Spider in Disguise
Spider's friends make her cry.
Spider in Disguise
By Cynthia Reeg
Spider sported an orange mask.
With her first leg, she held a matching orange sack.
With her second leg, she rang the doorbell.
Ding dong!
The door opened.
“Trick or treat,” she cried.
“Hello, Spider,” said Snail.
“You are early.
Two days, in fact.
It is only October 29.”
Spider scratched her orange-spotted head with her third leg.
“I know. I know. But I couldn’t wait.”
“I’m sorry,” said Snail.
He said it sooooo slowly.
Spider had time to wiggle her antsy fourth and fifth legs.
Snail sighed and twisted his antennas.
“I don’t have any Halloween treats ready.”
Spider patted Snail with her sixth leg.
“It’s no problem,” she said.
“I just wanted to put on my snazzy mask.
How do you like it?”
Snail jiggled one antennae.
Then he jiggled his other antennae.
“I’m sorry,” said Snail.
“But your mask looks rather plain to me.”
Spider raised her seventh and eighth legs in surprise.
“Really?”
Snail nodded his antennae.
“Yes. I’m afraid so. Plain as rain,” he said.
Spider’s eight legs trembled.
A tear escaped from beneath her plain as rain mask.
She shuffled away.
“Who goes there?” screeched Blue Jay.
“Is that Spider behind that bright mask?”
“Yes,” said Spider.
Her orange bag dropped from her first leg.
“It is a plain as rain mask.” Spider sighed.
“Hardly,” said Blue Jay.
“It’s bright as light, I’d say.
Why that orange color is as brilliant as sunshine.”
Spider’s head perked up. “Really?” she said.
Jay held a feather above his eyes.
“Perhaps your mask is a bit too bright.”
Spider’s eight legs trembled.
A tear escaped from beneath her too bright mask.
She shuffled away.
“Hey, what’s up?” asked Butterfly.
He flitted, fluttered, dipped and flipped.
He landed next to Spider.
Her orange bag dropped from her first leg.
“My mask,” said Spider. “That what’s up. It’s too bright. That’s a bad thing, I guess.”
“Hey, no offense,” said Butterfly.
He fluttered and flitted.
“I think it’s square beyond compare.
”Those kind of masks are so last year.”
Spider’s eight legs trembled.
A tear escaped from beneath her square beyond compare mask.
She shuffled away.
“Yoo-hoo,” said Wooly Worm.
She squiggled up to Spider.
“What’s wrong?”
“My mask,” said Spider.
It’s no good.”
“Do you really think so?” asked Wooly Worm.
Spider shook her head.
“I think it looks more than plain.
But Blue Jay says it is too bright.
And Butterfly says it is so last year.”
“But what do you say?” asked Wooly Worm.
Spider stood up on all eight legs.
She studied her reflection in a small puddle. Her black eyes blinked behind her orange, number eight-shaped mask.
“I say it is just right!”
“I’d say so too,” said Wooly Worm.
“Just right for a spider in disguise.”
Two evenings later at the Halloween Happening, Spider sported her just right mask.
She had a snazzy time.
© 2011 - Cynthia Reeg
Meet the Author - Cynthia Reeg
Cynthia Reeg, a curious librarian, ventured from behind the stacks to become a children’s author. Now she contends with monsters, mayhem, and odd assortments of characters—both real and imagined—on a daily basis. When she is not volunteering at a local elementary school, this advocate for children’s literacy and supreme defender of reluctant readers everywhere manipulates words into wondrous kid-friendly creations. She is aided on her literary journey by her amazing husband, Rob—able to leap low bookcases in a single bound; her faithful pets, Herman & Henry—an intrepid kitty duo of grammar enthusiasts; and Holly—a Schnoodle who can sniff out problem plot points faster than a tail wag. As one of Cynthia’s poems attests, she is “reaching for the stars.”
Cynthia’s writings have appeared in HIGHLIGHTS, FACES, CLUBHOUSE and other magazines. Her picture books, KITTY KERPLUNKING—a purrrfectly enjoyable introduction to prepositions; DOGGIE DAY CAMP—a romp with verbs and adverbs; HAMSTER HOLIDAYS—a celebration of nouns and adjectives; and GIFTS FROM GOD—a spiritual pictorial, are available from Guardian Angel Publishing. Her story, “The Emily Explosion” is part of THE GIRLS anthology, available from Blooming Tree Press . For more information on Cynthia, visit www.cynthiareeg.com.
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