

## Jake, Najaf and Friends

By

### JF Clark

The young spiders growing up

Copyright © 2019 by JF Clark

All Rights are reserved.

Checkout another Great Book by JF Clark

A-Web-Story

Follow Jake, Najaf, Sally and others, as they experience life and have many adventures and a lot of fun.

### Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 1

Growing up....

As he was about to go outside he became excited thinking about all of his friends that he would see. Since he was so young he really did not know any of them for a long time but to him his whole world was either family or friends. He became so excited that he had to go out immediately. He could almost feel that he was outside. The feeling felt so strong and real that it was as though it had already happened. In a flash he was out and about. Then it was real and he was overwhelmed with excitement. Very soon he realized that he could not really go very far because he was still very young but for him it was still a big crawl. He wanted to go as far as he could but he would still have to be with his mother. Since Jake was so young that did not bother him. His interest was simply to be out and see his friends. One day he thought that he would be able to be by himself. Since he was so young such a thought seemed so far off in the future. At that moment he wanted to just slowly crawl and see who he could see. He saw some friends. They also were with their mothers, but none of them cared.

All of them were so young that they were barely able to crawl and certainly they could not crawl very far but to them any crawling outside of their web was an incredible big adventure. Even the slightest crawling movements that they made seemed like such a big deal to each of them. They were even saying how far they had crawled. One of the young spiders said, 'Look what I can do.' Some of them were bigger and had grown more than others. Many of the bigger ones looked strange and made awkward movements. They did not know how to fully control the movements of their legs. Others were still so tiny. There was one that looked so happy, like it was just trying to dance around. The young spiders were so happy to be out and so busy talking about nonsense amongst themselves but it did not matter because they were young and that is how they start growing. Since they had barely crawled far at all the mothers could easily hear all that they were saying. The mothers were happy that their young spiders were growing and starting to socialize. All of the young spiders were so excited that soon they became tired. The adults realized this and said that it was time to go home. The young spiders were so tired that they did not mind at all. They were even so tired that they barely had the energy to say goodbye to each other but still they pretended that they had the energy. Once they were back in their webs and could rest they were full of energy again but that did not last very long. They soon became tired and had to go to sleep.

At home in their webs they were able to safely relax and get some rest. Their family would protect them and teach them. Family life was simple. Jake did not know most of his family members because they were much older than him and some no longer lived at the web home. There were some family members that were younger than him but they were barely out of their egg sacs. As he grew older he would have more contact with other relatives. He was closest to his older brother Raknar because their ages were similar. Raknar often treated him as a baby spider but he didn't mind that so much. It did not bother him much because he was so young. Raknar would even call him 'Jakey' sometimes, but he did not mind. Since Raknar started calling him 'Jakey' sometimes other family members would also call him by that name. When he was young he would look up to Raknar. At the web there was also a sister, Arsenica, who was nice, but often moody. It was difficult to know how she would react each time you saw her. One time Jake heard someone say that she could be dangerous. All Jake really knew about her was that she was a sister. There was also an older brother Dron, as he was called, who he did not see much. Jake knew that it was not his full name but it was easy for him to remember and it sounded like a nice name. He knew that he had other family members but he did not really know them. There were older relatives who seemed like nice spiders, but when he was young he had little contact with them. He was too young and more interested in growing up than he was in trying to meet those relatives. But still it all made him feel like he was part of a nice family and that made him happy. It made him happy because he felt connected to so many spiders. When he was with his friends he often heard that they also had other relatives whom they did not really know. It all seemed normal to Jake so he did not give it much thought. One of Jake's first friends was Sam, who was a little smaller than Jake. He was also a little younger than Jake. Sam ate but he did not grow much. He stayed smaller than Jake. So Jake started calling him small Sam. Sam did not mind that and before long other spiders called him by his nickname. He was a nice spider but not always so happy. When Jake heard that his friend small Sam was part of a small family it made Jake sad as he thought about all of his family members.

Very soon most basement spiders would become bored in their webs. They would become restless and would need to go out and crawl on their own. The very young would need more rest but they did not want to rest. They would try to crawl even though they barely had the energy. Spiders need action and they want to catch their own food. Jake and his friends were no different than other young spiders. They were all so young that it was difficult for them to catch their food but that would change soon. When they were very young they were more interested in crawling and learning.

When Jake was very young he would stay near mom and watch what she was doing. Mom was happy when each young spider watched her. It helped her to bond with her family and also to watch them at the same time. She remembered how each one acted as they watched her. As they grew up they could all share the memories. Jake was usually quiet as he watched her. Sometimes he would move around as if he was trying to be a part of what she was doing. Once when she was busy webbing up an insect Jake went right on top of the insect and started to also get webbed up. Mom quickly noticed that she was webbing up Jake so she stopped the webbing. Immediately she started to clean Jake so he would not be stuck there. She thought he was crawling fine but she realized that one of his legs slipped so he fell into the webbing. Then mom knew that Jake was not being a silly baby spider, it was just that he was trying to control the movements of his legs. Jake was so young that he didn't really know what was happening. It didn't bother him. Mom was concerned though. She did not want to web up her own family. As mom was cleaning Jake his sister Arsenica crawled by and wondered what was happening. Mom tried to explain but Arsenica quickly lost interest and simply crawled away.

Mom was about to give up cleaning the rest of the webbing when Jakes' older brother Dron crawled by. He knew what mom was doing but he was interested in knowing how Jake got webbed up. Mom explained that Jake crawled onto the insect that she was webbing and then one of his legs slipped because he was so young. Dron already knew that Jake would sometimes try to be a part of what mom was doing. Mom continued that she was in the middle of her webbing and she quickly stopped as soon as she saw that Jake had fallen into the webbing. Dron said that soon he would molt and all of the webbing would be gone. He assured mom that Jake would be fine. Mom already knew that so she agreed. Still she did not like to see any webbing on one of her spiders. It especially annoyed her that it was her own webbing. Mom wanted to make things better as soon as she could. Even though mom had not finished webbing up the insect she told Jake to have a big taste. His face was free of the webbing so it would be easy for him to get a taste. Mom said she would get him as much food as he could eat so he would molt soon. Jake didn't mind because he was so happy to have food so he could molt and grow. Mom felt so bad that Jake was not completely cleaned of her webbing.

It was not long before Jake molted and felt like a whole new spider. When he was reminded about falling in the webbing he did not want to talk about it. Everyone knew about it but they did not talk about it much because they understood how it made him feel. As Jake grew he started to remember things. Most of it made him happy. He began to realize that memories can make you happy. Gradually Jake did learn to laugh about his juvenile behaviors, such as falling in his mom's webbing. He even started to talk about it. Sometimes when he was with other spiders, if he was in the right mood, he would talk about it. The other spiders would laugh, or be surprised. Then they would talk about some of their unusual behaviors as they were growing. They would laugh together and it was a lot of fun.

Jake became older and slowly his family gave him more freedom. He had not really become much older but he believed that he was older. All of his legs were almost fully developed but he was still small. To the adults he was barely even a young juvenile and he would have to start crawling on his own. His family loved him and they were concerned for his safety. Jake still was not allowed to crawl very far from the web by himself. The family said that soon he could crawl very far by himself but they just wanted to be very careful. They knew Jake would not crawl far by himself but at least it would make him happy. He did not have the strength or energy to crawl very far so he would be happy with short crawls. Jake loved his family and he believed that they loved him. He knew they would always give him good advice, but he was so young that he did not always remember that, and he was also very curious. It was difficult for Jake to keep listening to his family. His urge to crawl by himself was so strong. He felt he was old enough and could easily take care of himself. Jake even sometimes thought that they did not know what was good for him. He believed that he knew more than they did.

Jake was happy with his family, and his web home, but he was always eager to go out to see his friends. He would enjoy every moment that he could be with his friends. Even if it was just a short time it would make him very happy. When he was very young his mom would watch him at first but soon that stopped. At first he could not crawl very far or be away from his web for very long but slowly he would start to crawl more on his own. He would go out and meet new spiders and he would become so excited that when he went back to his web he could barely sleep.

It was a big thrill to go out and meet new spiders. Some spiders looked so different and had such strange names. But like many young spiders Jake simply could not get enough socializing. It seemed like the more socializing that he did, the more he wanted to do. Sometimes it would only be a quick friendly meeting with a spider. Other times they would become instant friends and would try to make plans to see each other again. At first he would mostly talk only juvenile chit chat and simply have fun but as he got older he would think more about what he was saying and how he was feeling. Once when he was out crawling he met a very small spider called Tom. Tom told Jake that he was so small that he was called tiny Tom by some spiders. As Jake talked to Tom he felt that he was a nice spider and that they had similar interests. Tom was so small that Jake felt sorry for him but he also wanted to be his friend. They became close friends. It was not long before he met poor disabled Billy. Billy did not have all eight legs and it was not easy for him to crawl around. Even with his difficulties Billy still tried to be a nice happy spider. Jake felt they could be good friends but it was difficult for Billy to get around very much. As he crawled around Jake met other spiders that had family problems. Those spiders were still trying to be happy even if it was not easy. Even though Jake was young he still tried to understand their situations.

The giants......

Jake was told about the giants. It was explained to Jake that a giant has four legs but that the giant only crawls on two legs and the other two legs are shorter and the giant does not seem to use them for crawling, but for other movements. All the spiders said if they tried to crawl on only two legs they would fall over and not go anywhere. Some thought the giants used magic. Other spiders thought that the giants were dangerous. The giants were a big puzzle to the spiders. All the spiders knew about the giants was that they were big and powerful, and that they could destroy their community. That did not frighten the spiders but it did make them more careful. The smart spiders knew that if they simply stayed hidden that the giants would probably not notice them.

The spiders were all puzzled about the giants and how they crawled. It did not seem possible to them. The spiders believed that usually it was only one giant that came into their community. They also told Jake that the giant would bring light to their community and then they would need to hide. He didn't really pay any attention to what the adults told him. The adults knew that he did not listen to what they said. The adults told him many times because it was important that he learn about the giants. At first when he thought about it Jake was not sure if it was real or if it was just another story. It really did not mean much to him. When Jake was young a giant came near him but he was too young then to realize it or remember it. A giant would often come down into the spider community but Jake had not yet experienced it that he could remember. Then one day there was more light than usual and then came a big shadow that moved. That was noticed by Jake. As usual it was noticed by the whole community. At first he wondered what was happening. Soon he realized that it was probably a giant. He was not scared. At that moment Jake was alone and the shadow was so big that he did not know what to do. The shadow came closer to him. Then he knew it was time to crawl away. He moved so quickly that it was as though he simply jumped. Then he was in a safe spot to look around. When the shadow moved away he decided to also move. He crawled along trying to follow the giant. It was such an interesting situation that Jake became very curious. He wanted to understand the situation but he also hoped to see another spider so they could experience it together. That did not happen. Jake kept looking around. He felt alone but he was not scared. Jake simply did not know what to do. When he felt it was safe he would crawl for short bursts. He was crawling because he believed that he should even though he did not know where he was crawling. Jake was trying to understand the giant but it was confusing and he was getting tired. Even though he had little energy left he still kept crawling when he felt that it was safe. The light continued. Then Jake remembered that he was told that the giant brings light. He did not want to go into the bright light because it was dangerous and he would be seen. Things looked different but it was not easy for him to keep looking into the light. He stopped crawling at the edge of the light and looked around. After some time the giant left the community and took the light with it. The community became dark and everything went back to normal. All the spiders went back to their usual spider business. Jake was still curious but tired.

