Ah! The conclusion! Yeah, more high-tec vocab. Live with it. Please R&R. I wanna know how I did on my first story!! (no astericks on this one either!)
Chapter Five~ Forever
The sun was so bright that we could only see the outline of her body. With her right arm, she reached up and touched the clouds, beautifully dyed with the colors of the sun and morning. Expertly, she twirled them around between her fingers, creating threads softer than any existing--threads made of clouds. Her left arm grasped a collection of storm clouds far in the distance, colored somber grays, blacks, blues, and violets. Fluffy white clouds were dipped into the sea, flower gardens, meadows, and forests so that Athene had before her cloud-threads of every color on earth and in the heavens and some colors that mortals had never seen before, the vivid dyes of Olympus.
Athene needed no loom. The sky was her loom. Clouds were stretched across to form the largest space possible. Not even needing a bobbin, she threaded the dyed clouds through the sky with her able fingers. With quick, fluid motions, the images appeared, thrown across the sky.
They were not even woven images, not really. Looking up, I saw the pictures of the immortals and knew that they were exact models, so realistic that they WERE the gods. While mine was a life-filled tapestry, hers showed horror and fury. Then I realized that she had meant not only to punish me, but to teach a lesson to all of mankind. In the corner, Zues killed his father Cronus. Heracles killed Titans, deep red blood filling the sky. Artemis laughed as a young man was torn apart by his own hunting hounds.
The vast crowd before Athene fell to their knees, cowering in fear, not daring to look upon the hideous images any longer, but their eyes still held a steady gaze. More Gods appeared, punishing mortals, killing each other, starting bitter wars. The majority of the weaving was covered in the bright red of blood, turning violet from the vast amounts trickling down from the sky. Suddenly, my back felt damp. Staring straight up, liquid fell into my eyes. Immediately, I recoiled and wiped my eyes on a silk sleeve. Pulling back, I saw blood dripping from the sky, falling from Athene's weaving. The sky was bleeding! Well, the pictures were coming to life. Women started shrieking as the blood poured down.
I, for one, did not scream. Standing rock still, I kept watching Athene weave, captivated by her smooth movements. She had moved on. Now the images were softer ones, quieter flashes of the past. Here was Athene, teaching one man how to use a plow. Her image came again, floating above a battle scene, directing the Athenians to victory through strategy. Another one, Athene leaning over to bless a baby, her glowing golden fingers touching the child's forhead. Now a huge image of a loom. Slowly, Athene had created the first loom. Descending to earth, she had given it to the women of a small village.
How could I have done it? Looking on at her weavings, something tugged at my mind. Unseen hands plucked my heartstring, whispered inside my head. No. I did not need to see any more. Athene was not yet finished, but I didn't need to see anymore. How could I compete with her? She had CREATED weaving, the loom, the spindle, the bobbin, the wheel!
There was only one way for me to end this, for me to lose with the most of the little dignity I had left. Quietly, I stood and moved through the crowd. It was easy, for everybody was looking intently at Athene and did not notice as I passed by. Quickly I picked my way through the crowds. On the other side of the meadow, the forest looked dark and cold. When I eased between two trees, I heaved a sigh of relief. Here. On my skin I felt the green of the plants, cool and smooth. No sunlight passed through the thick leaves. It was all too perfect. The forest was gloomy and cold, just like my mood. The atmosphere was dark, like my life had been. No sound, not a single animal, was heard, reflecting my loneliness. For a few, sweet moments, I truly enjoyed life. Taking deep breaths, I closed my eyes and was lost in the moment. When I opened them again, I felt a short pang about what I was about to do.
"Stop that," I scolded myself under my breath. "Your life is over now. You lost!"
Tying my handkerchief into a knot around a long hanging bush, I whispered a prayer to Athene. Then, glancing around at my surroundings once final time, I slipped the loop around my neck and kicked away the rock that I stood on.
The branch bent because of my weight, but the knot held sure. The soft fabric was now a sharp as knives, biting into my neck. Almost I reached upward and saved myself, but then with a burst of will, I clasped my hands behind my back.
My lungs screamed for air. My heart roared in my ears. Slowly, the trees before me flickered, then grew blurry. I didn't fight when my vision dimmed drastically. Now everything blended together, all of my senses combining into one. My neck no longer hurt, for I was numb. The fire in my lungs were subdued. Finally, everything before turned black, and I knew no more.
*
Feverishly, my black hands worked.
*Spin!* My mind cried, and my body easily obeyed. Sticky thread flowed from my abdomen as I settled it into a circular figure, a beautiful new loom hanging between two leaves. My eight arms clutched and spread and pressed it, working at my....web??
Suddenly, something swooped me away from my work. I didn't struggle, but sat still atop the huge peach-colored thing. With my dim four eyes, I looked upward and saw a face. A....human face?
