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“Take care, child. Don’t go squishin no spiders. You never knows when you jes might be needin Spider Woman do you some magic.” One fine day, Spider Woman, she wake up and see all the animal people and all the plant people sittin round the roots a her web-tree. Waitin for her wake up. ”What you want?” she say in mad voice. Her very private lady and don’t like nobody showin up round her house less she tell ’em come. ”It be too cold,” animal people say. ”It be too dark,” plant people say. ”What you want me do bout it?” Spider Woman say back. ”Do magic,” they all say. They know Spider Woman fulla magic. All time see her weavin things outta air. All time see her sittin in middle-air, no wings flappin, no feet wigglin. All time see her caucht things come close-by but no movin. She fulla magic for true. ”Do magic, make it warm,” animal people cry. ”Do magic, make it light,” plant people moan. ”Go-way,” Spider Woman say. “Got no time make world better jes for you. Got me own self look after. Go-way.” But nobody leave when her say go-way. They jes cry and they jes moan. Spider Woman gettin mighty frustrated. “If I make this magic, you go-way and leave me peaceful be in me web-tree?” ”Oh yes,” animal people say. ”Oh yes,” plant people say. So Spider Woman, she begin to weave. She weave for seven days. She weave for seven nights. She only stop, eat a bug or two for keepin up her strength, then she weave some more. All time she weavin, Spider Woman be a-thinkin and a-thinkin. Seven days and seven nights. When she done, she got idea and she got long coil-a web rope. ”What you gone do?” animal people say. ”What you gone do?” plant people say. ”Keep shut yer mouth!” Spider Woman say back. “And maybe you see some magic!” She take her front legs and her side legs, and she twirl a-loop in the web rope. She makin it bigger and bigger. She gather up one coil after nuther coil. She flang it up, up, up into the black night sky. She flang it so far it caucht Bright-Star light. Spider Woman say: ”Pull on the web rope animal people! Pull on the web rope plant people!” They all pull. Spider Woman, she pull too. Bright-Star light come closer and closer to the Earth. When close nuff, all round it get lighter. All round it get warmer. ”What for you pullin me?” Bright-Star ask. She huffin and puffin like she some big-kinda mad. ”Oh my!” Spider Woman say back, actin all surprise. “I do pologize. Light from youself blind me for true. Why, I be aimin at Golden-Star,” she splain, “But I clean miss. Get you instead.” Bright-Star now feelin most curiosity. So she ask, “What for you want Golden-Star?” ”For Most-Beautiful-Star Party,” Spider Woman say back. “All sky people talkin bout,” she say sly-like, actin never-you-mind. Cause Spider Woman know Bright-Star always braggin bout how she most beautiful star in sky. “Animal people and plant people ask me get Golden-Star come here,” Spider Woman continue, “cause she so beautiful. They makes big party for her, with laughin and dancin and playin all day, forever and ever.” Now Bright-Star she sayin nuthin. She be a-thinkin. Thinkin bout most-beautiful part and lastin-forever part. Spider Woman, big-misery in voice and head hangin low say, “Animal people and plant people gone be so disappoint bout me cause I caucht you instead.” Then her lettin all legs go limp-like, showin jes how distraught she be. Bright-Star quick say back, all polite and kindly now, “Well, long as I all ready here, maybe I stay. Animal people and plant people can have party for me.” Then she beam all warm and bright showin how she fix her mind on the idea, for true. Well, animal people cheer! And plant people cheer! They laughin and dancin and playin, so happy they be. Now world be warm and world be light jes like they want it. Well, two, maybe three months, all round okay. Then one fine day, Spider Woman, she wake up and see all the animal people and all the plant people sittin round the roots a her web-tree. Waitin for her wake up. ”What you want?” she say in mad voice. “What you want now?” she say in loud voice. She voice so mad and so loud that branches on her web-tree shakes and rattles. ”It be too warm,” animal people say. “We sweatin all time.” ”It be too light,” plant people say. “Water go-way. Hide. We thirsty all time.” ”What you want me do bout it?” Spider Woman say back. Say back so mad and so loud branches on web-tree shakes and rattles again. Lookin low-down and round, roots be a-twitchin and a-kickin too. ”Do magic,” animal people say. “Make world part warm and part cold, then we be happy.” ”Do magic,” plant people say. “Make world part light and part dark. Water come back. Then we be happy.” ”You never happy,” Spider Woman snaps back. “First you wantin this. Then you wantin that. Now you wantin some more this and some more that. You promise to leave me peaceful be. But you come back! I do more magic, and you come back again, always wantin more, wantin more. Go-way!” Spider Woman say. Then she crawl in hole in web-tree trunk and goin sleep. But nobody leave when her say go-way. Animal people and plant people stay and stay. They cries and they moans. They begs and they whines. They complains so much that Spider Woman can’t sleep, can’t eat. So she come outta hole and say: ”Okay. I do magic. First, I make magic on world, half-n-half: warm and cold, light and dark. Then, I make magic on you. And no goin back-on when magic done.” ”What kind magic?” animal people and plant people ask. ”When it warm-cold, I do magic so animal people no talkin no more—no