was done deliberately to avoid the problem of the platforms deleting the characters. Also, the LRF platform used by older models of the Sony Reader does not permit the use of links to external URLs, whereas the PDB platform used by Palm reading devices does not support any form of linking whatsoever.
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Table of Contents
Preface
A fidus Aranea
About the Author
Other Books by Kevin L. O'Brien
Connect with Kevin L. O'Brien
Sample Excerpts
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Preface
The faith of children is proverbial. If a child trusts you, you can tell her anything and she will believe you even if others tell her you're wrong. And this trust can sometimes be easily granted. For example, a beloved story becomes a gospel that rivals that of the Bible. It will even extend to personal experience. Once a child convinces herself something is true based on her own observation, she will hold to that belief regardless of the evidence arrayed against it, until her trust is betrayed.
This faith can produce over-confidence, which in turn can make a child brave beyond her years. This can lead to disaster if her faith is misplaced, but, as an old saying claims, fate protects little children, along with fools and ships named Enterprise ["Contagion", Season 2, Episode 11, Star Trek: The Next Generation].
By the way, the title is Latin (based on a fidus Achates), and is meant to translate to "faithful spider".
Back to TOC
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Wendy thought doing magic was supposed to be difficult. From the way her Uncle Timothy had described it, it sounded like it took years of study and practice to get even simple spells right. But she did one right the first time without knowing anything about it. All she had to do was draw the web-design on the cement floor of the basement, stand in the open center, and repeat the simple phrase, "Fun-gluey miggle-naffle Atlash-Nacha Voormit-adret wagga-naggle fatagen!" And the next thing she knew, she was standing on a ledge overlooking a huge, bottomless chasm.
She wasn't scared, not exactly; after all, she was eight going on nine, a very brave age. But she was a bit cold (all she had on was her nightie, and a cool breeze was blowing) and she felt anxious. Luckily she had had the foresight to bring her best friend with her for comfort and support, and she hugged Sheba Cat closer to her chest.
It was very dark, so dark she couldn't see more than a dozen feet around her. It was enough, however, for her to see the abyss yawning in front of her, and the rock wall behind her stretching off into the air above her. And there was something else, something away in the distance, something that glowed and glittered like a bridge covered in Christmas tree lights. She stood admiring it for some minutes, until her curiosity overcame her anxiety and she started towards it.
How long she walked she couldn't be sure, but it seemed like a long time. Eventually, however, she got close enough to see that the bridge stretched across the chasm and was made from a huge spider web, except that it was unlike any sort of web she had ever seen. The strands looked like they were made of glass, and they glowed with an inner light like a weak light bulb. Though the main structure was still some ways off, support struts had been secured to the ledge and the wall very close by, and she reached out and touched one of them. It felt smooth and hard, just like a metal tube, and surprisingly warm. Yet it also swayed slightly in the breeze that blew through the chasm.
Even as she turned back towards the bridge, she became aware of an approaching presence. Soon it emerged from the gloom ahead. It looked like a spider, but it was gargantuan; its head alone was as big around as she was tall, while its bloated, sack-like body was larger than several trucks. It was covered front to back with red, black, and purple horny plates, so it appeared to be like an armored tank on stilts, yet the legs seemed almost too thin to support its massive bulk, and they ended in tiny, delicate-looking feet made of a pad surrounded by finger-like claws. But the head was the most intriguing part of the whole being. It wasn't part of the thorax as in regular spiders, but was attached to it by a short, thick neck. It was block-shaped, but somewhat rounded, and the points were drawn out so they looked like horns. And it had a man-like face, with two huge, forward-staring eyes with pupils, two miniscule nostrils below them on a short ridge, and a wide, lipless mouth from which protruded numerous fangs.
She stood very still as it approached, more fascinated than afraid. For its part, the spider came right up to her until its massive head was no more than a couple of feet away. Its eyes were fixed on her, as if it too were fascinated. But it suddenly stopped. It closed its eyes and shook its head, as if it had a very painful headache. Then it backed up a step or two before opening its eyes again.
"Are you okay?"
When it spoke, the spider's voice was very deep and it echoed like thunder. "Who are you?"
"My name's Wendy; are you Mr. Atlach-Nacha?"
"I am he whom men have named Atlach-Nacha. Why have you come to me?"
"My Uncle Timothy said that you could help me."
"Who is this 'Uncle Timothy' who sent you?"
"Timothy Stroud, my father's brother."
Atlach-Nacha seemed to recognize the name. It also managed to look very confused. "He sent you to me, his own brother's daughter?"
"No, sir, I came on my own. I need your help, Mr. Nacha. I'm afraid for my Mom."
"How did you come to me?"
"I used one of his spells, that I found in his book."
"He told you to use it?"
She blushed, chagrined. "No, Mr. Nacha, he told me never to touch his book."
"Then why did you disobey him?"
"He was going to ask your help to protect me and Mom from Eric, but he got hurt and sent to the hospital before he could. So I took his book from his room and found the spell which would send me to you."
"You have been very foolish; it could have been your doom."
"Huh?" She did not understand.
But it refused to answer her implied question. "Are you not afraid of me?"
Now she felt confused. "Gosh no, Mr. Nacha. Uncle Timothy said you could help us, so why would I be afraid of you?"
"Why indeed. What of other things you might have encountered?"
"Oh, I've got my good-luck charm for that."
It tilted its head in curiosity. "A charm, you say?"
"Well, yah, my Uncle gave it to me. He said it would bring me luck. Do you want to see it?"
"Yes, indeed."
Placing Sheba Cat under her left arm, she reached under her nightie and pulled out a small medallion on a chain. Engrave on it was a curious design, which looked like a stick with many branches coming off it.
When it saw it, Atlach-Nacha jump back a short distance (which was no mean feat consi
dering its huge bulk), a look of abject fear on its face.
"Oh, no, Mr. Nacha, don't be afraid; it won't hurt you. It's for protection against bad things, not good things like you!"
It came closer once she replaced the medallion under her nightie. "The true Elder Sign is a most potent charm; you are indeed well protected. Still, does not my form frighten you?"
She felt bewildered. "Gosh, no Mr. Nacha. Uncle Timothy told me you looked like a spider, and I like spiders, always have. They're fun to watch, and really cool looking, and they eat flies and bugs and such, so they help people."
"You are a very brave girl." The spider lord's voice was grave.
She blushed. "I'm not all that brave. I wouldn't have come if I didn't have Sheba Cat with me."
Again the spider lord tilted its head. "Is that another charm?"
"Heck no, she's my friend." And she held up a small stuffed toy cat covered in a plush satiny material. It looked exactly like a Siamese,
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