This is a story about a very AMBITIOUS… spider.
Now, you may be thinking: “Spiders are SCARY”, or “Spiders are ICKY!”, or even “Spiders are DANGEROUS!” And that’s because, when many PEOPLE think of spiders, they imagine THIS:
However: when SPIDERS think of spiders, THEY imagine THIS:
Amber was a very special spider who lived many, many years ago. Before freeways, before crosswalks, even before stop signs!
She lived at a crossroads where two lanes intersected in the countryside.
If you were walking down one of these lanes, you might never see her, though you might see her handiwork: the MOST beautiful, delicate tracery of webs, in a lovely, perfect spiral.
Because amber was special. Amber had DREAMS. Dreams of doing something GREAT.
Even creating the most beautiful, intricate webs, she still felt something was missing. Something new. Something interesting. Something BIG.
And then, early one morning, something new… something interesting… and most importantly, something BIG… drove slowly down one of the country lanes and past her.
“What was THAT?!” Amber shouted to her friends, delighted, as the new thing rolled into the distance.
“It was a monster!” shouted one friend.
“It was a nightmare!” shouted another.
“No,” stated Amber, matter of factly. “It was a great… big… BUG!”
That night, as she rebuilt her web at the side of the lane, her head was filled with amazing new pictures.
Giant bugs with spinning round legs and bright glassy eyes, that honked like a goose and roared like a bear. What an amazing thing!
And then, the very next morning, at the very same time, the giant bug rolled past her web a second time! And the day after that as well.
And suddenly…
Amber had an idea!
“I’m going to CATCH that bug!” she ambitiously declared!
“It’s too BIG!” said one friend.
“And too crunchy!” said another.
“I don’t want to EAT it,” Amber said confidently. “I just want to CATCH it!”
That night, Amber built her first web that stretched across the entire lane, from one side of the intersection to the other.
It was a VERY good web, she thought to herself, as she packed her lunch for the next day.
Then, at the right time, she heard the great, big bug approaching.
She waited at the side of the lane, SO excited!
The bug had gone right through her web without even seeming to notice it.
“I told you so!” said one friend.
“I told you so, too!” said another.
But Amber just felt MORE determined. She went right back to work the next night, making the next web even bigger. And again the next night, and the next…
She never… gave… up!
One morning, after she had been up all night building her biggest web ever, Amber fell fast asleep, completely exhausted.
And while she slept, something NEW happened. That morning, a PERSON was walking down the road.
They walked closer and closer to Amber’s web, not seeing it at all in the dim morning light…
…until—just as the person thought they heard a car approaching in the distance–they walked, face first, RIGHT into – and through – that tremendous spider web!
“ICK! ARGH!” They jumped up and down and waved their arms trying to get the spider web off!
But they only managed to get more and more of the wide, sticky web on themselves! UGH! And they definitely heard a car coming! So they jumped and danced themselves over to the corner of the crossroads, where they continued to flail their arms and jump around.
Now that day, not just one, but TWO cars were slowly driving down the lanes, both coming toward the place that the two roads crossed.
And what did those drivers see? Well, they were both AMAZED to see a PERSON, crazily waving their arms and dancing around at the corner of the crossroads.
…and because both drivers were looking at the PERSON, and NOT at where they were going…
The two cars ran right into each other in the intersection… right at the spot where Amber’s web HAD BEEN.
Now, they hadn’t been going very fast, but they made a TERRIBLE sound as they crunched into each other, and the noise of the collision woke up Amber — who was AMAZED at what she saw!
Not only had she caught ONE great big bug… she… had caught TWO!
Her friends stared in wonder, but they had to admit: “Amber, you actually did it! What could you ever do that would be more amazing than catching these big rolling bugs?”
And then, something new… something interesting… and most importantly, something BIG… flew by overhead!
