The Cabin

The Giant Arachne

As the sun rose, so did a shadow of it, that of one that could not be trusted. I felt goosebumps down my spine. I got off the bed to peer out of the balcony to see what it was. As I walked over to it, it looked as if outside had turned into a gemstone. I got close enough to see what it truly was, a giant spider looking into the room. It walked backward, speaking "Hello lost souls, it must be a surprise to see me outside your door, but you two just fascinated me. In this forest, many things happen. In my thousands of years, I have never seen this. Two newly lost souls, fancying each other. Most souls lose their way by obsessing over their past life; but you two are starting something new here. This must be Kasim's doing. You, the guy. Who are you?
"I am The Gypsy King."
"Oh, the one and only? So who's she?
"My queen.
"Interesting."
The Giant Spider started walking back from the balcony. All over the spider laid thousands of spider eggs, ready to hatch. Would she leave them here to hatch? What is her plan? I wondered to myself.
"Well Gypsy King, you must be alarmed at me being right in front of your doorstep. I just had an intuition that something interesting would be here. And I was right."
Then, the thousands of spider eggs cracked, each in a different way. Some eggs were small, others the size of humans. Kasim's soldiers all went inside from the fright of such a sight. No one knew of the circumstances they had been placed in. They might have been scared; but they should have been terrified. Only Kasim knew the extent of their situation. Such a creature could only come from eternal spirit animals. Their power and vileness were only known by a few. Them visiting Humans was rare enough, but the knowledge of who I was should have alarmed me.
"Giant Arachne, what do you want with us? I thought you didn't like meddling with Humans"
Kasim spoke up from the door. A deathly smell came from Kasim. He stood on the balcony, speaking to the spider as if they were equals.
"Indeed, I am not often in the mood to meddle with Humans, but I've been bored. And I can see that what is in front of me will change things indefinitely."
"Well, it is still none of your business. You will leave here at once, Arachne."
The tension in the air tightened up. I was now stuck in a web, unable to go anywhere, at the mercy of my captor. The eyes of Arachne led to a soul that seemed to be a deep, deep water, filled with thousands of volcanoes ready to erupt, till one did. One egg fully broke, then two, then three, then all at once. Thousands of spiders sat upon Arachne.
"You know Kasim, this doesn't have to go upwards into the eternal night. We could settle this peace."
"Why are you so eager to be a part of my plans? You never have."
"Well, Kasim. I'm tired of wandering around this endless forest. I feel empty at night. Part of me wants to be part of something bigger, but I don't want to be another fly caught in a web. For too long have I been that. I can promise you security in this place. Something you never had."
"What's in it for you?"
"I will sit in the eye of the storm"
"It's a deal then"
Thousands of spiders ran, covering every inch of the castle, every person. Then they all bundled up together atop of the castle. Arachne followed suit. What came next was peace.

Me and my queen were able to live peacefully for years. Not a single moment spent in turmoil. There was no fighting, no souls turned, no crying in the halls. Laughter filled every room, and the lights somehow looked different than before. People loved and loved. And, best of all, I was free. For me, freedom was never about being in control of everything. I know I am just another tool in Kasim's eyes. But that doesn't bother me, not one bit. Freedom to me was always to be able to do what I wanted to do. And what I want to do now is...to give all my life to my queen.

Years passed, and true patience and peace came alive in this place. It must have been at least a decade. It profoundly changed the way people's train of thinking. No longer were people worried about survival, but a new problem, to thrive or to be stagnant. Some chose to remain to their old way of thinking. Thinking that one day Arachne would leave, and that they would have to one day go back to the old way of living. Fighting every day, not knowing if that next day you would experience Something worse than death. They refused to accept that reality. No hope that this would mean anything. They would have to be saved from the forest some other way. No animal spirit god would be of any significance.

Others quickly adapted to the newfound peace and even tried to get the most out of it. They explored the castle like never before. For them, this was a way to leave that old way of thinking. Now, most took a little bit to truly adapt to the patience that this would bring. They truly enjoyed each other's company. Even some found love in this short time.

What was ironic to me about the whole ordeal is that I was in both groups. I knew that the peace that came from Arachne wouldn't last long. I also knew that because of this I should enjoy it. Maybe perhaps it was because this was the first time in years that I could turn my brain off. I didn't always need to be on guard.
So I didn't care that it wasn't permanent. Sure, it scared me, but hey, what could I do? I'm just a king.