The Capture

A woman wakes up to discover her body entombed inside a spider’s web.

“Put me down!” she yells at the giant, long-legged arachnid.

“I’m still hungry.” The spider rubs two legs together like utensils. “You’ll satisfy my appetite for days.”

The woman wiggles her fleshy body, but it’s no use. She can’t shimmy out of the tight net.

“I’ll find you a squirrel to devour. There’s plenty of those in the yard.”

“Nah. Don’t care much for squirrels. Too gamy.” The spider opens her mouth, saliva dripping out. “I prefer humans; they have a savory, sweet taste.”

The woman adjusts her pink nightgown and kicks her feet against the web. Nothing in the self-defense class she took at the YMCA prepared her for such an intruder. “My husband will be home later. He’ll save me. And when he sees what you’ve done—he’ll squash you with his baseball bat. Just wait.”

The spider lifts a pair of glasses with two legs, then dangles the silver frames in front of the woman’s eyes in a sadistic way. She winces at the freakish, distorted image of the vile arachnid.

“Wouldn’t count on that rescue. By the way, he was quite delicious. Near-sighted, yet delicious.”

Maureen Sherbondy has a forthcoming novel Lucky Brilliant (Black Rose Writing, 2020). She has published work in Calyx, The Stone Canoe, Cortland Review, European Judaism, and other journals. She has also published ten poetry collections. She teaches English at Alamance Community College in North Carolina. I live in Durham, North Carolina. www.maureensherbondy.com