"Ah, Arachne!"
The vibrations shook my small body, racking through me. What was this strange new wind?
"I gave you everything. My blessing! I made you the best weaver Greece has ever known!"
What were these strange new sounds? Slowly, my mind scrambled to understand, to make sense of this shrieking. Somehow, the sounds were familiar....where had I hear them before?
"Why, Arachne? Why let your pride swallow you? Oh, it poisoned you, engulfing you in arrogance. All the things you could have done, all the possibilities, gone!"
Now I grasped some of the sounds. One in particular...'Arachne'. What did it mean? Why did it make my body quiver?
"You loved to weave. I saw that. I could have made you so much more. I had a glorious future intended for you, Arachne! Why did you toss it away?"
Weave! That sound I knew! It meant....it meant....it meant the web! Two of my arms danced in the air. Ah, I loved to spin my webs!
More vibrations. A harsh sound in the air. It was.....laughter?
Now a few more memories inside my small mind.
"All the while, your pride! It lasted until the end. You could not bear it, could you? To lose to me? So you killed yourself."
I felt a small trapdoor in the back of my mind start to creak open as memories started reamerging.
"But I understand. To lose to me was to lose your weaving."
Another...laugh. That voice was...Athene's!
"As the patron goddess of weavers, I have decided to soften the sentence. Because you, Arachne, love to weave more than anything else in the world, I have decided to bestow a special gift upon you."
Now I remembered everything. Memories flooding through me, memories of life as Arachne. I shook one of my hairy black arms. A GIFT??
Athene lowered her hand and placed me gently back onto my web.
"I hereby erase your memories of you painful human life. Now you are a... what should I call it? You are a Spider now. You will weave for the rest of your life. Until the end of time, you and your offspring shall weave. What do you think of your sentence?"
The door closed sharply, then disappeared altogether, taking along my memories.
What were these strange sounds that I had never heard before? They were meaningless to me, and I dismissed them easily, returning to my webwork.
"Weave, Arachne. It is your gift."
Then, I felt a huge rippling in the air, and then the huge being looming above me disappeared.
I danced along the sticky threads, finishing my web. It is a dance I will dance until the end of time. Every day, sitting on my loom, working away silently, spinning and weaving.
Forever.
And I am happy.
-------------
So, that's it. Now go read my other stories.
If the part where she gets her memory back seems familliar? I got that idea from The MoorChild. I liked the idea of a door holding back her memories, so I worked it in. It was my fave part of that book.
Chapter Five~ Forever
The sun was so bright that we could only see the outline of her body. With her right arm, she reached up and touched the clouds, beautifully dyed with the colors of the sun and morning. Expertly, she twirled them around between her fingers, creating threads softer than any existing--threads made of clouds. Her left arm grasped a collection of storm clouds far in the distance, colored somber grays, blacks, blues, and violets. Fluffy white clouds were dipped into the sea, flower gardens, meadows, and forests so that Athene had before her cloud-threads of every color on earth and in the heavens and some colors that mortals had never seen before, the vivid dyes of Olympus.
Athene needed no loom. The sky was her loom. Clouds were stretched across to form the largest space possible. Not even needing a bobbin, she threaded the dyed clouds through the sky with her able fingers. With quick, fluid motions, the images appeared, thrown across the sky.
They were not even woven images, not really. Looking up, I saw the pictures of the immortals and knew that they were exact models, so realistic that they WERE the gods. While mine was a life-filled tapestry, hers showed horror and fury. Then I realized that she had meant not only to punish me, but to teach a lesson to all of mankind. In the corner, Zues killed his father Cronus. Heracles killed Titans, deep red blood filling the sky. Artemis laughed as a young man was torn apart by his own hunting hounds.
The vast crowd before Athene fell to their knees, cowering in fear, not daring to look upon the hideous images any longer, but their eyes still held a steady gaze. More Gods appeared, punishing mortals, killing each other, starting bitter wars. The majority of the weaving was covered in the bright red of blood, turning violet from the vast amounts trickling down from the sky. Suddenly, my back felt damp. Staring straight up, liquid fell into my eyes. Immediately, I recoiled and wiped my eyes on a silk sleeve. Pulling back, I saw blood dripping from the sky, falling from Athene's weaving. The sky was bleeding! Well, the pictures were coming to life. Women started shrieking as the blood poured down.
I, for one, did not scream. Standing rock still, I kept watching Athene weave, captivated by her smooth movements. She had moved on. Now the images were softer ones, quieter flashes of the past. Here was Athene, teaching one man how to use a plow. Her image came again, floating above a battle scene, directing the Athenians to victory through strategy. Another one, Athene leaning over to bless a baby, her glowing golden fingers touching the child's forhead. Now a huge image of a loom. Slowly, Athene had created the first loom. Descending to earth, she had given it to the women of a small village.