After a short rest Jake started moving again. Very soon he saw a big spider. It was his older brother Dron. Dron was concerned about Jake. Jake became very excited when he saw Dron. He just wanted to talk about his experience and he kept asking questions. His brother told him to relax and he started to answer his questions. Jake then felt good. Then Dron told Jake that he saw the giant also. Jake then felt that he was learning about the giants. He liked Dron but he was not very close to him because he did not see him often. Jake was closer to his brother Raknar because he saw him more often. But Raknar did not always make him feel good. Dron treated him better, Jake felt. They were busy talking and then Dron noticed that Jake was getting tired. Jake was still excited so Dron did not want to say anything. Dron was also happy to be talking to his younger brother. They stood there for some time. Then another spider crawled over to them. It was Raknar. He immediately asked Jake what he was doing and said that he should be in the safety of his web home because he was still a baby spider. Raknar started to say more but then he looked at Dron. He said nothing to Dron. Dron was simply staring at Raknar. Then Raknar stopped talking and turned away. Raknar simply told Jake to be careful and then he crawled away. Jake and Dron looked at each other. They knew how Raknar behaves. But Jake was still sad because he did not get to tell Raknar about his experience. Then Jake said he was tired.

Since Jake said he was tired Dron asked him if he wanted to rest before he crawled home. Jake said that he did not know. Dron was confused but he laughed to himself. He decided he would wait and see what Jake would do next. Jake was quiet for a short time and then he surprised Dron. He said that he did not want to go home. Dron gave no reaction. Jake did not move and he said nothing more. After a short time Jake spoke and repeated what he said earlier, but he still did not move. Dron felt that Jake was simply too tired to realize what he was saying. So he said nothing and just stood there. Then it appeared that Jake fell asleep. Dron just stood there and watched over him. He believed that Jake would not be asleep for very long. Dron was correct. It was not long before Jake woke up. He slowly moved his legs. Dron waited for him to speak. It was not a very long wait. Soon Jake slowly spoke. He asked Dron what was his full name. Dron said his full name was Dendron. He told Jake it was an old spider name. Jake said that he would try to remember it but Dron was an easier name. Dron laughed and agreed with him. Then Jake said he wanted to crawl some more. Dron asked where he wanted to crawl. Jake said he did not know he just wanted to find another spider. Dron then said there will be a spider at the web home. He hoped that him and Jake would crawl very soon because he was still concerned about Jake.

Dron stood there and got no reaction from Jake. After some time Jake started to slowly crawl. That made Dron happy. Dron thought that he would try to lead him to the web home. That worked and Dron was happy. Slowly they crawled towards their web home. Jake was quiet. As they were crawling Dron saw an insect and he was hungry. He quickly changed his mind as soon as he remembered that he was trying to get Jake home. When they were near their web home they saw a large spider. Both of them knew immediately that it was mom. Mom was the biggest spider in that area and maybe even in the whole community. It was always nice to see mom, she was always friendly, helpful, and big. She was so big that she could handle almost any insect that came near the web home.

Mom asked them what they were doing. Jake said that he saw something that was very big. Mom asked what it was. Jake responded that it was a giant and then was quiet. Dron looked at mom. Mom then said that she also saw the giant. Jake seemed to be happy, but tired. He said he wanted to see more. Mom said they should go to the web home. Jake started to crawl but in a different direction. Dron and mom looked at each other and smiled. Mom then called to Jake and said they should crawl together. Jake stopped and crawled back. Soon all three were crawling towards the web home. It seemed to take a long time for Jake because he was so tired. The web home was actually such a short distance away that they were there very soon. Jake did not crawl into the web home. He stopped and just stood there. Dron and mom stopped and looked around. All was safe so they patiently waited. Jake quietly stood there. Soon he started to move and said he was going for a crawl. Mom said nothing but she kept watching. Jake started to crawl but he was real slow. Mom knew he was very tired so she continued watching over him. Dron stood there watching for any danger. Jake did not crawl very far before he stopped. Dron was about to call to Jake but mom stopped him. Mom and Dron waited. It was not long before Jake started crawling back towards the web entrance. Mom watched as Jake approached the entrance. That time he crawled right in. Mom was happy. She knew he was too tired to crawl anymore. Dron was happy because he was concerned about his little brother. He told mom that he was going to crawl and continue with his spider business. Mom told him to be careful.

Mom then crawled into the web home so she could see what Jake was doing. At first she could not find Jake. She soon realized that he was fast asleep in his own web. Mom was happy then. She knew Jake was very tired so it was good that he finally fell asleep. For a moment she watched him as he slept. She could tell that he was in deep sleep. He started to move. Then mom noticed that he did not curl up his legs before he fell asleep because he was so tired. She did not want to disturb him but she did want him to sleep better. Mom lightly touched Jake's legs one at a time. Jake stirred but he did not wake up. Soon all of his legs were curled up. She was happy that Jake could sleep more comfortably. Mom watched Jake for a moment and then she went outside the web home. It was a good time to look for food after the giant had visited the community, mom thought. Outside of the web home she looked around. Then she crawled towards some webbing that she had placed. When she reached that webbing she found that there was no insect. Mom understood and left that area. Quickly she crawled to some other webbing. There she found an insect caught in her webbing. It was small but she was happy that something was there. She crawled onto that webbing and went right up to that insect and had a taste. Almost immediately it was dry because it was so small. Mom was still happy that she was able to have a small snack.

After that snack mom was full of energy. She looked around for a good place to put up some more webbing. While she was looking she saw a small centipede that was out looking for food. Mom decided to take a closer look. She wanted to be sure of the size of the centipede. As soon as she was sure that it was not very big she decided that she would surprise that centipede. Carefully she crawled around to get in position. She knew that she had to move quickly. Almost immediately that centipede was where she wanted it to be. Mom was then very close to that centipede. That centipede had not yet seen mom. All of a sudden mom shot webbing right into the centipedes face. It stopped and tried to clean the webbing off. It soon realized what was going on and tried to escape. Mom was quick. She shot some webbing onto its legs so it could not escape. It kept struggling. Then mom shot some more webbing into its face and mouth. It seemed as though it would not be able to escape. For a moment mom stood there watching it. She noticed that since it was struggling so much it might break free. Mom was not going to let that happen. She shot some more webbing onto its legs. The centipede slowed down. Soon it was barely able to move. Mom was happy. She stood there and kept watching it. It was a nice sight for mom to see. She was very happy and thankful for the meal that she was about to have. It was not a very large insect but it was bigger than what the spiders had seen recently. There would probably be some left for her family, she thought. At that point she decided that she would not have a lot of the juices. She felt it was more important for her to share with her family.

The helpless centipede just stayed where it was all webbed up. There was so much webbing on it that it could barely move. It would not be dangerous and it could not escape. Mom stayed there watching it and thinking. When mom felt like it she moved closer to that centipede. Slowly she crawled until she was right next to it. It tried to move but it was unable to do so. All it could do was the slightest movement which was almost nothing. The centipede was going to be food for the spider and it knew it. There was nothing that the centipede could do about it. Mom moved closer until she found the right spot to get a taste. It tasted wonderful, mom thought. Since they were having an insect shortage to mom it was one of the best tasting insects that she ever had. Mom stood there slowly enjoying the taste. The centipede completely stopped moving. It would still stay fresh for a little while, mom thought. After a few moments mom decided to have another small taste of that insect. Again mom enjoyed the taste and was very happy to stand there looking at the insect that she had webbed up. As she was looking at it she decided to put some more webbing on it to try to hide it from other insects.

After a short time mom crawled back to her web home to see if she could find another family member to share that centipede. At the web home Jake was the only spider but he was still asleep. Mom felt that since food was available, and that it was near that she should wake Jake. When she was just about to wake Jake she stopped. Mom was hesitant because she knew he had not slept for very long. She waited a moment and decided to call his name. Mom called his name. Jake gave no response and did not even stir. Again she called his name but nothing happened. For a moment mom stood there thinking. She decided to give Jake more time to sleep. Mom then went back to the webbed up centipede and decided to watch over it. She quietly stood there thinking. After a short while she crawled all around the webbed up centipede to get a closer look at it. She was pleased with her webbing but was concerned that it may not be fresh for much longer. Mom felt that she needed to wake Jake. Back at the web home she called to Jake. Again he did not stir. She called his name louder and then he moved. Mom called once more and again it was only slight movement. Then she went over and shook one of his legs. That woke him up. He was slow but he woke up. Jake wanted to know what was going on. Mom told him. He was interested but still tired. Jake said even though he was tired he wanted food. Then mom showed him the way. When he first saw the centipede he did not know what to think because it had so much webbing. Very soon he knew exactly how to approach it. It was still fresh and Jake enjoyed that centipede very much. Once Jake had his fill he stood there and looked at the drying insect. He was still tired so he started to slowly crawl back to his web home. Along the way he became very tired and he felt strange. He knew what was happening-it was time to molt. Mom crawled home with him but even though mom was with him Jake still needed to get to the safety of the web home as soon as possible. He tried to hurry home but it was not easy because he was going through changes. Jake could feel that his outer shell was starting to separate and his vision was starting to get cloudy. Mom stayed with him and guided him home. It was not long before he was at the web home but he barely realized where he was. Slowly he finished his molting and he gave his new shell time to dry. Soon Jake felt like a new spider and he was so happy that he was bigger than before.

Chapter 2

One day he was out on a short crawl when he thought he saw something interesting. It seemed small so he was curious. He crawled over to it to get a closer look. It was as he had thought- a baby centipede. Jake had heard about it before but never actually saw a centipede that was not webbed up. The adults had described centipedes to him before and told him that they were very dangerous. To Jake a little baby did not seem harmful so he looked closely at it. But he could not stay there because it soon started to crawl towards him. He became concerned but thought that maybe it was just curious. For a moment he thought he might have a new friend until it tried to bite him. As it tried to bite him Jake quickly jumped out of the way and the baby centipede stopped and looked at him. It looked at him in a way that was not friendly. Then Jake realized that it would probably never be a friend. He remembered all that he was taught about being careful but still Jake was curious. That centipede was tiny so he could carefully push it away and leave that area. Jake was going to simply crawl away fast but as he started to crawl he noticed something move and it was much bigger. He became concerned and felt that it was more danger than he had ever seen. Immediately he thought it was probably another centipede so with a quick reflex he shot a web strand so he could make a quick escape. He quickly crawled up his web strand. In a moment he was safely away from that area. He then looked back and saw that there was now a much larger centipede with the baby. At that moment he felt a sense of relief and was then able to relax. He thought about it and realized that centipedes are dangerous and tricky. Jake was very happy that he had escaped but decided that he would be much more careful. For a moment he thought that maybe the adults were correct, and that maybe there is more danger outside of his web home than he had believed. It was not long before he thought that he had better go home. At that point he remembered that he was only out on a short crawl. He looked around and became concerned because then his short crawl had become a long crawl. Even more than that he was not sure which way he would crawl to get home and also to avoid the centipedes. He was not very far from his web home but he did not exactly know which way to crawl. There was one direction that seemed to be a good way so he started to crawl there. Soon he felt uncomfortable and decided to turn back. Then his thoughts changed to the comfort and safety of his web home. He relaxed for a short while but soon remembered that he had to get home. So he looked around again and decided which way to start crawling. At first he was happy with his decision. After a short while he was no longer sure of the direction.

