Redemptor Secret Origin

Neatherella (iii)

Trapped beneath her stepmother's bed and stepsisters' snoring, Neatherella could see out from the crack between the floor and the plank of wood that covered the Naughty Spotty. Clasping the purple stone in her hand, praying to the sylvas, Neatherella could see the window, which her stepmother had slammed shut. However, now this window was slowly opening all on its own. Then, over the ledge of the window, a little spider appeared, and crawled on in. It was the same spider Neatherella had saved that morning, she recognized. And then another spider was with it, and another, and another. And they were glowing orange and blue, these spiders were. This whole tiny army of spiders crawled across the floor toward Neatherella. She was not scared, for she knew they must be there to help her.

Through the crack between floor and plank, the spiders crawled silently in, with all their light. One whispered in Neatherella's ear, "We are here to save you, Neatherella. We are your sylva spiders."

"Oh, thank you, thank you, all," she whispered. "Would you and your friends please carry my supplies and fabric from the station, so that I may complete the dresses and tuxedos by your light in this hole?"

"We'll help you better than that, Neatherella," the sylva spider leader chirped.

Many hours later, as the Sirens were zooming around blasting the Neath, the stepmother woke to the stench of smoke. She woke, coughing, and found the window open, and all the smoke pouring in from the Neath outside.

The stepmother coughed for Neatherella to close the window, but she forgot that she had trapped her under the bed. The stepmother waddled over to the window and slammed it shut herself. She took some fabric from Neatherella's sewing station and waved it clumsily, so the smoke went out through the hearth and up and out the modest chimney. The stepmother noticed her daughters were, for the first time ever, not snoring, but they looked so peaceful where they lay on the bed, she did not want to wake them.

Then, there came a loud rude knock at the front door. The stepmother smiled, for she knew it must be time for Neatherella to die. She answered the door and found the Factory Guild Leader standing there. He demanded, "'Tis sunset. My tuxedo and ball gown, show me them now."

The front door still open, the Takke Guild Leader's Wife stormed in, demanding, "My gown, my gown, 'tis sentos now, where is my gown?"

Right behind her, the Diplomat from Vespus entered, and was surprised at what he found. "What's going on, here? Where is Neatherella?"

The Factory Guild Leader sniffed, waving his handkerchief in the air. "I know where she won't be is here tomorrow if she has not completed my tuxedo and wife's ball gown to be verily the best in all the Black Banquet."

The Takke Guild Leader's Wife whooped and said, "Second-best, you mean. It's my dress and my husband's tuxedo that shall be the best, or else she dies."

"We'll see about that," the Factory Guild Leader answered.

The kind, handsome Diplomat was concerned for Neatherella's safety and glared at the stepmother, "Where is Neatherella?"