Daisy slowly sat up, letting her vision adjust. She was surprised that Fang didn't let her sleep by him like usual. The butterfly crept out of her room to find the spider sitting in his recliner, staring into the flames of his fireplace. Several empty bottles lay beside him, his face coated in flies' blood.
"Fang? Are you okay?" Daisy asked, alarm rising in her bosom.
The spider turned to face her. His pupils were abnormally large, and he had a big smile. "I'm fine, Daisy. But I've got some good news, and some bad news."
Steeling her nerves, Daisy inched toward the den's entrance. "Tell me," she murmured.
"The good news is, I'm so drunk that I don't think I want to eat any buggies anymore," the spider babbled. "The bad news is, my hormones are driving me insane. Not much of a remedy for that, you know?"
The butterfly gulped, slumping down onto the floor. "Don't be frightened, Daisy..." Fang said. He tried to stand and almost fell over. "I'm not here to hurt you. You're my friend. I'll help you out of this den and then sleep off the flies' blood. Okay?"
Daisy carefully got to her feet. Calming herself, she replied, "Okay. But try not to fall, Fang. How's your vision, buddy?" She was trying to keep him talking. It sounded like a part of his mind was still there, and she wanted to let that line of communication remain open. To ensure that Fang, in his drunken state, didn't do something he would end up regretting.
"Mmm, kind of blurry..." he mumbled. "But I can still see where I'm going, I think. Can you help me, Daisy?"
The butterfly took one of his hands. "Of course I will," she whispered. She led him towards the door of the burrow. "One foot in front of the other, Fang. Nice and slow."
Fang staggered a few times, but thankfully, he didn't wobble over on Daisy or almost crush her. "We're almost there," the butterfly told him. "Just a little bit further."
They managed to make it out into the sunlight. Fang sat down, grooming himself and still grinning at Daisy. "It's kind of cold out here, isn't it?" he asked, his fangs dripping red.
"It's not so bad right now," Daisy replied. "I'd say it's actually pretty ni-"
"DAISY!"
She screamed as the spider growled and leapt on top of her. Terrified, the butterfly cowered. No bites came. She opened her eyes, confused. Fang's pupils had narrowed to slits and he was shaking violently. A silver blade was piercing through his chest.
"F-Fang?!" Daisy quivered.
A low groan escaped from the spider as he timbered over onto his side. "FANG!" Daisy shrieked, crawling over to him. Drool cascaded out of Fang's jaws. His eyes focused on her before glazing over. "No, Fang! Wake up! Please, wake up!" Daisy sobbed, hitting him in desperation.
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The Spider and the Butterfly
الخيال (فانتازيا)In the 1930s, an injured butterfly befriends a surly, mysterious spider for protection against an evil mantis who will stop at nothing to use her power for himself. A twisted, yet beautiful fairytale.