Jake soon grew tired and thought he might even be lost. He briefly stopped but felt that he had to keep crawling. Even though he was tired he kept crawling because he was desperate to reach his web home. He was so desperate that he was simply focused on crawling and was not really observing anything. All of a sudden Jake thought he heard a 'hello'. Even though he saw nothing Jake thought he heard something so he stopped. He did not know that a spider was watching him. That spider was in a shadow so it was almost hidden. The spider repeated the greeting. Then Jake knew that he had heard something. He was sure that it was a spider that said 'hello'. Since that spider was still in the shadows Jake was not able to clearly see it. He looked and thought that it seemed to be a friendly spider, but a stranger. At that point Jake was not interested in friends or talking. All that Jake was interested in was in getting home. He would be very happy if a spider could help him. Jake looked at that spider but barely said anything. Jake was about to turn away and continue with his crawling since that spider stayed in the shadows. That spider knew that so it quickly asked Jake if he knew his way back home. Jake stopped and told it about the centipede and that suddenly escaping from the centipede changed his direction, so then he was unsure of which way to crawl. That spider then said that it could help him to get home. The spider then told Jake that he was actually not very far from his home. Then it quickly crawled out of the shadow and told Jake to follow him. That spider friend moved fast and Jake just wanted to go home so he did not notice what he actually looked like. Also Jake barely noticed where they were or where they were crawling, he just simply followed him. Then that spider said that they must crawl quickly. Since there was a spider that was helping him Jake was then full of energy. Together they crawled quickly without speaking. Then all of a sudden the spider stopped and told Jake it was time to shoot a web strand. He shot his own web strand so Jake could see where they would go. It was then time for Jake to shoot his web strand. In an instant Jake had caught up with that spider. He then asked Jake if he was tired but Jake said that he wanted to keep crawling. They continued to crawl. Soon it was time for them to shoot another web strand. Then it was time to crawl some more. It was a bit exciting to Jake but he was so focused on trying to get home that he barely noticed how it made him feel. They crawled a while longer. Then his new friend stopped and said that it was a quick way for Jake to get home but that it used much web fluid. At that point it did not mean much to Jake so he barely paid attention to what was said. In a moment that spider continued crawling. They crawled along and suddenly that spider told Jake that they were near his web home. Jake was surprised and confused so he stopped and looked around. He did not think he was near his web home so he tried to say something to that spider. Then he looked around and realized that spider was gone. He was puzzled and did not know how that spider could suddenly disappear. For a moment Jake even thought that maybe it was just a dream because he was tired. Then he looked around again and thought that he recognized something. He kept looking and decided the best way to crawl to that point. As he got closer more things looked familiar. That made him happy and then he knew which way to crawl. Jake then realized that the stranger was right- that he never was really far from his web home. For a quick moment Jake wondered how that spider knew that he was never really far from his web home. Soon he saw his web home and quickly headed there. When he finally got home he told his story but he did not know the stranger that had helped him. He tried to even describe him. As he thought about it he thought he might have looked a little different but was unable to describe it. So he thought to himself that he really looked like any other spider. Jake was actually so focused on trying to get home that he was completely unable to recognize the stranger from any other spider. His sister, Arsenica seemed interested in his story but soon she became annoyed. She said that he should have webbed up the baby centipede and maybe even shot some webbing at the adult centipede. Arsenica continued that he was too young and she suddenly crawled away. His brother Raknar listened, and asked if he was really sure that it was a centipede. At first, as he listened he became excited with the story. Then he thought that Jake imagined the story, especially when Jake was unable to describe the stranger that had helped him. Raknar said that he was so young so he better be careful and he should stay near his web home. Mom listened to his story. She believed him but she did not know what to think about the stranger that helped Jake, but she was glad for the help. Mom knew that there were some very good spiders that will give help. It made her feel good to know that Jake was safely home. She told Jake that he must keep learning and be careful and she was so glad that he escaped the centipede. Then she told him that it was time to relax, have some food and sleep. Jake was glad to hear that since he had told his story and then he was hungry and tired.

Mom had a nice webbed up insect and Jake approached it and had a taste. It pleased him so he had some more. Since he had told his story he was no longer very excited and he became relaxed. Without finishing that insect he stopped and just stood there. Mom came by and asked him if anything was wrong. There was no response from Jake. For a moment mom was concerned but she quickly realized that he was simply very tired. She relaxed, smiled to herself, and slowly crawled away. But she still watched him. She started to do her usual web chores and soon looked at Jake again. Then she noticed that Jake had fallen asleep where he was having his food. Mom just let him sleep there. After some time he woke up. At first he did not know where he was but then he saw the webbed up insect and remembered. He started to crawl. Mom noticed it and she spoke to him. Jake said he was tired and needed to sleep. Mom just nodded and agreed with him. Then Jake crawled into his own web and immediately fell asleep. It happened so fast that he was barely able to curl himself up. He fell into a deep sleep. The dreams came but they did not mean much to him. Mom noticed he was dreaming because he started to twitch. After a while he stopped twitching and was more relaxed.

The day had finally arrived. It was what Jake had waited for. He had done some crawling on his own and he had some experiences. His family told him that he could then crawl far on his own. They reminded him that he should still be careful and remember all that they told him. Jake felt strong and full of energy. He crawled out of his web and looked around. Then he thought that he could crawl anywhere he wanted and he became very happy. At first Jake was so excited to be by himself. But soon he realized that it was actually not a big deal after all. One day that he was crawling around he saw a new spider and he became curious. Jake had to crawl closer. As he got closer that spider said 'hello'. It was just as he had thought that this new spider was friendly. He started asking simple questions to that spider. That spider then started talking to him. Soon they were like two old friends even though they had actually just met. It was not long before Jake realized that it was time for him to go home. He said goodbye to that spider and said maybe they would see each other soon again. As Jake was crawling away he thought that something seemed familiar about that spider.

Jake went home. His mother was waiting outside of the web for him. She was concerned for his safety, just like all mothers. She told him to crawl into the web and have some food. That thought made him happy because he was always hungry. So he quickly crawled inside. His two older brothers were there and so was his sister. It was always nice to have a comfortable home where you can relax and feel safe, Jake thought. There was not much action and it may be a little boring but still it was home. Jake had a good relationship with his family and that always made him happy. There was usually food and almost always there was a spider who you could talk with. Jake wanted to talk about his new friend but no one was really interested. Jake could speak but they did not want him to say much, unless they were interested. The older spiders were more interested in what they were talking about. It made Jake feel like a baby spider again, but he did know that is how all the young spiders were treated. He tried not to think about it much but he did decide that if they treated him that way maybe he would not tell them anything. Yes he had his chores to do and that would help pass the time. When he was tired he could have a nice comfortable deep sleep. It still bothered him how he was treated. Outside of his web home all Jake knew about was a few friends. Soon he would learn that there was so much more to life. There was a whole community out there and distant relatives also. Sometimes Jake would hear about other family members that he did not know. Since Jake was curious whenever he heard about other relatives he would try to ask questions. All the adults tried to answer his questions. When Jake asked if he would get to see any of those relatives he was always told that a spiders' life is busy. Mom tried to explain it to him as best as she could. It always saddened Jake when he thought about all the relatives that he would never meet but he tried to understand it as best as he could. Slowly Jake came to understand that there were many relatives that he would never see because that is simply how life is for all spiders.

As Jake was out crawling around one day he saw a familiar spider. He started to talk to him and soon they were like long lost friends. Actually they were long lost friends that had met before and to Jake it seemed so long ago. In Jake's mind they were long lost friends even though they only met once before. Since he was still so young to Jake it seemed that even one day would take forever. All of the young spiders felt that it seemed to take forever just to grow enough to almost become a juvenile spider. Their experiences were so new and also meant a lot to each of them. Jake thought that it was so nice to be out talking like this to a friend. At the same time he was thinking that his new friend said it. His new friend said that it was nice that two different spiders could be talking like two best friends. He continued to talk and said that is how it should be. It did not matter that they looked different or even that they didn't know each other's name, he said. Jake was having such a good time that he heard what was being said but the words did not mean very much to him. But still he listened. Jake knew that this spider was older than him but that did not matter. Actually Jake was happy to have an older friend because Jake believed that he could learn from him. His new friend continued; he said that some spiders are very different and that they also think very differently, but still they are all part of the same family and they all would have better lives and be much happier if they would all work together and stop fighting amongst themselves. Jake then asked him what his name was and his friend said 'Najaf" Najaf told Jake that many spiders and insects prefer the dark or at least to be in shadows. Jake already knew that since he grew up in darkness but it made him feel good to know that there were many others who lived like him even outside of his community.

'You should always look to the good in every spider', Najaf said. 'It is there and soon you may see even more good than you thought was possible. All spiders want the same things for themselves and for their families. They all have similar experiences in life but don't always realize it. You have a good friend that you talk to, and also see a lot, and then one day you realize that you do not even know that spider's name. But the name does not really matter. What matters is the relationship. It is all in how you look at things.' Najaf continued that Jake would learn more as time goes by. Jake listened because he was eager to learn all that he could but he was so young that much of what he was told did not mean a lot to him. Even though it did not mean a lot to him he still felt good after talking to Najaf. Soon it was time for him to head home. He said goodbye and crawled home. Along the way he saw another spider and started to talk to him. They talked about simple things before Jake continued to go home. Jake would keep growing and hanging with his friends so it was not long before Jake had forgotten much of what Najaf had told him.

1st day of class...

Jake wanted to learn and the thought of going to class with other students really made him happy. He felt that he could learn and also meet new spiders. The adults kept telling him more about class as it was getting closer. That made Jake even more interested and excited about it. When it was time for him to go he was so happy and full of energy. Mom wanted to take Jake to class. Jake asked mom if Raknar could take him to class instead. Mom understood so she told Jake that if Raknar would take him to class that she would be happy for them. She told Jake that he should ask Raknar. Jake asked Raknar and he agreed but said he needed a few moments before he could go. Raknar told Jake that he should start to crawl with mom and then he would soon catch up and take Jake all the way to class. Jake believed him so he started to crawl with mom towards class. They were about halfway towards class when Raknar caught up with them. Jake was so happy to see him. From then on Jake knew that he could count on his brother even if he didn't always treat him nicely. Mom told Jake to learn and have fun. She reminded him that Raknar would meet him after class so they could go home together. Raknar and Jake started to crawl towards class. Jake told Raknar that he was happy that he was taking him to class. Raknar just responded that he was a young juvenile so he better behave and learn all that he could. Jake was so happy about going to class with his brother that he did not care about what his brother said. Jake was so excited that he kept asking more about class. Raknar kept saying they would be there soon. Along the way Raknar stopped and told Jake that they were very near class. Jake wondered why Raknar stopped. Raknar told him that it was the spot where they would meet after class. They agreed that they would meet there. He told Jake to remember that spot. Then they crawled the short distance to class and Jake said that he remembered the spot for them to meet after class. When they arrived at class Raknar pointed out the teacher. She was a big strange looking spider. Soon the class knew that she was a good teacher and a nice spider. She also had a very odd name, Kuatzela. Raknar was then about to leave but the teacher called to him. She said she remembered him. Then she surprised Raknar because she called him by his name. Raknar was very surprised. Kuatzela said that she remembered that he did not pay attention in class. Raknar was quiet and simply said he did not remember. He also said it was a long time ago. Kuatzela said it really was not that long ago. She said she hopes his little brother will pay more attention. The teacher said it was nice to see an old student. Raknar was quiet. Then she said she needed to prepare to start class so she said goodbye to Raknar. Raknar told Jake that he will meet him at the end of class. Then he said goodbye to Jake and happily left that area.

