Incy Wincy spider climbing up the spout
Down came the rain and washed the spider out
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain
And Incy Wincy spider climbed up the spout again!
Megan settled in to her bed, moving Mimsy, her favourite rag doll, to the bedside table where she spent each night. She picked up the book she had got out for her mum to read and stared at the picture on the cover. One day , she thought, Ill be a princess with my very own prince to look after me.
She was about to open up the book and try reading a few lines herself when she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye. Looking up she saw the shape of a spider crawling across her ceiling. Panic caused her to freeze for a few seconds and then she found her voice.
Mum! she screamed. Mum! Theres a spider on my roof.
Her eyes refused to leave the large black thing. It had obviously heard her calling for her mum as it had stopped moving. Megan really hoped it didnt decide to drop on to her bed. If it did that she would have to make a run for the door, or maybe throw the quilt over it. She glanced at the slightly open door.
Mum! she called again. Then louder, Mum! Quick!
There was the sound of footsteps on the landing and then the bedroom door opened wide, bright light making Megan squint for a moment.
Whats the matter, hon? her mother asked.
Up there, Megan pointed to the giant creature, looking up at it again.
Oh, now, thats only a tiny thing. Do you want me to get rid of it for you?
Please, Megan nodded. I dont want it coming back again.
Her mum stepped on to the bed and reached up to catch the spider in her upturned hand.
Well Im not going to kill it, just put it outside where it belongs, she said as she walked over to the window.
But, mum, Megan appealed, it could come back in again when Im asleep.
Her mum closed the window, brushed her hands together and sat down on the edge Megans bed.
It wont come back in to your room, dear, because weve been nice to it. Do you know why you shouldnt kill spiders and why you should be nice to them?
Megan shook her head.
Ill tell you the story of Stefan Richter then, her mum said taking the book Megan had got ready and placing it on the bedside table next to Mimsy.
Stefan was a little boy, she began. Not much older than you are now. He lived in a nice house with a nice family, in a part of New England not far from here. The thing was, though, Stefan liked to squash bugs. Hed squash them all the time. If he saw a fly he would get his dads newspaper and use it to chase the fly until he squished it. If he was playing in the garden he would find ants and hit them with little stones. Even ladybirds and dragon flies were on his list of bugs to get.
One day, though, Stefan did a terrible thing. As he was going in for his tea he saw a little spider crawling across the front yard. Now the spider hadnt done him any harm. It had spent its day catching flies and other insects that we humans dont like, so really it had done much the same as Stefan. But to Stefan this didnt matter, he just looked down at the little spider as it made its way across the concrete and he saw a bug that needed dealing with. So, down came his trainer and he stamped on the spider.
When he lifted his foot up again the spider was there, flattened on the ground, and Stefan smiled to himself. He was pleased with what he had done. He went inside and had his dinner with his mum and dad and little sister.
That night Stefan went to sleep thinking of new ways he could find and crush bugs. He had all summer off school and he wanted to fill the days with bug squashing.
In the middle of the night Stefan was woken up by someone coughing. He opened his eyes and looked around. There was a small bit of light coming from his bedside clock and it shone on a little spider that was sitting in the middle of his bed.
Did you just wake me up? Stefan asked the spider.
Yes, the spider replied.
Why did you do that? Stefan asked. I was quite happy sleeping.
Because you have done something very bad, the spider told him. Today you stamped on one of my friends and killed him.
But it was only a spider, just like you, Stefan told the little creature. Now leave me alone to sleep otherwise I will squash you as well.
Are you not sorry about what you did? the spider asked, ignoring the threat Stefan had made.
No, of course not, replied Stefan. He was starting to get a bit annoyed at the spider now. It was only a spider. I kill bugs all the time and a spider is just another bug.
Are you going to kill any more spiders? asked the one sat on his covers. It sounded quite serious, but Stefan didnt seem to notice.
Of course I am, Stefan said. And Im going to start with you if you dont leave me alone. Now go away.
I thought you might say that, the spider said. You are a nasty boy Stefan Richter and you must be stopped. You will not squash any more of my kind again, for we are strong and full of magic.
Yeah, right, Stefan said back to the thing. Theres only the one of you and Im a lot bigger. Now wheres my slipper. And he started to lean out of his bed to find it so that he could deal with the bothersome bug.
But as he started to move he heard the little spider on his bed make a whistling sound and he turned to look what it was doing. What he saw made him stop and sit straight up in bed, for in through the open window (it was summer you see and his mum had left the window open a crack to let a breeze blow in) were coming lots of spiders. Some were big, some were small. Some were black and some were brown.
Stefan couldnt believe his eyes, for there were hundreds of them coming in. They turned the carpet black as they moved and they were all heading towards Stefan. Knowing that he was in trouble Stefan jumped up on to the bed and was about to run out the room when he saw that there were more spiders coming in through the gap at the bottom of the door. He looked up and the creatures were even on the ceiling. Stefan couldnt get away from all those spiders and they swarmed all over him. He tried to shout for his mum and dad, but the spiders dropped on to his face and stuck his lips together with their web. Then they pulled him back down on to the bed and began to work their magic on him.
It took them all night, but when they were finished they all left and Stefan just lay there on his bed scared that if he moved they would come back.
In the morning his mum opened his door to tell him that she had made pancakes for breakfast. Stefan sat up in bed and started to tell her what had happened to him, but when she saw her son his mum let out a scream and ran out of the house.
Stefan didnt know why his mother had run away, and looked around the room for a spider that might have frightened her. It was then that he saw himself in the mirror and the sight of his own reflection made him scream as well. You see the creatures had stuck big black spiders legs to his back that moved like extra arms, making Stefan look like a giant human spider.
Of course Stefan couldnt stay at home looking like that, so he went to find the spider island which is just off the coast of America near Paragon City. There he grew up to become one of the nastiest men in the world - Lord Recluse, The Master of Evil.
All these years later Stefan is still out there on his island, and he talks to all the spiders around the world. So if you kill a spider he knows about it and he sends one of his spider henchmen to get you and take you away in the middle of the night. Thats why when you see a spider you should always be nice to it.
