Alice in the Park – A Wide-Eyed Spider Looks at Alice

Alice is walking through the woods. It is dark everywhere, and she is already starting to yawn. She feels sleepy—or perhaps she is already asleep? Is it even possible to fall asleep inside a dream? Logically, if you are already asleep, falling asleep again shouldn’t be possible—it’s not exactly astrophysics, after all; it’s just common sense. Thoughts stirred in Alice’s mind. Around her stood tall coniferous trees—trees whose names she didn’t know. The air was fresh; it must have rained a few hours earlier, as there were puddles on the ground.

Suddenly, someone from above began to watch her with a pair of large, surprised eyes. The first thing Alice noticed were those wide, astonished eyes, belonging to a large creature with arms and legs. It was a strange sensation—though "strange" hardly begins to describe it, Alice thought, nearly saying it aloud. She held her tongue; it was better to be quiet, given that someone was up there.

The creature began to descend on a string—or perhaps several strings—that looked like thin, white ropes, though they appeared quite sturdy. The path ahead was clear, and she could have easily walked on, but Alice’s curiosity got the better of her.

The creature climbed all the way down to the level of Alice’s head and stopped. It turned out to be a spider—with large, kind eyes. It paused, looking down at Alice.

They stared at each other for a while, neither making a move. Then, the spider spoke: "I am a spider!! Hhhhhhh," it said, letting out a raspy sound.

"I am a spider!!! Hhhhhhh," the spider repeated, again emitting that hoarse noise.

"I’m Alice!" Alice replied, gazing back at the spider. And the spider looked at Alice.

“I see, Alice!” the spider said.

The spider gazed at Alice with his large eyes. At first, he just stared, then he blinked a couple of times, and finally, he even winked at her. Clearly, he had nothing more to say. They just looked at each other. The spider was big—and hairy. Every now and then, he would make a sound: “Khhhhh.” I suppose that’s just what spiders do, Alice thought.

The spider didn’t move; he simply hung in the air, watching Alice. Alice could have walked on, but for some reason, she stayed where she was, looking back at the spider. They stared at one another for quite a long time—out of surprise, perhaps, or sheer astonishment.

“It was a pleasure to look at you!” the spider said, finally breaking the silence. He winked, then blinked his eyes again. He was evidently very focused on his eyes—he must spend a great deal of time tending to them—and he didn’t seem particularly fond of talking. He had many arms and legs; perhaps that’s how he learned to weave his web.

“Yes, it was wonderful to see you, Spider!” Alice replied.

“Well, I’m off to my little home up above!” the spider said in a kind voice.

“I think I’ll have some tea! Khhhhh!” he added, making that strange sound once more.

He kept his gaze fixed on Alice, blinking his eyes—over and over again—before winking about eight times in a row.

“You’re welcome to climb up after me! There’s plenty of room—we can have some tea!” the spider said, never once taking his eyes off Alice.

“I must continue on my way along this road,” Alice said. “Well, so long! See you again! Look for me up in the trees!” said the spider, and began to climb slowly upward, all the while watching Alice.