Jake was left alone at class. It gave him much to think about. He was alone before when he had crawled and even met some spiders but those were only short distances. At the time he thought that those were far crawls but as he grew he understood that those were really only short crawls. This time it was different. It was a long crawl from his web home to class and then he was simply left there with strangers. He was alone in class with other spiders who were also there to learn. Slowly he looked at the other spiders and then at the teacher. The students all had different personalities. Some were quiet and shy, others were loud and friendly. All of them were watching the actions of the others. Jake kept looking around and soon noticed that his friend tiny Tom was in class. He thought that Tom might be in class and he was very happy to see him. Then he crawled over to him and they started talking. One spider saw that Jake was friendly and that he was talking to Tom. So that spider crawled over to them and said hello to Jake and Tom. They looked at her and were happy to have another friend. So they both said hello to her. Then she said her name was Rebna. Both Jake and Tom told her their names. She said she did not know anyone in the class. Rebna said she was new to that part of the community and wanted to have some friends. Jake said he did not know anyone either except for Tom. He continued that some of the spiders had many friends before they even came to class. Rebna looked at Tom and saw that he was jumpy. She asked him if he liked to jump. Tom said he did but he was not able to do much jumping. He also said he could not jump very high or far. Rebna said he will learn that in class. Jake asked her what she liked to do. She said that she prefers to slowly crawl around and look at things. If she sees an interesting insect she may want to taste it. Jake said he understood. Tom started to jump but it was not very far. Jake and Rebna smiled and said that is good practice for class. One of the other spiders in the class looked at Tom and said that he was too small to even be in the class. That spider said that Tom should still be home trying to get all of his legs out of his egg sac. The other spiders all laughed. Then Tom became jumpier. Poor Tom tried to ignore those spiders but they only laughed louder. With a sad face Tom crawled over to Jake and Rebna. He stood there and sadly looked at them. Tom said he did not want to be in class. Rebna smiled and said he must stay in class and he will become smarter than those spiders. Jake said those spiders are not nice, and they just want to push you around. If they can they will push all spiders around, they are mean, said Jake. Don't listen to them. Tom looked at them and said nothing. Jake said to Tom that Rebna had some good ideas for fun so he should listen to her. Tom looked at Jake and Rebna but said nothing. One of the other mean spiders called to Tom and said he should play with his baby friends. Then Rebna said to Tom that he should crawl with her. Tom listened and he started to smile. Rebna continued that they could go on a fun crawl and she could show him some new things. She told Tom that he could also show her things in the community. Tom was happy and he looked at Jake. Jake could tell that Tom was no longer thinking about the mean spiders. The mean spiders left Tom alone.

It was time for the young spiders to learn. The teacher called to the students and told them it was time for class. She then told them all the things that they would learn. When class began and the teacher told the class all that they would learn Jake wanted to learn it all immediately, as if it were an insect that he could simply consume. He was so eager to learn it all right away that it almost overwhelmed him. He soon realized that it does take time. Then the teacher told the students to pay attention and to do as she tells them. She stayed in front and watched as the spiders took their positions. When they were all in position she was happy. Then she told them to listen and watch her. It seemed that all the students were watching her. She picked up one leg at a time and then jumped. The class was quiet. She showed them again. There were some strange sounds in the class. The teacher stopped and looked at the class. The sounds stopped. Since all was quiet the teacher continued with her lesson. It was not long before she heard more sounds and then she knew that some students were not paying attention. She was not happy but she knew it would happen. Kuatzela remembered that Raknar did not pay attention and she thought that his brother Jake may be the same way. As she looked at Jake it was obvious that he was paying attention. Then she wondered which student was not paying attention. She looked at the class and each student looked at her. It seemed that she had their attention. At that point she continued with her lesson. She was satisfied and all seemed quiet. It was not long before she heard something again. The teacher was annoyed but knew that each class was different. She acted as though she heard nothing. I may be able to find out where it is coming from, she thought. Soon she heard a sound coming from another part of the class. Then she was confused. She still acted as though she heard nothing. The sounds continued, and they increased. The teacher suddenly turned around. She noticed there were a few spiders together making sounds. What they were actually doing was making sounds and simply talking. The teacher was not happy. She looked at those spiders sternly. They became quiet. She told them they are there to learn so they should pay attention. One of those spiders started to laugh. She asked him why he was laughing, but he gave no response. She told him that he should leave the class. That spider did not move. The teacher then said to that spider that the other spiders were trying to learn so if you stay in the class you should not bother them. That spider just looked at her. She went back to teaching the class. There was a slight sound. She looked at that spider and noticed that he had picked up one leg and was pointing at another spider. The teacher looked at the other spider and it looked back at her. Then she looked back at the first spider. She knew they were playing a game. They had their fun, she thought. Then the teacher told the class to pay attention and learn so they will know how to solve problems when they grow up. After that the class was quiet and she was able to complete her lesson.

When class ended Rebna was able to talk to Tom and Jake. She was happy that she had friends in class. Rebna said she did not know that some spiders would act that way in class. Tom looked at her and nodded in agreement. Jake said those spiders were not nice and they like to have fun by causing trouble. He did not know where they came from. They probably come from the other side of the community, he thought. It is better we stay away from them, Jake said. Rebna said, they will make it difficult for spiders to learn. She did not understand why those spiders did not want to learn. Jake thought that they did want to learn but that they were more interested in causing trouble.

Rebna said she had fun in class. She looked at Tom and smiled. He smiled and said that he had fun in class. Tom also said that he was learning to jump better. Rebna asked Tom if he was going to the next class. Tom said that he would be in the next class. Jake said he would be there also. Rebna said it was time for her to go to her web home. As they were about to leave a spider came over to them and said hello. Instantly they recognized it as one of the troublemakers from class. All three of them acted friendly and returned the greeting to that spider. That spider seemed pleased and asked them their names. Rebna simply said that she had to leave and she crawled away. Jake said that he and Tom needed to go and they started crawling. That spider asked them where they were going. Jake said they were going to their web homes. The spider said they should stay and have some fun with him. Tom said that they needed to go. That spider then said all baby spiders are the same-they are too scared to do anything.

It was a short distance for Jake and Tom to crawl to meet Raknar. As they crawled Jake stopped and turned around to see if any spiders were following them, but he saw none. He was concerned about those mean spiders because he did not know what they might do. They quickly reached the meeting spot that they agreed upon near to class. Raknar did not want to see the teacher again and Jake did not want other spiders to see that an adult was meeting him and Tom. As soon as they arrived Raknar showed up. He wanted to leave right away.

They looked around and started to crawl. As they were crawling along Jake asked Raknar how he knew to be there at that time. Raknar reminded him that he went to class before so he knew about when it ended. That surprised Jake so then he thought that he could learn from his brother. Then he asked Raknar more about class. At first Raknar did not say much but then he started to talk about what he did learn in class. He said it was fun and he met a lot of friends. In the beginning it was not fun and he did not like it, Raknar said, but soon it became fun. When he mentioned about jumping Tom got excited and he jumped. They all stopped crawling. Tom jumped again. That time he jumped higher. Tom was happy. Raknar and Jake watched Tom jump. They were happy for him. After a few moments Raknar said they should continue crawling. At that point they had not crawled very far from where they met Raknar and Raknar did not want to spend a lot of time with Jake and Tom. They headed towards Tom's home. After some time Tom asked where they were going. Raknar was quiet. Jake said they were going to Tom's web home. Tom said that nothing looked familiar. They stopped crawling. Raknar did not look happy and he asked Tom if they were crawling in the right direction. Tom responded that he did not know because nothing looked familiar. As Tom thought about it he did not think they were going in the right direction. Upon hearing that Raknar was not happy. He asked Tom which direction they should be going. Tom said he did not know. Raknar asked Jake. Jake said he only knew how to get there if he came from his own web home. That gave Raknar an idea. He looked around and thought for a moment. Then he decided which way they should crawl.

Raknar led the way to Tom's web home. Very soon Tom wanted to stop. Then he said he did not think they were going in the right direction. Raknar did not listen to him. He said they will rest a moment more and then continue crawling. Neither Tom nor Jake said anything. Raknar kept thinking about it because he wanted to get Tom home quickly so he would not spend any more time with the juveniles. They continued crawling. Soon Raknar stopped and looked around. He made a turn to the side. Tom asked if they were near his web home. Raknar was quiet. They kept crawling. Raknar asked Tom if anything looked familiar. Tom said that nothing looked familiar. Raknar was annoyed. He decided they would soon change direction. When he felt it was the right time he changed direction. It was not long before Tom said that things looked familiar. They continued crawling. Suddenly Tom said he was near his web home. Jake was happy to hear that. Things even began to look familiar to him. Raknar felt a sense of relief and he was no longer annoyed. Of the three spiders Tom was the happiest.

As they kept crawling Tom became more excited and he was full of energy. He even started to jump ahead. That did not last long because soon he was tired. Jake was glad to see that Tom was so happy but he was too tired from class to get very excited. Raknar was simply glad that they were near Tom's home. They continued to crawl towards Tom's home but it was slow. Raknar had to move slow because he was crawling with two juveniles who were very tired. It was frustrating for him but he understood. In a little while Tom said he was familiar with everything. He knew then that he was real close to his web home. Even Jake knew they were near Tom's home. He recognized many things. Very soon Tom stopped and he pointed to his web home. It was right in front of them. Somehow it was so well hidden that they did not even notice it. His mom had done an excellent webbing job. Tom said he enjoyed class and he wanted to go again. Jake agreed with him. As they were talking Tom's mom crawled out of the web. She said she was worried about Tom. Tom said he was fine but class took a long time. Raknar assured her that all was well and he said they needed to crawl slowly because Tom was tired. Tom's mom understood. She told Tom how lucky he was to have such good friends. Then she told him to say goodbye and to crawl into his web. She thanked Jake and Raknar and said goodbye to them. Tom crawled inside. She crawled inside after him. Tom's mom knew that he was hungry so she made sure he had some insect juices. Tom was very happy about that but he was too tired to have much food. His mom told him he could have more after he sleeps. Tom said he was very tired but he did not think he would be able to sleep. Mom asked him if anything was wrong. He said he simply did not feel sleepy. Tom continued that after class he was thinking about a lot of things. Mom understood. She asked Tom if he wanted to talk about anything. Tom said he did not because he was too tired. Mom told Tom that he should go into his web and try to relax. To Tom that sounded like a good idea. He crawled into his web and tried to relax. It was not easy. He was still unable to sleep. After some time he crawled out. His mom saw him and she was surprised. Tom said he was unable to sleep. She said he should have some more insect juices. Tom did have a taste but soon lost interest. He just stood there. Mom watched him and said he should try to relax some more. At first Tom did not move. Slowly he began to crawl back to his web. Inside his web he became comfortable and soon he did fall asleep. Finally he was able to get some much needed rest.

After saying goodbye to Tom, Jake and Raknar headed towards their web home. Raknar knew that Jake was tired so they crawled slowly. As they crawled along Raknar sensed something. He stopped and told Jake to do the same. Raknar was careful and Jake was trying to learn from him. Even though Jake was tired he knew that Raknar was concerned about something. He listened to Raknar and stopped. Then he looked around but he saw nothing. As he was about to say something Raknar raised one leg for him to be quiet. Jake stopped and he could see that his brother was serious. He looked all around and then back at Raknar. Then he noticed that Raknar started to slowly move. Very slowly Raknar picked up one leg and pointed at something. Jake looked and saw that it was a centipede in the distance. That was enough to make Jake fully awake. He looked around and realized that Raknar and he were out in the open. If they were to move to a safer place they needed to do it right away, he thought. Raknar looked at Jake and slightly moved a leg. Jake knew what it meant. With a sudden burst of energy Raknar started to move. Quickly he looked back and saw that Jake was right behind him. Raknar continued to crawl the short distance until he reached a hiding place. Jake crawled in beside him next. As they looked back at the centipede it seemed that they had not been noticed.

