A true story for children with a message for everyone
A few years ago, a tiny spider found her way into my office in the attic and made it her home. I know this because it was her habit to emerge from her secret hiding place every morning and sit on the desk lamp of my writing desk to watch me as I typed. I enjoyed her quiet company and was disappointed when she stopped visiting.
Perhaps I’d taken too long a break from my writing, and she’d given up on me.
To my joy, she reappeared a few days ago on the other side of the room! At least, I think she’s the same friend. She looks the same and does not seem to be afraid of me.
I think of her as female because maybe she’s even the same momma spider I met outside the summer before she first appeared in our attic. Some house spiders can live up to seven years. [Smithsonian Magazine, “The World’s Oldest Known Spider Has Died at Age 43”, May 1, 2018.]
The Lost Egg Sac
I had been sitting on a rock step (the second one up from the bottom in this picture) picking leaves from the water trickle, when I accidentally knocked the egg sac she was carrying from her body.
Watching her run around in erratic circles, I understood her panicked search for her immature babies and felt terrible.
Then, I SAW IT! She watched as I touched per precious sac with a stick, and it stuck! To my utter amazement, she stayed still while I touched the egg sac to her. It reattached.
Then she did the most surprising thing. Instead of running away as I’d expected, she turned around and stared up at me, this enormous creature towering over her, for the longest time. She understood what I had done and seemed as amazed at me as I was at her!
Leading a Spider to Water
The thing is, now that I know that she (or someone very much like her) is still here in the attic with me, I worry about her! How is she getting water? Is she finding enough to eat? Could I feed her? What would she like?
Would she take a drink of water if I brought her to some? I poured a bit of water from my drinking glass out onto the desktop. Then I tried to get her to walk onto a piece of paper so I could carry her over to it.
She most definitely did NOT want to be put on that piece of paper! It took a while, but I was finally able to brush her onto it with another piece of paper. Carrying her across the room to the water was tricky, as she kept running over to the edge, trying to get off while I kept turning the paper over to prevent her from doing so. We finally made it, and I shook her off next to the water.
She must not have eaten for several days because she drank for quite a while. (Normally, spiders get enough liquid from their prey). I wish I’d had the presence of mind to make a video or even snap a picture, but I was so happy to see her drink, it did not occur to me.
The most astonishing thing is that she knew what I had done. I know she knew because when I put the paper down for her so I could carry her over to a plant I thought she might like, she immediately walked right onto it and sat still while I carried her!
Good Intentions Gone Bad
I felt relieved she’d had water, but her food was still a concern. Spiders like to eat ants, and there are always a few in the attic, so maybe she’s been eating them… Oh, no! We’ve been poisoning those ants!!
There are plenty of ants outside, but how to kill them without poisoning or squishing what she needed from them? Put them in the freezer!
They were curled up and looked dead after about five minutes, so I slid them onto a piece of paper, took them up to the attic, and put them under a small glass with the spider.
But the ants weren’t dead! They woke up and started running around, terrified of the spider-–who also ran around, terrified of the ants! I let the spider out and dispatched the ants.
About an hour later, my tiny friend reappeared on the base of the monitor where she had appeared earlier. Would she eat the ant now that it was dead? Why not try? She sat still, watching me, as I placed the ant about 3 inches from her. She just sat there studying it for several seconds, then she approached it very s-l-o-w-l-y. Apparently satisfied it was no longer a threat, she began her meal.
Finally, I had the presence of mind to take a video of her enjoying her delicious ant!
After watching her eat for several minutes, I grew bored and went out on the patio for a drink. I’m back at my desk now, but she’s nowhere to be seen. I imagine she’s resting in her secret hiding place after an exhausting afternoon.
Post Script
My friend showed herself again later that evening. She was on the ceiling, making a new web over the window at the far end of the room.