The Spider and the Butterfly

Chapter Fourteen

"I know you all have a lot of questions, but we'll get to those in a bit..." said the mayor of Ridpath, who was a leaf insect. The whole town was congregated in the square, looking up at the mayor on his podium. "In the meantime, let's talk about the elephant in the room, shall we?"

There were murmurs of agreement among the bugs. The mayor's assistant, a stick insect, stood nearby and gave him a nod.

"Very good," Mayor Philip continued. "It appears as though the silhouette of the spider has fallen across our town for the first time in 20 years. Many generations ago, our fathers and their fathers before them were put on the frontlines against these beasts, alongside the fly community. If we don't want to end up like the flies, then listen very carefully to me. I'm not giving any direct orders, I'm simply advising.

"I want everyone to be safe inside their houses until the spider's gone. If, for any reason, you absolutely have to go outside, do so at your own risk. Keep your distance and don't make any sudden movements. Try not to make eye contact and don't act frightened. Failure to do so may result in the spider's predatory instincts kicking in, and we all know what could happen should that occur."

"We're all going to die, aren't we?" a grasshopper whined. Everyone started talking at once.

"People, please!" Phillip cried. They quieted down. "Nobody's going to die. Ok? I mean, all he's doing right now is gathering flowers. There's nothing wrong with that, right?"

A stinkbug raised his hand. "With all due respect, Mr. Mayor, have you seen the size of this thing? He's so big he could eat half the village in about three days!"

"He's the biggest wolf spider I've seen in my life!" cried a cricket. "Maybe he's gathering flowers so he could build a nest!"

The insects started fretting again. A loud, piercing squeal silenced everyone. Mayor Phillip turned to see a silver blade sliding across the chalkboard behind him. At the end of the blade stood an assassin bug, his red eyes boring into the crowd. The room was dead still, nobody taking their eyes off of this strange newcomer.

"Sorry for the interruption," Rogue said. "I hear you got a spider problem, Mr. Mayor."

Mayor Phillip searched for words. "I, uh...well...'problem' isn't really how I would describe it-"

"Regardless, I can take care of him for you..." Rogue interrupted. "I know more about wolf spiders than any of you in this room." He gestured with his blade toward the other insects, who cowered a little. "Lightning fast killers, they are. They can snap your spine in half a second, and you'd be dead before you even knew what hit you. They're big and fuzzy, and they got round binocular eyes. Fangs half an inch long, I reckon."

One of the caterpillars spoke up. "You mean...you can kill him?"

Rogue smiled evilly. "Leave the spider to me, people of Ridpath. The only reward I want is his carapace hanging up on my wall back at home."

There was a nervous, uncertain atmosphere around them. It seemed as though the whole town was unsure and divided about the spider's ultimate fate. Another hand popped up. "Yes, you in the back?" Mayor Phillip asked.

A green dragonfly rose from his seat. "If I may, I'd like to come up to the podium for a second, Mr. Mayor."

"Please do," Phillip said. The dragonfly made his way up front, ignoring the countless whispers he heard on either side of him. Rogue leaned up against the wall, impatience starting to form on his face.