Raknar and Jake stood there looking out from their safe hiding place. Neither one knew for sure if that centipede had seen them but if it had seen them it would come to them soon. Raknar told Jake to keep watching. He said that he will see how they can safely escape from their hiding place and that he will be back real soon. As Raknar was about to leave Jake stopped him. Jake asked Raknar what he should do if the centipede comes to their hiding place. Raknar said he did not think that would happen. Jake was confused and he did not know what to think. He said to Raknar that they should crawl away together if the centipede is not coming to their hiding place. Raknar said that they do not know for sure what the centipede will do so they must be careful. Remember that centipedes are very tricky, Raknar reminded Jake. It was all good information, thought Jake, and he was happy to learn it. That information was good but it was not enough for Jake. He still wanted more information. Then Jake asked again what he should do if the tricky centipede comes to their hiding place. Raknar told him that he should simply find the safest place in that area and then put up some webbing. If he had some more time then he should put up some webbing in another place to confuse the centipede, Raknar added. He continued that Jake would be safe and he would come back and easily find him. It all sounded good to Jake and he was pleased with the answer he got from Raknar. Raknar was concerned about his little brother so he asked him if he knew what to do. Jake said he knew what to do and he would be fine. He assured Raknar that he would remember. Jake was happy that he was learning from his brother.

Once Raknar was satisfied that Jake was safe he began to think about how they would safely leave that area. He decided which direction that he would try and he told Jake that he would be back soon. Raknar took a look around and carefully crawled away from Jake. Then Raknar began to search for a safe way to escape. He did not need to search for very long. Almost immediately Raknar found an interesting path. Very carefully he started to crawl. He kept looking all around as he moved along. It seemed safe but he still needed to be careful. For a moment Raknar stopped and looked back. All seemed safe to him. Along the path there were openings which would lead to other areas. Raknar liked that and he was very interested in all of it. The openings can be used to escape and hide, he thought. With all of the openings he knew that he needed to often look back at the area where he told Jake to wait. He did not want to forget where he left Jake. Slowly he continued to crawl. Raknar tried to stick with the most direct path. As long as it seemed safe he would continue that way. He was not sure how much longer he would continue because he did not want to leave Jake by himself for very long. At that point Raknar thought he would just crawl a little more and then go back to Jake. Even though he did not want to leave Jake by himself for very long he also wanted to find a safe way for them to escape. He was not sure what to do but he felt the best thing to do was to search a little more and then go back to Jake. Raknar crawled a little more and stopped, but as he was about to turn back something suddenly looked familiar to him. That interested him so he decided to go farther. Soon something else looked familiar to him. Raknar realized where he was. He was happy because it was not very far from his web home. It was not along one of his usual paths but he still knew where he was. From there he knew how to get to his web home. He crawled back to Jake and together they headed to their web home. As soon as Jake was at the web home Raknar was very happy because then he could crawl by himself. Raknar was then free to go about his own business. Mom was thrilled to see Jake and she wanted to hear about his first day of class. Jake said it was interesting but some of the students were not nice. Mom said he needed to go to class and each day would get better. She said that some of those young spiders would learn and then grow up. Jake said he wanted to go to class. From the way that Jake said it mom could tell that he was interested in going to class again. When mom thought about it she became very happy. She always knew that Jake was very curious and liked to learn. Mom knew that all young spiders have problems growing up, but she believed that if Jake continued going to class that he would be better prepared for his adult life.

Jake continued going to class and Raknar would go with him at least part of the way. Each day was different in class. Jake learned all that he could. He really enjoyed learning in spinning class with other students. Jumping class was also so much fun, he thought. Class made him feel like he was learning and growing up. Jake was not the best student but he worked very hard and practiced everything. He was such an eager student. School was so much fun and there was so much to learn. It was an incredible experience but it did not always make him happy. Sometimes the other spiders would make fun of his teacher and sometimes they would make fun of him. That did not make him happy. It made him so unhappy that he no longer liked when they made fun of their teacher. At first when they made fun of the teacher Jake did not completely understand so he would simply laugh with the other spiders. When he did understand what they were doing he would stop laughing. The other spiders even made fun of the teacher's name. So for Jake class was a wonderful learning experience but it did not always make him happy. He also learned how cruel young spiders can be. Most of them were nice or simply quiet but some of them could be very mean. There were also many new friends. It was always a nice surprise to him to see all the new faces and to meet all of the new spiders. Some of them were quite different and did things differently. Jake did not care and he barely noticed the differences, he was only interested in meeting as many new spiders as possible. Some of those spiders were quite different but all Jake thought about was that each one would be another good friend. One spider liked to eat only sweet insects. If it was not sweet he would usually leave it for another spider. He was a picky eater. Another spider liked to eat only small insects. Other spiders had strange markings on them. None of these things mattered much to Jake because he was simply so happy to meet them all. But one spider seemed different. Jake watched her and saw that she was so happy and silly. She seemed like all she wanted to do was dance around and have fun playing spider games. But she did seem to think learning was fun because she did pay attention to the teacher. She seemed to be the happiest spider there. Jake liked that and he wanted to become her friend. Soon he found out that her name was Sally. Jake tried to talk to her but she was always so silly. He heard that other spiders thought she was silly. That is how she became known as silly Sally. It was easy to become friends with her because she was so silly and happy. She liked that Jake was a very friendly spider.

Chapter 3

Even though many students made fun of the teacher she still did a good job teaching. Most of the students did learn all that she taught them. She taught Jake to spin really nice webs and even all kinds of simple webs. "You need to control the flow of your web fluid and to make sure you balance your webs", she told them. Then she taught them how to actually do it. She even taught them how to jump properly so they would not use so much energy. His teacher also showed the class how they could jump higher and faster. When she showed him how he could instantly jump to the side, and do it over and over again, she had Jake's full attention. It all made quite an impression on Jake. He was so happy that he had a nice teacher. Jake remembered much of what she taught him. Mostly Jake remembered the nice things about class.

When class ended the spiders hung around and some waited for the adults to meet them. Some spiders were quiet and some were noisy. Jake sometimes waited there with them. One time Jake was alone because Sally and Rebna had already left and Tom did not go to class that time. As usual Jake tried to be friendly with other spiders. One spider talked to Jake. As Jake was talking with that spider another spider started to talk with them. It made Jake feel good talking to all those spiders. Soon another spider started to talk with them also. That spider seemed different and a little louder. Jake and his new spider friends looked at that spider. At first the loud spider talked about class. Soon other spiders crawled next to him and it seemed that they were already friends of the loud spider. Then the loud spider suddenly spoke differently. He told Jake that he was not a good student. Jake did not know what to say so he just quietly stood there. The loud spider told Jake again that he was not a good student. Again Jake silently stood there. The loud spider said that since Jake did not say anything he really is a bad student. Then Jake looked at him and said that he spins as good as any other spider. The loud spider then asked Jake what he was going to do. Jake looked around and then said he was going to his web home and he would practice spinning. The loud spider then laughed and so did his friends. They laughed so much that their whole bodies shook. It seemed as if they would never stop laughing. Then Jake turned and looked at the first spider that he was talking with. That spider was still there and it was not laughing, but it said it had to leave. As Jake slowly turned back he could see that the loud spider and its friends were all still laughing. Jake knew that they were not nice spiders and in a moment he also crawled away so he could quietly meet Raknar and go home with him. It was not long before he met Raknar. He was so happy when he saw Raknar because he was with family and he felt safe. At first Jake was quiet. Since that was not Jake's usual behavior it surprised Raknar. As they crawled along Raknar asked Jake if he was sick. Jake said he did not feel good because he was bothered by some mean spiders from class. Raknar told him that he must stay away from those spiders and if he can't do that he should try to ignore them. Jake understood but it still bothered him. Raknar told him that there is not much that he could do about those spiders so it is simply better to stay away from them. Raknar ended it by saying that he should stick with his friends. It all made Jake feel better.

One day Jake and his friends were out for a slow crawl, but they really weren't doing much of anything. They started talking and getting strange ideas and since they all were in a group thinking together it made them feel strong and powerful. They started to think about different things that they might like to do. Then one spider said that maybe they could play a joke on the giant. For a brief moment they all became quiet. Another spider spoke and said that could be dangerous. The other spiders were quiet but one quickly spoke and told that spider that he does not know how to have any fun. Then slowly one by one each spider said that it might be an interesting idea. Soon they all agreed with that idea. It was decided that they would play a joke on a giant. They all knew that one always comes down into their community. All the spiders knew that the giant did not like their web strands so they would use them as part of their game. So they agreed that they would stretch a couple of web strands across an area that the giant would go through. The strands would not be very noticeable, but they still believed that the giant would feel them. Then the giant would get the web strands in its face. Some spiders have observed that when the giant gets the web strands in its face it gives a strange reaction. The young spiders think that this strange reaction is very funny. The older spiders are concerned that the giant may get annoyed with their webs and will destroy all of their webs. The adult spiders would not want the young spiders to play such a joke. The spiders then started to think when and how they would put down a few web strands because they wanted to try to hide them from the adults. They really wanted to do this soon so they could have some fun but they thought they should be careful. So they decided that they would try to observe the giant and also the adult spiders. They needed to observe things as part of growing up anyway. It was not long before they felt that they understood what they would be doing.

They were all just young crazy spiders who decided that it was time to play their joke on the giant. Two of the best crawlers crawled up very high. The other spiders stayed down low and kept observing everything. It was not long before the two spiders were right where they wanted to be. They quickly looked around. One of them shot a web strand. The other shot a web strand also. Then they both shot a few more web strands. Then it was time to observe and rest. It was not a complete web, it certainly was not a cobweb; all that they put there for their plan was simply a few web strands. They did not want their strands to be noticed. After a short wait the spiders decided that they had completed their part of the plan. Then they crawled away and went back to their friends. Soon all the spiders were back together and they were so happy with what they had just done. They stayed there talking, waiting and observing. But nothing happened. No giant came down into their community. Much time passed. The spiders gradually became bored. Jake then said they did not need to keep waiting there for the giant because they really did not know when the giant would come back. He continued that the giant was so big that they would all know the giant was back in their community. Another spider then said that if they continued to stay there the adult spiders might find out about the plan. The other spiders agreed. They all looked around one last time and agreed that the web strands were very nice. Slowly they all started to crawl away. Jake was the last one. He did not take another look at the web strands. He simply crawled away.

Much later there was a sudden flood of light. At that point most of the spiders knew that the giant was coming into their community. Most spiders didn't really care about the giant; they would either hide or simply go about their spider business. Soon the giant appeared in their community. All of a sudden the giant gave a strange reaction. Jake noticed it and remembered about the web strands they had placed. He laughed a little but he was more interested in observing the reaction of the giant. At that time other spiders noticed the reaction of the giant. Since most of them did not understand the giant they did not pay much attention to its reaction. But Jake's friends realized what was happening and they remembered about the joke that they played on the giant. Some of them laughed so hard they really shook their webs.