How could I have done it? Looking on at her weavings, something tugged at my mind. Unseen hands plucked my heartstring, whispered inside my head. No. I did not need to see any more. Athene was not yet finished, but I didn't need to see anymore. How could I compete with her? She had CREATED weaving, the loom, the spindle, the bobbin, the wheel!
There was only one way for me to end this, for me to lose with the most of the little dignity I had left. Quietly, I stood and moved through the crowd. It was easy, for everybody was looking intently at Athene and did not notice as I passed by. Quickly I picked my way through the crowds. On the other side of the meadow, the forest looked dark and cold. When I eased between two trees, I heaved a sigh of relief. Here. On my skin I felt the green of the plants, cool and smooth. No sunlight passed through the thick leaves. It was all too perfect. The forest was gloomy and cold, just like my mood. The atmosphere was dark, like my life had been. No sound, not a single animal, was heard, reflecting my loneliness. For a few, sweet moments, I truly enjoyed life. Taking deep breaths, I closed my eyes and was lost in the moment. When I opened them again, I felt a short pang about what I was about to do.
"Stop that," I scolded myself under my breath. "Your life is over now. You lost!"
Tying my handkerchief into a knot around a long hanging bush, I whispered a prayer to Athene. Then, glancing around at my surroundings once final time, I slipped the loop around my neck and kicked away the rock that I stood on.
The branch bent because of my weight, but the knot held sure. The soft fabric was now a sharp as knives, biting into my neck. Almost I reached upward and saved myself, but then with a burst of will, I clasped my hands behind my back.
My lungs screamed for air. My heart roared in my ears. Slowly, the trees before me flickered, then grew blurry. I didn't fight when my vision dimmed drastically. Now everything blended together, all of my senses combining into one. My neck no longer hurt, for I was numb. The fire in my lungs were subdued. Finally, everything before turned black, and I knew no more.
*
Feverishly, my black hands worked.
*Spin!* My mind cried, and my body easily obeyed. Sticky thread flowed from my abdomen as I settled it into a circular figure, a beautiful new loom hanging between two leaves. My eight arms clutched and spread and pressed it, working at my....web??
Suddenly, something swooped me away from my work. I didn't struggle, but sat still atop the huge peach-colored thing. With my dim four eyes, I looked upward and saw a face. A....human face?
"Ah, Arachne!"
The vibrations shook my small body, racking through me. What was this strange new wind?
"I gave you everything. My blessing! I made you the best weaver Greece has ever known!"
What were these strange new sounds? Slowly, my mind scrambled to understand, to make sense of this shrieking. Somehow, the sounds were familiar....where had I hear them before?
"Why, Arachne? Why let your pride swallow you? Oh, it poisoned you, engulfing you in arrogance. All the things you could have done, all the possibilities, gone!"
Now I grasped some of the sounds. One in particular...'Arachne'. What did it mean? Why did it make my body quiver?
"You loved to weave. I saw that. I could have made you so much more. I had a glorious future intended for you, Arachne! Why did you toss it away?"
Weave! That sound I knew! It meant....it meant....it meant the web! Two of my arms danced in the air. Ah, I loved to spin my webs!
More vibrations. A harsh sound in the air. It was.....laughter?
Now a few more memories inside my small mind.
"All the while, your pride! It lasted until the end. You could not bear it, could you? To lose to me? So you killed yourself."
I felt a small trapdoor in the back of my mind start to creak open as memories started reamerging.
"But I understand. To lose to me was to lose your weaving."
Another...laugh. That voice was...Athene's!
"As the patron goddess of weavers, I have decided to soften the sentence. Because you, Arachne, love to weave more than anything else in the world, I have decided to bestow a special gift upon you."
Now I remembered everything. Memories flooding through me, memories of life as Arachne. I shook one of my hairy black arms. A GIFT??
Athene lowered her hand and placed me gently back onto my web.
"I hereby erase your memories of you painful human life. Now you are a... what should I call it? You are a Spider now. You will weave for the rest of your life. Until the end of time, you and your offspring shall weave. What do you think of your sentence?"
The door closed sharply, then disappeared altogether, taking along my memories.
What were these strange sounds that I had never heard before? They were meaningless to me, and I dismissed them easily, returning to my webwork.
"Weave, Arachne. It is your gift."
Then, I felt a huge rippling in the air, and then the huge being looming above me disappeared.
I danced along the sticky threads, finishing my web. It is a dance I will dance until the end of time. Every day, sitting on my loom, working away silently, spinning and weaving.
Forever.
And I am happy.
-------------
So, that's it. Now go read my other stories.
If the part where she gets her memory back seems familliar? I got that idea from The MoorChild. I liked the idea of a door holding back her memories, so I worked it in. It was my fave part of that book.