TWIGMAN MEETS A SPIDER

ONE MORNING AS TWIGMAN WAS GOING INTO THE FOREST TO CUT TREES HE CAME TO A SPIDER WEB RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF HIS PATH. THERE WAS A HUGE SPIDER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WEB. THE WEB HAD NOT BEEN THERE WHEN TWIGMAN HAD PASSED THAT WAY ON HIS RETURN HOME FROM WORK THE EVENING BEFORE.

TWIGMAN LOOKED AT THE SPIDER. IT HAD A BIG FUZZY BODY AND EIGHT FUZZY LEGS. IT LOOKED VERY DANGEROUS. HE SAID TO THE SPIDER, "ARE YOU POISON?" THE SPIDER SAID, "NO I AM NOT A POISON SPIDER." TWIGMAN SAID, "YOU LOOK DANGEROUS." THE SPIDER SAID, "I AM NOT DANGEROUS TO PEOPLE BUT I AM VERY DANGEROUS TO FLIES AND BUGS AND ANTS. YOU MUST HAVE ME CONFUSED WITH MY COUSIN, VENOM."

THE SPIDER THEN SAID, "SIT OVER THERE ON THAT LOG FOR A WHILE AND WATCH MY WEB. YOU WILL SEE THAT I AM A VERY GOOD SPIDER. TWIGMAN SAT DOWN AND WATCHED AS THE SPIDER WEB CAUGHT LOTS OF BUGS AND FLIES. THE SPIDER ATE THEM ALL. TWIGMAN WENT AROUND THE SPIDER WEB AND LEFT THE SPIDER TO DO HIS IMPORTANT WORK OF CATCHING BUGS.

WHEN TWIGMAN GOT HOME HE TOLD HIS CHILDREN ABOUT MEETING THE SPIDER. THE FIRST THING KNOBBY ASKED, "WAS IT VENOM?" TWIGMAN TOLD HIM IT WAS NOT VENOM. IT WAS A GOOD SPIDER. THORNY SAID, "THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A GOOD SPIDER." TWIGMAN TOLD HIM MOST SPIDERS ARE GOOD AND DO AN IMPORTANT JOB OF EATING INSECTS. THERE ARE ONLY A FEW DANGEROUS SPIDERS AND THEY WILL NOT HARM US IF WE LEAVE THEM ALONE. FUZZY TWIG SAID, "I'M SCARED!"

KNOBBY SAID, "YOU ARE ALWAYS SCARED!" THORNY LAUGHED BUT TWIGMAN GAVE FUZZY A BIG HUG. AND THEY ALL SAT DOWN TO SUPPER. NO ONE TALKED ABOUT THE SPIDER. THEY WERE TOO BUSY EATING.