Jake was amused but he kept watching to see what the giant would do. He noticed that the giant was using one short leg to take the web strands away from its face. Then it used the two legs near its face to take down any other strands. Jake thought that maybe the legs near the giants face were not legs to the giant but something else. It puzzled Jake but he did not know what else to think. The giant then made strange sounds that Jake did not understand. Next the giant started walking and looking all around. Jake believed that the giant was not happy about their joke. At that point Jake became frightened for the whole community and thought that they should not have played their joke on the giant. He kept watching the giant and soon the giant seemed to go about its' own business. Jake kept watching the giant doing things that he did not understand. After some time the giant left the community. Jake felt a sense of relief then. He also decided that he wanted to learn more about the giants.

One day Jake was near class when he saw something unusual. There were two spiders from class that were doing something that Jake did not understand. Jake saw other spiders looking at them also. At that moment he did not understand what was going on so he simply thought that maybe it was some type of new game. As he kept watching he began to think that it wasn't a game after all and then he did not know what to think. Then he asked another spider what was going on. That other spider did not know what to say or think either. He also thought that maybe it was some sort of a game. They both kept watching and trying to understand. Soon Jake saw an older spider and he asked him what was going on. That spider then said that those two spiders were not playing a game. He continued and said that they were fighting. Jake and his other classmate did not understand 'fighting'? Jake did not understand so he asked the older spider again. That spider tried to explain to Jake what fighting meant. He tried to explain that fighting is not good and it is not nice but that it is a part of life. After a short while Jake did begin to understand what fighting meant. But Jake still had one big question: 'Why fight?' He thought that they are friends so why are they fighting. It is not a nice thing to do and each spider will only get hurt. The older spider agreed with Jake that it is not good and he still tried to explain it to Jake but soon he decided to simply tell Jake that he would understand more as he grows older.

Like all spiders growing up Jake heard some old stories but he did not know if they were real or just stories. Some of them were so interesting that he wanted to learn more about them. One story seemed to really interest him. It interested him because sometimes other spiders would talk about it. To Jake it began to seem like a real story but he thought that it was from a long time ago. He heard them talking about an old wise spider that seemed interesting. Some spiders said he was not only very smart but that he could also make magic. It was even said that this wise spider started their community. Jake thought it was a good story but he wondered if it was real and sometimes he even dreamed about meeting such a spider. He thought that he would be able to learn much from a wise old spider. But it was just a dream and when Jake was awake it was just another old story. Another story Jake heard was that there were many other spider communities that were outside of their community. In that story he was told that there were many different types of spiders. He was told that sometimes there was a spider that was different that would quietly visit their community. Jake was told that this spider was not very old but still it was very wise, friendly and helpful. As Jake thought about it he remembered that he had met such a spider. Then he remembered his friend Najaf and thought that one story might be about him. Since Jake had already met many different types of spiders in class he believed that such a story might be true. When Jake had some quiet time he would think about these stories and it would fill his head with all sorts of thoughts. Once Jake wondered about the community and what it was like a long time ago. He even wondered how the community got started. But he did not think about such things for very long because he became busy with learning and his friends.

One day Jake was out crawling by himself when he thought that maybe he should start to look for other spiders. As he started to think how he would do that he saw a dancing spider. So far he had only seen one spider that danced and seemed so happy. All at once he became happy as he thought that it must be silly Sally. It was a spider that he not only knew but who was always happy. Jake saw the spider happy and dancing around, and he remembered from class that it was silly Sally. As he watched he became sure that it was her. He thought she was a nice spider and would probably be a good friend. Since she was always dancing it was not easy for any spider to make friends with her unless they also danced. He watched her movements and then crawled towards her. When he was near her he stopped and stood there. Sally was bigger than Jake but when she danced she almost seemed to simply float. Her dancing really interested him. She kept dancing. He never saw so much dancing so he did not know what to do. Then he suddenly said "hello". There was no response. She continued to look happy and kept dancing. Jake said "hello" again. She slowly stopped and said "hello". For a moment they stood there looking at each other. After another moment it seemed that she was about to start dancing again. Then Jake said that he remembered her from class. He continued that he remembered her dancing and how she always seemed so happy. Sally said she remembered him also. She remembered how he was so friendly and was trying to get to know everyone. For a moment they quietly stood there. It was soon time for Jake to speak. He said that he likes to meet new spiders but he also likes her dancing. Sally said that she likes to dance and also meet spiders. She asked if Jake remembered some of the odd looking spiders from class. Jake said he did. At that moment they had become good friends. Then Jake asked her if she wanted to go for a crawl. She said she did but it could only be a short one. He was about to start crawling but thought that maybe she should crawl first. She did not start to crawl. Then Jake started to crawl. Sally was not near him. He stopped and looked around. As usual Sally was moving and dancing. She was slowly moving because she was more interested in dancing. As Jake stood there looking at her he smiled to himself. Sally kept dancing. Then she came near him and stopped. She asked him what he was doing. He said he was watching her as she danced. She said that maybe he will learn to dance. Jake smiled and said that maybe she could teach him how to dance. She just smiled and said that she was not a teacher. Sally continued to smile and said they should crawl. Jake started to crawl and Sally joined him. At first they slowly crawled. Then Jake said he wanted to crawl faster. Sally was interested. She was bigger than him so she could easily crawl faster than he could. Sally kept up with him as he moved faster. Then he moved even faster. Sally still kept up with him. Then Jake stopped. At that moment they were both happy and smiling. Sally said it was fun. Jake also agreed that it was fun. He picked up one leg and pointed to something and said they should quickly crawl to that point. It was not very far. Sally agreed and started crawling there. In a moment they had both crawled to that point. They were having so much fun that neither one wanted it to end. Both of them were young and they needed to go home. Jake kept looking around for another place for them to crawl to but he kept changing his mind. He quietly looked back at Sally. She smiled at him as if she understood. Jake said he wanted to have more fun but he needed to go home. His family always told him that he was late because he did not know how to watch the time. Sally understood and said she also needed to go home.

Sally and Jake said goodbye and they crawled in different directions. They were both happy as they crawled because their heads were full of fun thoughts. Along the way home Raknar saw Jake. He stopped and asked Jake what he was doing. Jake simply said he was going home. Raknar continued and he asked Jake if he was crawling around to meet any of his baby friends. Jake said that he did just see a friend. Raknar told Jake that if he continues to behave like that he will never become a responsible spider. He told Jake that he must go to the web home right away so he will not be late. Then Raknar said... 'you baby spiders are all the same-you think your meetings are so important'. He told Jake to go home and he picked up one leg to show him the direction.

Jake followed Raknar's advice and headed home. It did not matter to Jake what Raknar said because he was going home anyway. Besides that he just spent time with his friend Sally. As he crawled his head was full of fun thoughts. It was such a short distance to the web home but his head was so full of fun thoughts that he barely noticed where he was crawling. Before long a spider called his name but he did not pay attention. His name was called a second time. Then he stopped. He looked around. Then he remembered that he was crawling home. As he looked around Jake wondered where he was. He realized that he should have been at his web home but he was not there. Then he heard his name called again. The voice sounded familiar. It was Tom, he thought. Suddenly Jake realized what had happened. After he saw Raknar he did head to his web home but then he did not think where he was crawling so he slowly began going in a different direction. Then Jake thought that it would explain why he did not see his web home and why he was near Tom's web home. Tom called to Jake again. That time Jake responded and as usual he was glad to see Tom. Since Jake's head was full of fun thoughts with Sally he did not know what to say so he just smiled. As soon as Tom saw Jake he could tell that he was very happy. Tom was glad that Jake was happy and he asked him why he was so happy. Jake simply said that he was having some fun with Sally. Tom asked if Jake had an adventure or saw something interesting with Sally. Jake said they only had fun crawling around. Then Jake said to Tom that maybe sometime he could have fun crawling around. Tom was so tiny that his mom wanted him to stay near his web home and Jake knew that. "You will grow and soon be able to crawl all over", said Jake. When Tom heard that it made him feel better so he smiled.

Tom and Jake stood there and soon started to talk about class. Jake said that he liked going to class but some of the students made him feel uncomfortable. He said that some of those students were mean spiders. Tom agreed and he added that some students made him feel so bad that he did not want to go to class. Jake sadly looked at Tom. Then Tom said that he was thinking of not going to class anymore. Jake told him that he must go to class so he can learn and then he will become smarter than those mean spiders. Tom looked at Jake and he wondered how he could learn with those spiders bothering him. Jake wanted to help Tom so he said that those spiders are trying to push you around but don't let them. Tom asked how he could do that. Jake said that he must ignore them- do not listen to what they say. They were quiet for a moment as Tom thought about it. Then Jake told him that it may not be easy but he could do it. He added that he would learn, have a better life, and be happy. Tom looked at him and understood but he was still hesitant about going to class. Jake assured him that he, Sally, and Rebna will also be in class. Upon hearing that Tom seemed to be happier. They continued talking. Suddenly they realized that a big spider was coming towards them. It was Tom's mom. She was happy to see Jake again. Tom had talked about Jake many times but that was the first time that she got to talk to Jake. She only met Jake once before very briefly after their first day of class. It made her happy to know that Tom had a good friend. Tom had complained to her that he did not like class but she did not understand. So she asked Jake how he liked class. Jake told her that both he and Tom thought class was fun. He also told her about the mean spiders and how they treated Tom and others in the class. She then began to understand what Tom was talking about but she still said he must go to class. Tom said that he and Jake were just talking about class. Tom's mom said it was nice to talk about class but when they go to class they should only think about learning. She continued that it was important for him to go to class and he will learn many things. Tom looked at her and nodded. He was not happy but he knew she was right. She was satisfied that Tom agreed with her. Then she said goodbye to Jake and left the two of them alone.

For a moment Jake and Tom stood there looking at each other. Then Tom spoke and said that he was so small and those mean spiders were so big that he did not know what to think or do. It made him feel so bad that he did not know what to do, he said. Jake sadly looked at him and nodded. Then he told Tom again that he must try to not pay attention to those mean spiders, and that he must think about good things, and about what he needs to learn instead. Jake then said that those spiders can't harm you; they can only harm you if you let them by listening to them. "You must do what you know is right, learn, and become smarter and happier than those spiders, then you will have a good life", Jake told him. Tom was quietly looking at Jake. Then Jake said one more thing, he told Tom to remember that it may not be easy but that he could do it. Tom looked at Jake and smiled. Jake was glad that he was able to help his friend feel better.

Even though Tom was so small Jake could see that a change had come over him. Tom seemed happier and even said that he couldn't wait to go to class again. He said he would learn all that he could and not pay attention to those mean spiders. Jake looked at him and smiled. Then Tom started to talk about jumping class. He said it made him feel so much bigger and stronger. Tom said that was his favorite class. Jake also thought it was a wonderful class. They had a lot of fun talking about class. After some time Tom's mom came towards them. When Tom saw her he remembered that he had some chores to do. He told Jake that he had some things to do. Jake understood and said he also needed to go home. He said goodbye to Tom and started to crawl away.

Jake left Tom and started to head home. Along the way he saw an insect that he wanted to catch but he reminded himself that he needed to go home. As he crawled along he started to think about class again. At first it made him happy, then he remembered about the mean spiders and he became unhappy. He felt sad when he thought how it bothered Tom. His thoughts quickly made him happy when he remembered the change that came over Tom before he left him. It made him happy to think that Tom would not be so sad anymore. A small insect crawled near him but he hardly noticed it. Deep in thought Jake slowly crawled along. Very soon he remembered about the crawling fun he had with Sally. He became very happy as he thought about all the good things. It made him so happy that he kept crawling without thinking where he was crawling. Before long he heard something that brought him out of his thoughts. Jake stopped and looked around. His name was called and he recognized the voice. It was Raknar. Raknar crawled over to Jake and stopped. Then Raknar looked at Jake with an adult look. Jake felt it but he did not know what to say. Raknar said he thought that he went home so he asked Jake what he was doing. Jake said he was going home. For a few moments Raknar quietly looked at Jake. Then he told Jake that since he was so young he should be back at the web home. Jake quickly nodded in agreement to his older brother. Then Raknar told him to go there right away. Jake started to head home but Raknar stopped him. Then Raknar told him that he was going in the wrong direction and pointed Jake in the right direction. Again Jake continued to head home. Raknar watched him as he crawled away. He thought that maybe he should follow Jake to make sure that he reached the web home. Raknar started to follow Jake but soon changed his mind as he realized that they were already not too far from the web home. He believed that Jake would be home very soon.

