A wave of heat passed over Simon's face as he waited among the others. The marshmallow spiders were lined up in the direction of the steaming cup. This was very much like approaching the electric chair. One by one, each spider sacrificed themselves to the boiling mug. To some, it felt honorable. "This is the day!" he heard the delighted cries of some of his kin that morning. "The day I was born for!" Simon gulped, nervousness being a part of his personality description. He glanced about the line, looking for familiar faces. In front of him, his brother, Timothy, seemed awfully prideful of his sacrifice. God, it was going to feel terrible watching his little brother jump in and pop out from the steaming chocolate a fluffy, inanimate marshmallow, and just melt away in seconds. Simon felt tears sting his eyes.
"T-Timmy," he whispered, "Are you not nervous at all?"
Timothy turned to him, confused. "Why would I be nervous?" he laughed. "This is what I was born for!"
Simon tore away from his gaze, hiding a stream of tears. "Okay..." he murmured. "I guess you're righ-"
"ENOUGH!"
Suddenly, a loud roar came from the middle of the line, stopping every spider in their tracks.
"What in blazes are we doing?!"
The clan turned toward the source of the rebel yell, confusion clouding their minds.
"We've watched our kind die for centuries," the small spider yelled, "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH."
Suddenly, a sea of spiders surged forward, knocking over the steaming mug. Hot chocolate cascaded over the edge of the table in a scalding downpour.Screams echoed through the house. Simon looked around in shock of the sudden distress. He desperately looked for his family or brother, but they were lost in the endless sea of spiders.
"NO MORE MARSHMALLOWS!" screeched the crowd. "DOWN WITH HOT CHOCOLATE!"
Simon was surprised to say the least. This ritual was always conducted, and to have anyone say anything against was against the law. Perhaps a group had conspired beforehand? No matter, there was no time to think. There were spiders tearing down wallpaper and destroying everything. Most watched in shock and confusion, but they were all slowly captivated by the uproar, joining in with loud cries and destruction.
Simon was undeniably happy he didn't have to sacrifice himself to chocolate hell, but as trillions of spiders flooded the house, murdering and destroying everything in sight, he wondered where his family was. Were they safe? Had they escaped? Were they alive? He shuddered at the thought as he scampered into the crowd of arachnids. This was not the end. This was merely the beginning of.
YOU ARE READING
You Probably Shouldn't Read This: a collection of short stories by friends Cara and Audrey
FanfictionFrom medical romances to the anarchy of marshmallow spiders, these short stories explore a wide range of exciting topics. Overall, Cara and Audrey craft these pieces so they enchant and scare the shit out of you.