Lauren M. Hancock Poetry and Prose

Tag: spider

  • Fiction: The Arachnid Queen’s Deadly Songs – 27/10/19

    Fiction: The Arachnid Queen’s Deadly Songs – 27/10/19

    The Arachnid Queen weaves a web of delicate songs and spells, but this caster is known for causing perils in great a-many tales. While she crawls and creates, she plots the doom, of those unfortunate souls, lurking, unawares, waiting for her in the privacy of a stifling room. How she struts in toward them, turning this way and that, because while her spindly arachnid form is anything beyond compare, she doesn’t believe in being visually poignant, compliant nor aware.

    No, she prizes her spinning ability above them all, to be the black widow in the tales of those whom happen to helplessly trip and fall beneath her multitude of feet. She glances down at them acting so feebly – she will wrap them slowly, it will amuse her greatly, don’t you understand? It’s all so plain to see!

    And she’ll continue to lure them in like the easy prey, victims that they are, only known for wanting to be seduced by something that they secretly fear but cannot draw themselves any further from, neither walk nor run further, because her songs, the lyrics, they draw them in, such lilting, sweetly sung tunes, like the sirens pulling in the sailors to their deaths, she drags them in with such fine musicality, her deadly cadences are anything but folly.

    Would any rise above the Queen’s misdeeds? Would a victor arise, to avoid his encasing, future suffocating wrapping, simply because for the wrong being he had fallen with ease? Nothing is proven in this measure, they are all mesmerised — ears, hearts and minds — seduced by her warbling spells, until one rather bland evening the sign of the Jackal is cast across the skies: something important surely is about to befall them all.

    While the Queen lazily sits upon her throne, casually singing rhymes, tunes, trills, arpeggios, a hero-in-the-making spots his chance to escape to freedom of his own. A tear in his casing, close to his left hand, my, the Queen’s error in weaving here is uncomfortably astounding, and with a quiet ripping with his thumb he frees himself. But he will not yet leave – he refuses to do so, not without assisting the other captives in the saddening scene.

    And now here is the perfect opportunity; the Arachnid Queen has lulled herself to sleep, the devil in the details, why, they are already being seen, and with a few slashes here and there, the men escape to freedom, with the snoozing Queen entirely unaware. She will awaken with rage, I promise you this, it will be of complete and utter disrepair, and awaken the entirety of her captive kingdom.

    © 2019 Alice Well Art, Lauren M. Hancock also known as Alice Well. All rights reserved.


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  • Story example: The Grasshopper and the Monster Wheel – 05/08/19

    Story example: The Grasshopper and the Monster Wheel – 05/08/19

    Morty was more than chuffed enough with his recent discovery.

    Morty the Grasshopper liked to own everything large, he liked to lay claim to everything gigantic he saw. When he laid eyes upon this monster truck wheel which had been cast aside, he thought to himself, “This has been deserted and abandoned, and I will make it mine!”  And surprised to find it soft and somewhat squishy, nothing like how he imagined, not even in his wildest dreams, he jumped and jumped upon it with forceful power, he positively loved it, he could do this for hours it seemed! It was like a perfectly round jumping castle, with the squish, squish, squash, and provided height of better than he’d ever experienced and seen, he wanted to jump repeatedly as it rolled forwards and backwards, he wanted to do everything  – fly, land, jump!

    The main selling point though was the height and width of the wheel, apparently it had been used on a monster super truck, according to a tag near its left seal. Morty just loved how large the wheel was, he could jump and explore it for days and weeks and never, ever grow bored. So he did so, he performed the trek for three whole weeks, where he explored the circumference of the wheel, but then a discovery, and my, was it bleak.

    He had discovered a family of hunting spiders, living in the inner curvature like hidden soldiers.  And when they were happened upon, their eyes grew widened, how they were so terrified, to have been discovered from their safe house, which their Mother had obviously chosen and decided. Surely the Mother spider believed this would be a safe place to coexist, but now here Morty the Grasshopper was, and they were all mute, they could not bring themselves to even speak.

    Never before had they seen a being such as Morty, never before had they experienced the palpitating in their chests, such fearful hurting. But Mother’s eyes narrowed, she knew what Morty meant to herself, she leaped from her web and chased him down the edge of the wheel’s raised shelf. With horror, the baby spiders watched on, barely wanting to continue to view, but they knew it was in the best interests for their mother’s safety that their eyes view their proof and take in their fill. Morty was frantic, he bound away in a panic, for he knew what Mother could do!

    She was fearsome, she was bold, she was nothing to compare with anything elderly or old. Her hunting skills were the finest, and wouldn’t Morty know it, for he suddenly recognised Mother with her two marks behind her fangs: she had taken out his uncle years prior, and after the meal eaten him, after their evening kiss, why this was a fact that was most certainly not remiss!

    After escaping her chase, Morty had to abandon his new home, the monster truck wheel which was slightly flattened and could no longer roll, he had to desert this wondrous new environment which he had only recently discovered, because this Mother spider was a fierce carnivore! Thank goodness he escaped without needing to bare his teeth, for this was the only defence mechanism he had been shown by his own mother, the wonderful dream that was she, and aside from hoppity-hoppitting away from the ferocious mother spider, he left with all his teeth and legs intact, now there’s the spiders’ tales to ponder. Will they continue to rule all, live fiercely without appearing so, and gather any intruder within their grasps, until they are left well alone?

    What a saddening tale for Morty the Grasshopper, at least he had experienced a few weeks of large wheel exploration which he loved. He now knows to fully explore any new place which he decides he may want to call home, and safely he does this now, carefully before he lays claim or decides to say whichever large or gigantic place he apparently now owns.

    © 2019 Alice Well Art, Lauren M. Hancock, also known as Alice Well. All rights reserved.

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