Jake kept crawling but soon stopped and looked around. He kept looking around and began to feel sleepy. Then Jake saw a good spot where he thought he could safely sleep. He crawled over to that spot and started to put down some webbing. Jake started to get comfortable when his webbing began to shake. He became alert and realized that mom was shaking it. Jake was happy that mom was there but he was a little confused. He did not know what to say so he simply crawled out. Mom could tell that he was confused so she asked him if all was well. Jake responded that he was tired. Mom understood and she told him to crawl home with her. By the time Jake reached the web home he no longer felt tired so he started to become more active. Mom noticed that and reminded him that he said he was so tired. Jake paused for a moment but said nothing. Again mom asked him how he felt. Then Jake said that he was feeling tired again. Mom told him that he should relax and try to get some sleep. Jake listened to her and very soon he was in a deep sleep.

Chapter 4

Whenever Jake had a quiet moment he would think about things that he was told.

Jake was always taught that family is important. He was also told that it is important to share because some spiders may not have as much as him. The adults would tell him that some spiders may not be part of his family but he still may need to share with them. He was told that if an insect is caught in his web, and he does not need it, he can leave it for another spider who may not be so lucky catching insects and is hungry. He was also told that if there are plenty of insects in a certain area he can even let another spider place its web there. Jake gradually noticed that mom did not always have an insect waiting for him and even when she did some were very small. That helped him to understand that some spiders were not always as lucky as others.

When the adults thought that he would understand Jake was told that the community was going through hard times. Most of the insects they got were small. They were not able to get much food. Some spiders were suffering –they were not able to grow and molt without much food. The young spiders were affected most, some stayed small. Usually there was food but not always. Jake had not really experienced this problem so he did not give it much thought. He knew his little brother, Koe, stayed small but he thought that was because he was still so young and he did not eat very much. Life seemed good to Jake so at first he did not understand when he was told the community was going through hard times but he still listened. He did hear from other spiders that sometimes there were few insects and they were small but he did not think that was a problem. Gradually though Jake began to understand what the community was experiencing. He usually had enough insects, but some were very small. Since Jake was a happy spider he always thought that life was fine and so he was always happy. It was not long before he had an unpleasant surprise. Once when he crawled into his web home his mom did not have an insect for him and he was very hungry. He asked mom why she did not have insects for her family. She again told Jake that the community was going through hard times. Then Jake remembered what he was told. Jake did not know what to think but he did know that he was very hungry. It was time for him to see if the problem was real. He went out to get an insect but he was not lucky. It was time to do more looking, he thought. He looked everywhere but all he saw was one small insect flying around. With all of his searching he still found no food. After a while he decided to head back home. Jake was still hungry but he knew he needed a rest. Mom was at home and she told him not to worry. Jake knew that she gave good advice. Mom reminded Jake that Dendron was very smart and that he was thinking about their insect shortage. She told him that Dendron said that things were not good then but that they would get better. He said that they must have patience and they must all work together, she told Jake. Mom said that Dendron had good ideas. She continued that she has been through difficult times before and she knows that each time things are different but they still can get through it if they all work together. Finally Jake understood about the hard times but he still remained a happy spider. He even wanted to find out how he could help the community. The adults would tell him that the best way that he could help the community was to go to class, learn all he could, and to be a decent spider. Then he would be able to do more as he got older.

When Jake was not in class he would often think about it. He always felt sad when he remembered how he was treated in class. The other students would make fun of him. Sometimes they would even trick him so he would get in trouble and get blamed by his teacher. It always seemed to him that it was very unfair. But school was good because you had a chance to meet many other spiders and to learn new things, he thought. That was always fun and exciting. Then Jake remembered something that Najaf told him and it made him happy, Najaf said "As you grow and go to school you will make many friends and you must try not to look at the differences, but at the things you have in common. It may not always be easy but you will be happier and it will help to make a better web community. You will meet so many friends and have so many new experiences that you may not even remember these things that I tell you. Just listen and try to somehow put these things in your memory." Najaf continued by telling Jake that it is ok to simply be yourself but you must always remember that when the adults tell you something they believe that it is for your good.

In Jake's memory he could hear more of what Najaf said, "You will meet many spiders and some will seem very different than you. But you must remember that they are really just like you. It is good that you welcome them and treat them all as friends. But don't just welcome them you should also help them to be part of the community. This will be better for the community and the whole spider world. It will make you happier. Never forget that each spider thinks differently because of what they have learned, but deep down all spiders are the same. They all want the same things and they are all good spiders." Najaf spoke with the wisdom of experience as he said: "Even though many spiders look different and think differently we all still can get along and we must all work together. It is possible and we must do it to keep our community strong and healthy." Najaf ended his advice by saying that you still need to be careful who you choose as your close friends. Jake thought about these things and even thought that all spiders are like one big family. It all interested Jake very much. Whenever Jake would remember what his good friend Najaf said Jake would realize that he is very wise. As Jake grew he would remember certain things.

One day Jake was outside of class with his friend Tom. Tom started jumping. Jake then joined him, but he wanted to do more. So Jake started to make funny movements. At that time other spiders from class started looking at them. Jake kept moving and bending his legs with slow graceful movements. Then Tom started to make the same movements. Jake paused for a moment to see what Tom was doing. All of a sudden one of the spiders that were watching them spoke as it looked at Jake. It said, "So, you think you are a special spider, don't you? Well you are not." Surprised at such a remark Jake simply said he was just having some jumping fun with his friend. The other spider then said, "You baby spiders are all the same, and there is no other spider with you. It is only a spider egg with tiny legs." Then all of the other spiders started laughing. Jake understood and felt bad because he already knew how cruel young spiders can be. He felt bad about the insult, but he felt even worse for tiny Tom. Yes it was just a very big joke with all of those spiders being against him and tiny Tom but it was more of an insult or personal attack on him and his friend. At that moment Jake felt so bad that he decided that he would never treat other spiders that bad. Even though Jake was really still very young it affected him so much that he would always remember that for the rest of his life.

Jake was a very active spider and he liked to learn all that he could even when he was not in class. When he was out crawling he would observe insects. He would often meet friends and that would always make him happy. Another fun thing for Jake was to meet new spiders especially if they were friendly. Jake met a few odd spiders and had fun experiences with them but he could not tell any adult spider because no one would believe him. If they did believe him they would be very concerned about it. He met and became friends with a wise spider who was also friendly and he tried to tell his mom about that spider. She pretended to listen to him, but she didn't really believe him because he did not say the spiders' name. Soon Jake realized that no one really believed him so he stopped telling the adults about any spiders that he met. But once after talking to Najaf Jake felt so good that he started to tell his mom about it. That time it seemed like she was paying attention to what Jake was saying so he kept talking like all young spiders. At the same time mom was listening and she was happy that Jake was happy she was concerned that Jake might hang out too much with a strange spider. As Jake kept talking he noticed that mom's expression seemed to change. He could tell that mom was still listening to him but she was concerned about what he was saying. Then Jake started to shorten his story since he could tell that mom was getting upset. He was about to say that spiders name but then he decided that he would not say it. Even though he knew the spiders name he would simply say that he did not know it. Jake barely finished his story when mom cut him off. She told him that she was concerned about him hanging out and making friends with strange spiders and that he should be very careful about who he hangs out with. Mom continued that it was great that he was being a nice, friendly, social spider but that he should really think and be careful who his friends are. She also reminded him that the family taught him to be careful so he does not get hurt but also so he does not hurt other spiders. Even though Jake was still learning he completely understood what mom meant and decided that he would keep following her advice just as he had been doing. As Jake crawled away he realized that what mom was saying was almost exactly what Najaf, and even his teacher, were saying. At that moment Jake became very happy. Then he began to think that the adults really were smart and that they were all trying to help him.

One day, not far from his web, Jake had a quiet moment. All was calm so he simply decided to stop and look around. He felt safe and relaxed so he started to think about things. His thoughts briefly took him away from where he was at that moment. Soon thoughts came to him about other places and things. He started to think about class. When he thought about class the same feelings always came back to him. Class made him feel good, but he did have mixed feelings. It was great to learn but some students did not treat him nicely. Some memories from when he was very young came to him but like most spiders it was so long ago that it was difficult to remember much of anything. In a way some things seemed as though it was all so long ago, but in another way it seemed as though it was only yesterday. He tried to remember as much as he could in that short amount of time. Mostly, he tried to only remember the good things. His quiet time did not last long because soon his thoughts were interrupted. He heard his name called. It was tiny Tom. Jake was happy to see Tom. Tom said that he was out crawling around. He asked Jake what he was doing. Jake said he was out crawling also. They chatted for a short while and then Tom said he needed to go because he was on his way home. Before Tom was able to leave a small insect flew by and it caught their attention. They were both interested in that insect but it kept flying around. Tom soon crawled away and headed home. Jake kept looking for that insect so he stayed in that area. He was very interested in that insect and kept looking for it. Suddenly he heard his name called and he forgot about that insect. Then he saw that Rebna was right next to him and he knew that she was the one who called his name. It was a pleasant surprise because he never saw Rebna near his web home. Rebna said that she was glad that she had found his web home. Jake asked her what she was doing there. She said she was on a big crawl to stretch her legs and to look for spiders. Jake said that he could show her around that part of the spider community. Rebna said that it sounded like fun but she was more interested in meeting spiders. Jake asked her if she wanted to stop crawling and talk about things. Then Rebna said that sometimes she was not happy in her web home. She continued that she was thinking that maybe she would start a new web home. Jake did not know what to say so he said that she may be too young to start a new web home. She looked at Jake and said he was correct but it was just that sometimes she was not happy in her web. Rebna said she did not know what to do when she was unhappy. Then she quietly looked at Jake and smiled. In a moment Jake asked her if she was hungry. She said she was not hungry. Rebna then asked if there were any other spiders nearby that she could meet. Jake then said that Tom was not very far away. He said that he could show her the way to Tom's web home. Rebna was interested. Together they crawled to Tom's web home. Along the way Jake asked her if she knew how to get back to her web home. She told Jake that she did know. Rebna said that she was very good with directions. Since Jake was not good with directions he was impressed. It was not long before they were at Tom's web home. Even though Jake pointed it out to her she still did not see it. Tom's mom did such an excellent job of hiding the web home and especially the entrance. Rebna watched as Jake crawled right up to the entrance and gave it a shake. He looked back at her and Rebna nodded as she saw the hidden entrance. Almost immediately a big spider appeared at the entrance. It was Tom's mom. She was wondering what all the shaking was about. The first spider she saw was Jake and she was glad to see him. Then she saw Rebna. Jake told her that Rebna was from class. Tom's mom looked at Rebna and then at Jake. Jake asked her if Tom was at home. Slowly she responded and said that she would get Tom. Before long Tom crawled out of the entrance and he was very happy to see Jake and Rebna. The three of them chatted for some time. Tom asked Rebna if she wanted to go for a crawl. She said that she would like to but that she needed to go to her web home. Then Rebna said that they could go for a short crawl. That interested Tom and he started to jump. Rebna smiled and told him again that it would only be a short crawl. The three of them started crawling together. After a while Jake realized that he was tired and hungry and needed to go to his web home. He told Tom and Rebna that he had to go home and he crawled away. Rebna and Tom continued their crawling. Tom stopped so he could show something to Rebna. Rebna asked Tom if he wanted to jump. After Tom showed something to Rebna he said he wanted to have some jumping fun with her. She was interested. Before long the two of them were jumping all over the place. Even though Rebna was big she tried not to jump so far or high, soon though she noticed that Tom was a very good jumper. She jumped higher and so did Tom. For a moment they stopped and smiled at each other. They were having so much fun together. Rebna reminded him that it was only a short crawl so she would have to go home soon. Tom understood and they continued their crawling. It was not long before Rebna said goodbye to Tom and she said she would see him in class. Tom crawled the short distance and was soon outside his web home. He slowly crawled in and was happy that his mom had an insect waiting for him. After he had some juices he went into his web to sleep, but even though he was very tired he did not fall asleep right away. Memories kept coming to him.

