Bare Bones (Short Story)

Bare Bones (part-4)

The music resumed, the clapping started, and the terrible singing with it. The ambulance had arrived. They were going to load the coffin into the minivan to take her to her new home, where she will stay for eternity.

If one were to inspect carefully they would notice near the coffin, an overly concerned sobbing relative that nobody knew, most probably a necrophiliac. If one were to glimpse at the right corner of the drawing-room they would notice the 'pregnant' spider invigilating the room. And if one were to pay close attention while on the 1st floor, they would hear the muffled screams of a 12-year-old boy.

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The miniature hills and mountains stationed on the mud were thrashed, shoved, and raped mercilessly by the onslaught of SUVs and BMWs among other luxurious cars making their precipitous exit.

Yuta's mother was calling out for him in her Mercedes. Yuta before making his exit through the front door noticed the spider. The Arachnid might've noticed the eyes on her as she quickly edged back into the safety of the corner.

Yuta stepped on the arms of the cushioned chair, near the right corner, that probably came with the sofa set. He reached out his palms towards the spider that now formed a miniature ball by pushing back against the corner helplessly as though in an attempt to pass through the wall like a ghost. Unfortunately, concrete was tough.

Yuta grabbed it with his right palm and stepped down from the chair. The spider's legs struggled hysterically to push off the fingers that had her caged. When all other options were extinguished she bit hard on to the soft uncalloused hands of the 12-year-old boy. Of course, all in vain.

His fingers tightened slowly, breaking her legs and pushing her into a ball with not even a millimeter to move.

And then quickly... a crush.

His fist was tight. He could feel the moisture on his palms.

He calmly observed as he felt the tingling sensation of hundreds of spiderlings climbing up his wrist. Their struggle was applause-worthy, they didn't spend too much time ruminating on their mother's selfless sacrifice, instead, they focused on what they could do now. How they could live... They would eat their mother's carcass if it meant their survival.

Yuta suddenly felt sorry for the mother as the spiderlings inched towards his elbow.

But life was such. It's often unfair...

He hopped into the backseat of the car, not that the front was taken but because he liked the space. His mother put the 2008 Mercedes into first gear and pushed the pedal, carefully steering away from the puddles that desecrated the ground.

The spider hiding in the corner of the drawing-room of the Johnson couple had mysteriously disappeared. The spiderlings on Yuta's wrist had also vanished.

"Yuta... It's so sad what happened, but drowning in the pool? What an awful way to die... She was so young and pretty I feel so bad... Umm Yuta? Did Uncle Peter um... say anything?" His mother asked as she was cruising the car into the main road.

Yuta didn't answer. His eyes were focused on the huge hairy spider, with a grey 25 paise coin-sized egg sac, stuck on the corner of the car window right above his mother's head.

"Yuta? Are you even listening to me?"

Yuta conceded a sigh and smiled wryly into his lap.