comin round askin me favors. When it light-dark, I do magic so plant people no walkin no more—no comin round askin me favors,” Spider Woman say. Animal people showin big surprise, but think bout what she say. Plant people showing big surprise but think bout what she say too. Plant people gets real thirsty. They say okay. Animal people gets real hot. They see plant people sayin okay, so they jumps in and say okay too. Then Spider Woman, she begin to weave. She weave for seven days. She weave for seven nights. She only stop, eat a bug or two for keepin up her strength, then she weave some more. All time she weavin, Spider Woman be a-thinkin and a-thinkin. Seven days and seven nights. When she done, she got idea and she got long coil-a web rope. ”What you gone do?” animal people say. ”What you gone do?” plant people say. ”Keep shut yer mouth,” Spider Woman say back. “And maybe you see some magic!” She take her front legs and her side legs, and she twirl a-loop in the web rope. She makin it bigger and bigger, jes like before. She gather up one coil after nuther coil. She flang it up, up, up into the sky. She flang it past Bright-Star light into the sky where it still dark. She flang it so far it caucht Moon-Star. Spider Woman say: ”Pull on the web rope animal people! Pull on the web rope plant people!” They all pull. Spider Woman, she pull too. Moon-Star loose herself from dark part of the sky. Come closer and closer to the Earth, even closer than Bright-Star. When close nuff, Spider Woman say: ”Stop!” Animal people and plant people stop pullin. Then she say to Moon-Star, “Come live with us. Be friend to animal people and plant people. They be friend back.” ”How they be friend to me?” Moon-Star wanna know. ”You all-lone?” Spider Woman ask, “or you got family?” Moon-Star quiet, sayin nuthin. ”Must be terrible lonely up there in the black, cold, dark sky all by youself what got no family,” Spider Woman say bein sly with her questionin, and a-pealin to Moon-Star’s tender places. ”Maybe I be lonely, maybe not,” Moon-Star say back. “Why you wanna know?” ”We needs help,” Spider Woman say in sweetest voice she have. “If you helps us, we be your family forever and ever. We admires you. We looks up in the sky and we say, ‘See that Moon-Star shinin so beautiful tonight!’ Plant people, all round, be smilin in preciation and restin peaceful under Moon-Star light. Animal people, all round, be singin happy-howlin songs to tell whole sky how glad they be to see you.” ”What I got do for this family be lookin and smilin and singin at me?” Moon-Star ask, suspicious like. Cause remember, Spider Woman got Moon-Star in lasso end a her web rope, and Moon-Star not too sure if she like the feel a that rope or not. Spider Woman say what Moon-Star had to do. Moon-Star had to pull. Pull with all her might while web rope tied tight round web-tree. Pull so hard, nudge Earth to be a-turnin to follow Moon-Star. When Earth follow round, Spider Woman say she cut web rope. Turn Moon-Star loose so she free to travel cross night sky, lookin down on all plant people smilin up, and all animal people singin songs—admirin her and bein her friend forever and ever. Well, Moon-Star, she be lonely for true, but too shamed say so. This sound like pretty good idea, to have family what admires her. So she agrees. Spider Woman say to animal people and plant people, “Tie web rope tight round trunk of me web-tree.” She say, “Holt the end jes in case it try slip loose and spoil all the pullin.” Then Spider Woman say to web-tree, “Grab on tight with long-most root-fingers so not be loose-out the dirt and spoil all the pullin.” Everybody do like Spider Woman say. Moon-Star pull. She pull with all her might. She feel web rope stretchin and web-tree shudderin with the strength of her pullin. Web-tree grab and holt dirt tight with long-most root-fingers while Moon-Star pullin some more. Finally, Earth get tired bein pulled-on. She twitch. She roll-over to relieve the pressure and Earth start turnin round. When that happen, Spider Woman bite the web rope and set Moon-Star free, jes like she say she would. Animal people cheer! Plant people cheer! Moon-Star smile down from the sky. All watch the Earth turnin slow and steady. Turnin to look at Moon-Star in the black night sky. Leave behind Bright-Star light all warm and shinin on the other side. Moon-Star, she lookin down on all the plant people smilin up at her and restin. She listening to all the animal people singin happy-howlin songs at her. Now she have family what loves her forever and ever. She be happy and she be lonely no more. Spider Woman? Well, jes like she say, she make magic on animal people so they no talkin at her no more. Jes like she say, she make magic on plant people so they no walkin round see her no more. But her leave web-tree free for walkin to wherever Spider Woman be wantin to live. And Spider Woman still be doin her magic whenever it please her do some. So, Spider Woman happy too. She weavin most beautiful sights under Moon-Star light, and weavin most beautiful sights under Bright-Star light. She be happy cause everybody leave her peaceful be in her web-tree. And that is how this world come to be way it is. For true. Jes sometimes, child, if you be lookin real careful-like, you might see Spider Woman in her web-tree makin her beautiful weavin. Doin her magic. If you does, be listenin real careful-like, and you might hear Spider Woman singin her happy-weavin-song:
Spider Woman, she always like La-De-Da part best, and sometime she be singin that part over and over and over again. |