The trick...

One day Jake was out crawling around and he noticed a flying insect. As he watched it stopped flying and it landed near him. For a moment Jake simply observed that insect, he was curious what it would do next, and he really wanted to learn about its behavior. Even though he was hungry he was more interested in learning so he simply stood there on all of his legs and watched that insect. Then all of a sudden there was light and a giant appeared and it did something that seemed strange to Jake. Then suddenly he heard something and he certainly felt it. Jake was not sure what the giant had done, but at that moment the air seemed to change and he had a strange feeling. It was almost as though it was trying to push him or pull him, he was puzzled because he saw nothing even though he felt the strange force. As this force became stronger he decided to just hold on as tight as he could so he would be able to stay exactly where he was. Then he noticed that the insect that had landed nearby seemed also to be holding on tight, it even folded its wings as tight as it possibly could against its body. As he held on tightly Jake wondered if this possibly was some magical power of the giant. Both he and the insect used all of their strength to hold on as tightly as they could for what seemed like forever. After some time the giant reappeared and did something strange again. The strange sound stopped. Then the air seemed to change and Jake was relieved. The air was back to the way that it was before the giant had come into the community. The giant then left the area. Slowly Jake was able to relax. As he was relaxing he was also trying to understand what had just happened. It did not seem to make any sense nor did it seem real but it was real and it did just happen, whatever it was. He noticed the insect still staying where it was. It would have been a nice meal but at that moment Jake was still more curious than he was hungry. Jake continued to observe, think, and he stayed there simply trying to understand. When he felt that he had observed enough he decided that it was time to crawl away. He looked back and noticed that the insect was still there and he decided to leave it alone. Jake was very tired from his experience. Very slowly he crawled away. He moved so slowly that it seemed as though his home was so very far away, almost too far to ever reach. As he slowly crawled he really thought about what he had just experienced.

To Jake it seemed almost forever but really it was very soon that he saw another spider. That spider came right up to him and asked him what was wrong. Then Jake realized that it was his older brother Raknar. At that moment Jake became excited because then he had a chance to talk about his experience. Almost immediately Jake tried to describe his experience to his brother. His brother laughed and just said that he was too young to understand what he had experienced. It was what the community calls 'the trick'. Jake was puzzled and he started asking questions. Raknar tried to explain that it was something that felt real but that you could not actually see and he did say that 'the trick' is real and it can be dangerous. He continued that 'the trick' seems to be caused by the giant and there may be some strange sounds. His little brother was trying to understand all of this but the important thing that Raknar was trying to say was that somehow 'the trick' is real and it is dangerous and you must be careful. Raknar did not want to scare his little brother but he did want him to understand how dangerous it could be. He told him that it could make you go somewhere you did not want to go but even worse, it could make you disappear and never be seen again. Raknar cared enough for Jake that he was trying to repeat it so Jake would really understand and be very careful. Jake was still so young and also he was so exhausted that he really wanted to go home. He listened to all that Raknar told him but he did not understand it. Together they crawled back to their web home. Very soon he was back in the comfort and safety of his web home.

When Jake felt less tired he had to talk about his experience in great detail. He would try to remember all that had happened. The whole experience really interested him but he did not understand it. He would wonder about it and become confused. It puzzled Jake so much that if he believed a spider was interested he would tell him his story. He told his story to a few spiders but still he was unable to learn anything new. Jake came to realize that all he knew about' the trick' was what Raknar had told him. At times he would lose interest in it, and then suddenly he would be interested again. He believed that 'the trick' was caused by the giant. When Jake had the chance he would observe the movements of the giant. He even noticed that there was more than one giant, and that the giants were as different from each other as him and Sally. Jake noticed that 'the trick' always happened after the giant came into their community. He saw that sometimes the giant would bring light but there would be no 'trick'. It was also noticed that when a giant came into the community and made a big sound that usually they would feel 'the trick'. Most spiders then decided that if the giant made a big sound that it was best to crawl away as fast as possible.

One day Jake noticed a giant doing something interesting. The giant came into the community as usual and brought light. Then the giant seemed to do something different than its usual movements. Jake kept watching from a safe distance. He thought the giant was going to make a big sound but the giant did not. Instead the giant seemed to open something and there was no sound. Soon Jake thought he felt' the trick' but it was very weak. The giant then left the community. Jake stood there in quiet thought for a moment. What the giant did made a change in the air. There was some more light but it was on the other side of what the giant had opened. All of it interested Jake very much. Since Jake was very curious he crawled towards the opening. When he arrived at what the giant had opened he stopped for a moment. At times he thought he felt 'the trick' and it puzzled him. Soon he decided that he would go through the opening. As he was about to crawl through the opening he was stopped because there was some sort of barrier. At first he did not see the barrier. He could see through the barrier and he felt different air on the other side of the barrier. Jake could not understand because he could feel air through it. Then Jake crawled on the barrier. He felt the different air and he could see different things. To Jake it seemed that there was a whole other community on the other side of the barrier. He did not know how to go there or what to do so he stayed there for some time. Jake thought that the barrier was a kind of web. The barrier puzzled him.

Slowly Jake crawled all around the barrier trying to find a way to get through it. After some time he realized that he was simply crawling in circles and getting nowhere. At that point he stopped and gave it some thought. As Jake thought about it he realized he knew nothing about the barrier or what he was experiencing. His curiosity was very strong so he really wanted to understand what he was experiencing. He kept looking and thinking but he still was confused. When he became tired he decided to crawl away. Jake was very tired but he still wanted an answer. After a short crawl he stopped and looked back. It was such an interesting situation that he did not want to leave. Many moments passed as he stood there observing. As Jake stood there observing he thought about Najaf and he believed that Najaf would be able to explain what he was experiencing. He hoped that he would see Najaf crawling. That did not happen.No other spiders came by. Then he realized that he should leave that area. The area was a complete unknown. Slowly Jake crawled away. As he crawled away he could feel the effect of 'the trick' fading. When he was back in the familiar part of his community he looked for another spider so he could tell his story. In the distance he saw a spider so he went in that direction. It was small Sam. Jake was happy to see him because he was a good friend. Sam also was happy to see Jake. He did not get to crawl around very much so he was real happy to see Jake. Then Sam could tell him what he had just seen. Sam started to talk about the giant that he saw. Jake was in agreement and said that he also saw the giant. Then Jake continued that he also saw something that the giant did, when Jake said that he really got Sams' attention. Sam enjoyed hearing all of the details. When Jake was almost finished telling his story Sam said he wanted to go to the barrier. That surprised Jake because he did not think that Sam was so adventurous. Since Jake was very interested in the barrier he was glad to go there with another spider. As they crawled towards the barrier Jake told Sam that he may start to feel 'the trick'. Sam had heard about 'the trick' but he had not really experienced it. As they crawled towards the barrier things began to seem different to Sam. When they were near the barrier Sam felt something unusual. It was not very strong and it did not last very long. Sam asked Jake what he had just felt. Jake told him that it was 'the trick' but that it was very weak. Sam looked at Jake and he was puzzled. Then Jake explained to him that 'the trick' feels different sometimes because of the giants. Jake continued by telling Sam that sometimes a giant makes a big sound and then 'the trick' is strong and it can make you disappear. It can be very dangerous. Sam looked scared so Jake told him that they are strong and that if 'the trick' comes that they need to hold on very tightly. Sam stopped crawling and looked at Jake. Jake knew that Sam was afraid to go to the barrier so he said they just needed to crawl a little more and they would be at the barrier. Sam did not move. Again Jake said that they were almost at the barrier. He reminded Sam that all was safe. Slowly Sam started to crawl the short distance with Jake. Very soon they were at the barrier. Jake picked up a leg to point it out to Sam. Then Jake crawled on to the barrier. Sam was puzzled as he watched Jake crawl on the barrier. Then Sam decided to crawl on to the barrier. As he crawled on the barrier he thought it was like a web because he could see through it and feel something through it but he was unable to crawl through it. Jake crawled over to Sam. Sam told Jake that the barrier was like a web and Jake agreed.

Jake and Sam stood on the barrier trying to decide what to do next. They were curious about what was on the other side of the barrier. To them it appeared that on the other side was a community with more light but they were not sure. It was decided that they would crawl around the barrier and then they would meet back. They would each crawl in opposite directions and then crawl all around the barrier. As they were about to start crawling Sam said that he was a little scared. Jake said that they should crawl quickly, meet back, and then leave the barrier. Sam was happy when he heard that and he agreed. Then they did their crawling. They quickly finished their crawling and met as agreed. Then they crawled off the barrier and went a short distance away. Jake stopped and so did Sam. Sam asked Jake if he learned anything more about the barrier. Jake said he did not learn anything more. The two spiders were just as puzzled about the barrier as before. They stood there for some time looking at the barrier. Gradually they grew tired and decided to leave. Both of them were still interested in the barrier and they kept thinking about it. Then Jake asked Sam if he knew Najaf. Sam said that he did not know him and he asked Jake who he was. Jake explained that Najaf is a very smart spider and that he might be able to explain what they were experiencing. Sam thought that would be helpful. Then Sam repeated that he did not know Najaf but he said it might be nice to meet him. After a short while they left that area and went about their usual routine. Much later a giant came down into their community. Jake noticed it and he tried to watch the giant. He was very tired but when he saw the giant he became wide awake. As the giant moved around the community Jake watched him. It was not long before the giant moved towards the barrier. Jake was very interested to see what the giant would do next. He saw that the giant used one of its short legs to touch something near the barrier. It seemed to Jake that the giant moved or closed something around the barrier. Then Jake thought there was less light coming from the other side of the barrier. He observed these things but he was not sure. Then the giant left that area. After the giant left the area Jake crawled over to the barrier. When he arrived at the barrier he knew that something was different. There was no longer any 'trick' and the air was the same as in the community. It all interested Jake very much. Then Jake thought that without the giants there would be no 'trick' in their community. At that point Jake realized that he had learned much but that there was still much more to be learned.

Like most students Jake had a very strong interest in learning. He was eager to go to class again. But class was not the only place to learn. Jake knew that he could also learn by simply observing what was going on around him and talking to other spiders. He was determined that he would keep learning and be a happy, smart spider.

Checkout another Great Book by JF Clark

A-Web-Story

Follow Jake, Najaf, Sally and others, as they experience life and have many adventures and a lot of fun.
