THE LEGEND OF THE ARACHNID

A SILENT FRACTURE

The day had been mild, bathed in a benevolent sun. Lisa was delighted to spend time with Joseph, and they had enjoyed every moment together, forgetting everything else. Between the laughter and the friendly exchanges, a moment of inattention caused a slight tragedy: Lisa hit a vase, which shattered into shards on the floor.

> Lisa (worried): “Oh no, Joseph… what are we going to do? I’m so sorry.”

> Joseph (smiling at her to reassure her): “Don’t worry, Lisa. It’s just a vase… a simple object of no great importance.”

But deep down, Joseph knew very well what this entailed. His father attached an almost sacred value to everything in the house, and although the vase seemed unimportant, Joseph knew that this incident would have consequences. Despite this, he preferred not to let Lisa worry about it, and they both continued their day, trying to forget the incident.

Later that afternoon, Lisa took her leave and returned home. When evening arrived, Joseph sat at the dinner table opposite his father, Rodrick, whose piercing gaze let nothing escape.

> Joseph (gathering his courage): “Dad, I have something to tell you… Today, I broke the vase in the living room. It was an accident, but… I’m sorry.”

A cold silence settled around the table. Rodrick remained silent, watching his son with an intensity that made Joseph feel uneasy. Joseph tried to hold that gaze, but he could feel the tension building, like a wave ready to break.

That night, Joseph fell asleep with difficulty, his stomach knotted with silent anxiety. As he finally drifted off to sleep, he was suddenly awakened by a firm hand shaking him. In the darkness he saw the figure of his father, Rodrick, his expression hard and implacable.

Without a word, Rodrick grabbed Joseph by the arm and pulled him out of bed. Joseph, still half asleep, tried to understand what was happening, but everything happened too quickly. His father's anger erupted in silence, in abrupt and violent gestures. Joseph felt the pain, but he gritted his teeth, refusing to show any sign of weakness.

His mother, alerted by the noise, rushed into the room.

> Joseph's mother: "Stop, Rodrick, it was an accident! He didn't do anything wrong."But his words were ignored. Rodrick, in the grip of a fury that he seemed not to control, also pushed his wife roughly, making her step back in shock. Joseph tried to intervene, but he was quickly caught by the stern hand of his father.

Finally, Rodrick dragged Joseph to the dark cellar of the house. This cold, dark room was a place he had always feared. The sharp slam of the door locking behind him sounded like a sentence. Joseph found himself alone in the darkness, surrounded by a heavy and suffocating silence.

Joseph's thoughts began to wander. The cold of the cellar accentuated his discomfort, and he felt his emotions overwhelming him. This feeling of abandonment, of helplessness, reminded him of his brother Will, who had decided to leave the house without looking back. In this moment of solitude, Joseph understood perhaps better than ever why Will had made this choice.

> Joseph (in a low voice): "Maybe Will was right to leave... Maybe it was the only solution to escape all of this."

With a heavy heart, Joseph slid down the cold cellar wall, curling in on himself to try and find some comfort. Memories of his day with Lisa came flooding back to him, and he tried to hold on to that carefree glow, but the shadow of that oppressive night seemed to want to erase all traces of happiness.

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This version emphasizes Joseph's emotional tension and despair without going into inappropriate detail, while capturing the psychological impact of the scene and Joseph's growing understanding for his brother's choices.