Chapter 11

They set in the living room. Erik reading a book and Cat secretly drawing him. She felt all warm inside. My God! I'm feeling like a Mary Sue! Yuck! Hmm. I wonder where that sucker went? As she sat there wondering, Erik spoke up.

"Cat? Earlier I heard you talking to someone. Who was it?"

"Oh! It was-" Cat stopped when she saw the assailant crawl out from under the chair. She surprised Erik by dropping her drawing pad and went nose-diving across the floor. She rolled couple of times and came still sitting up holding something in her cupped hands. Her face held a look of triumph as she held her hands upward as if offering something to the gods." I got you! You're mine now! All mine!" With that she begin to cackle madly.

Erik stood and looked at her as if she had lost her mind. "What-?"

She looked up at him. A grin came over face. "Sorry." She stood up, careful not to close her hand too tight.

"What is it?" Gesturing at her hands.

"Oh, you want to see? Be careful I don't want him killed," gently she open her hands. In the middle of her small white hands, was a large gray spider. It began to crawl up her arm. She like out a small giggle and recaptured him.

Erik was shocked. This one was bigger then the ones that he killed for Christine. And yet here was a girl holding a huge spider, clearly not scared of it. In fact she was being extremely gentle with it as it crawled up and around her arms and hands.

"See the small grayish white designs on its belly? It is a Labyrinth Spider. An large male. Sweet and gentle breed. They are very harmless."

Erik looked at it. Indeed it had designs on it. "How do you know it's a male?" he asked.

She looked past him. "Because that one over there is even bigger, and females are bigger then the males."

Erik turned to look. There in the corner was a lager one.

"Can you get her? We can put them outside so we don't step on them. That's why I was trying to catch him."

Erik easily caught it. Together Erik and Cat set them free outside the door.

Back inside Erik turned to her, "You're not scared of spiders?"

"No. What's to be afraid of? They are good. And they are good luck. They only bite if you hold them wrong or they get trapped in clothing. Some of them are beautiful."

Again Erik was speechless. He shook his head. Erik then took her hand and led her to his organ piano, where they sat, and he hummed the chorus from Act II of Don Juan Triumphant.

"What is that?" She asked.

"Don Juan." He replied simply.

"I thought you had destroyed it."

"I did. I am writing it again." Erik told her unemotionally.

"Play it for me please."

He looked down, and then back at her. He took the first piece of paper and told her "This is how it begins."