The Spider's Lullaby

Bow Down to the Arachnids!

"Honey, do you feel sick?", said Juliana as she saw Renato laying on the bed with his eyes open, his visage giving strong glimpses of excruciation.

Juliana and Renato have reached the cottage yesterday and Renato was unnaturally quiet after they had reached the beautiful countryside. The cottage was a little distant from settlements and the only occupants were the Alves couple. It was situated on the foot of the majestic mountains of Minas Gerais. This state had witnessed the most dynamic gold rush in the in 1690s and from then the population was diversified.

"It is nothing honey, I just feel kind of scared... I don't know why... but this place is just to lonely... The silence is completely deafening.", replied Renato.

- "You will better, if you go on a stroll and go to the nearby farm."

- "Why not? Okay let me shower first."

Renato headed towards the bathroom and he could swear on his dead father's grave that he saw a big yellow spider lolling on the mirror... Its black round eyes, directed towards Renato... but as he turned around to call out for Juliana, the spider was gone... vanished into thin air. Renato was confused. What is up with all these spider shenanigans?

He bathed and got dressed to go out on a walk.

"Do you like it here?", said Juliana.

"Yes... the place is beautiful... but...", replied Renato.

Before Renato could complete his sentence, his cell phone began to ring.

It was Dr. Eastman.

- "Hello Dr. Eastman...! How are you?"

- "I am fine Mr. Alves, tell me about your health, have you been improving?"

- "I think so sir."

- "See! I told you... I knew this place would be the answer to all your problems. Anyway... if you face any problem... feel free to ring me up.", said Dr. Eastman as he hung up the phone.

They walked through the mesmerizing country but somehow reached to their cottage by six in the evening.

During the evening time, the caretaker of the cottage came and checked up on the Alves couple. The caretaker was a very nice man. They ended up chatting for more than an hour. During their conversations, the caretaker suddenly mentioned something macabre.

The caretaker chuckled and said, "You see Mr. Alves... this place bears an urban legend... You know that Minas is a state where the famous gold rush took place and slaves from far Asia and Africa were brought here to work?"

Renato replied, "Of course, yes."

The caretaker continued, "The slaves were brutalized in the most horrific way possible, they were stripped naked if they refused to work and were tortured. The only thing the slaves wanted was death, because that is the only way to end their suffering... so specially this village is known to be homes of ghouls."

Renato said, "Ghouls?"

The caretaker continued, "Ghouls, yes. They are supposed to take forms of your deepest darkest fears and would eventually kill you... but will only kill you if you truly wanted to die, they would never attack anyone who was not willing to die."

Renato said with a chuckle, "No worries sire, Me and my wife both want to live a long and healthy life, the ghouls won't even dare to touch us."

All three of them laughed it off and had dinner together and soon after care taker bid farewell and went to his home.

After eating their dinner, the Alves couple retired to bed by midnight.

It was fifteen past two when Renato was woken up by a sound... it was muffled 'purring' but had a intense ring to it. He sat straight on his bed. Juliana was sleeping. He wore his slippers and followed the muffled murmurs... It was coming from the living room. Renato was in a state of daze, he had lost his sense of controls... He had lost the power of rational thinking... He was only guided by the creeping and vibrating cry...

As Renato reached the living room, he understood that sound was getting more intense by the second. Upon further inspection he understood that the sound was coming from the carpet... It was the same spider that he saw in the morning! The big yellow spider with gleaming dark eyes... It was making that awful sound and as soon as it saw Renato had detected it, he started crawling towards the main gate...

Renato didn't know why, but he felt an inexplicable urge to follow the lousy spider. It led him outside the cottage and was taking him through the grasslands. Even in the dark, Renato could clearly see the big yellow markings on that spider and could hear the same mumbling cry it made, but more pathetic and distasteful. Renato had lost the track of time... He just followed the spider, without asking any questions to himself... As if, he was controlled by this feeble spider... Soon after he understood one more spider joined the yellow one's path... Then another one... then another one... It was not very late when Renato was mindlessly following an army of yellow marked spiders.

He didn't notice... but he had walked more than a mile... There was something ghoulish about these spiders and their coordination was unparalleled. They walked like minions of the spider kingdom. No one knows what this night will bring...

When Renato regained his thinking capabilities and decision-making virtue, he found himself in a forest... The spiders have led him here...

But where were the spiders...? He started walking further inside the forest of Minas Gerais.

After a few moments, he could sense he was walking into some kind of a bizarre nightmare. His sixth sense deliberately advised him to return home but he was not in the state of listening to his senses, he was intoxicated... Soon, he could see traces of movement left by the horde of spiders... broken twigs and crushed dry leaves.

Everything was a void. Nothing mattered to him now. His life in São Paulo didn't matter to him now, his job, his apartment, Juliana, the child growing inside of her... everything felt like an abomination, just an excuse to live, an abstract idea of happiness. His entire existence seemed meaningless... The only thing which made sense to him right now... was the creepy arachnoids.

Soon after, he had reached the spot where all the spiders have halted... It was beside a large willow tree... Renato was not prepared for what was about to happen next... nor he was prepared for what he was about to see...

Hundreds and hundreds of yellow marked spiders were assembled and in between them was a different kind of spider. A spider with red stripes, which was a lot bigger than the other 'follower' spiders.

"Jesus Christ!", exclaimed Renato under his breath as he saw cornucopia of spiders... No! Renato wasn't exaggerating. But the worse was yet to come... Soon after the horde of spiders brought something on their back, covered in webs from further inside the forest. The horde of spiders presented the thing to the King Spider, as if they were paying a tribute... as if the whole thing was a ceremony.

Renato tried to understand what the spiders gave to their 'King'. It was then Renato understood... It was a human being! A live human being covered in spider web, screaming for help but the screams were muffled by the web on his face. Renato was petrified. He couldn't move. If he tried to save that web-covered man, it would be suicide.

Before a blink of the eye, the humongous spider pierced the head of the 'tribute' with its pointy legs... and the whole horde, including the king spider started feasting on him...

A black crow arrived from somewhere in the dark and without wasting a second, it plucked one of the eyeballs from the eye-socket and started munching on it. The crow, like the spiders had no sympathy for the human they were feasting upon... It was just pure vileness and savagery.

Renato woke up, covered in sweat... This was a dream? But everything felt so real... He looked to his side.... and saw Juliana sleeping... He gave a sigh of relief.

When he again prepared to lay on his bed... He again heard the same 'purring' sound... the same muffled purr... from the spiders.