Spider. Andrea Baxcy

and that child is Ana Anansi.”

      Small Eagle made his voice sound dark and dangerous. “Ana Anansi was born half human and half black widow spider, and what Sahara did gained her the title of head witch. Sahara Collins was very beautiful, but she was so stubborn. She was the daughter of Beth Collins and Chief Stan Shah of the Hopi Indian tribe. Once the Indian chief discovered that his daughter had committed such a filthy act and bore a halfling baby by the crab man, Chief Stan Shah sent for Sahara at once, and before she went to her father, Sahara made me promise to take care of her precious Ana Anansi. For Sahara knew that her father would kill her for doing such dark acts. Sahara begged me to protect Ana Anansi and never let a being harm one hair on Ana’s head, and I swore on my life that I would take care of Ana Anansi and protect her always.”

      Ana Anansi continued to sing song after song, and Small Eagle continued to speak. “As a punishment for Sahara’s dark sin, the chief Indian had Sahara burned to death over a stack of puck wood.”

      Small Eagle swore solemnly and waited silently for a response.

      Ana Anansi sang, raising her voice. It sounded of compassion and love. The expression on Ana’s face was the emotion of one wanting desperately to be forgiven for a wrong committed, and for what she was: spider, beast, halfling… the supernatural. She was no longer the beautiful human woman she once was before, selling her soul to the devil. He had now become her spouse and named her the lady of spiders, the spider queen.

      Father Jeffrey quickly crossed himself thrice. His hands trembled and they ached, for he was old. He made a sign of the cross at Ana Anansi, slow and easy-like. The priest put up a seal of protection between them, and he began to recite the virgin Mary prayer.

      “Virgin Mary, the Lord is with thee. Bless the wombs of all mothers living on earth.”

      Father Jeffrey stood before Ana Anansi. The priest stood firm before Small Eagle and Ana. He was unwavering, and he finished the virgin Mary prayer and kissed the beautiful priest ring worn on his middle left finger.

      The woman spider continued singing in her beautiful Irish voice. Soon, she began to sing in English.

      “Oh my precious, perfect babies, you

      are my life and I will love you forever!

      Only the hands of death will depart us

      from each other.”

      “Tell us, Small Eagle,” the janitor inquired; he was of a very curious mind. “Where are the babies that Ana Anansi sings to?” The men became quiet.

      “Ana Anansi became pregnant by a man right in this town of Baron’s Hollowpoint, and you three are willing to take away the life of my sweet Ana Anansi?! You want to take her away from her precious babies that need and love Ana so very much?” Small Eagle said as Ana’s voice mellowed in the background.

      “Hell spell’s, the babies must be found and destroyed. They are evil, an abomination the same as their mother!” Father Jeffrey warned. He angrily raised his voice. “Look at her. She’s part woman and part spider! This is not from God; it is from Lucifer himself, and yes, Small Eagle, Ana and her seeds must die.”

      Trembling, Father Jeffrey prayed a silent prayer of protection over the town, Raven, Mitch, and himself.

      “Who was it, Indian? Who is the human that Ana Anansi slept with?” Raven asked violently.

      “Paul Yellows, the organist.”

      “Blame dangit. I can’t believe Paul did something so foul,” Mitch said.

      “Believe it because it’s true, black man,” Small Eagle answered.

      “It is an act of abomination!” Father Jeffrey bellowed in anguish. “Ana Anansi is big sin, a big, creepy, eight-legged whore! She will never be accepted in God’s sight, nor will Ana Anansi be accepted by the human race. Paul Yellows will suffer for the sinful act he did, and Ana Anansi must die tonight before she has the chance to bring any more of her wicked seeds into the world,” Father Jeffrey spoke out.

      Small Eagle attacked Raven and Mitch, and the men fought hard against the Indian. Father Jeffrey bellowed out in prayer at the onset of the battle. Small Eagle was overcome by a blow to his right temple by Mitch. He was instantly knocked unconscious.

      Ana Anansi sung continuously, striving to bribe her way out of being killed. Father Jeffrey, Raven, and Mitch began to close in on Ana, and she whimpered over her collapsed caretaker, Small Eagle; he lay in a heap on the ground, and rage built up inside Ana Anansi. Ana stopped singing and screamed madly; she came at the men baring her index spider fang teeth, which looked similar to canine teeth. Father Jeffrey held Ana off of them using holy water, and each time he doused her with it, she screamed bloody hell. Holy water stung her skin like she was being whipped across her back with a sticker brie tree. Raven grabbed a large piece of firewood from over in the corner near some hedge bushes. He swung at Ana Anansi hard and missed; he tried again, and Ana grabbed the firewood and broke it in two like it was nothing. Mitch swung away at Ana Anansi’s back side, hitting her every now and then. Father Jeffrey discovered an axe hidden within the hedge bush and he called to Raven, who retrieved the axe quickly.

      “Raven, Mitch, Ana Anansi is evil, no good!” Father Jeffrey yelled out to them. “She’s from hell and bound to Lucifer as his wife. Ana Anansi and her children will rule Baron’s Hollowpoint with an iron fist, and this town and its people will become her slaves! Kill her now, right now – you must burn the body and axe the head, and Ana Anansi will live no more!” Father Jeffrey commanded.

      The priest was old, in his sixties, and the sight of Ana Anansi should have caused him to suffer a stroke or even a heart attack. The priest’s faith and belief in God was strong, and had saved him each time he was faced with evil presence. Mitch pulled the lighter from his pocket and looked directly into Ana’s face; she spat a spider web faster than a bolt of lightning. She caught Mitch up in the large web, and in a split second, Ana Anansi held Mitch in her right hands. Trembling with fear, he screamed and begged Ana Anansi for mercy, but her anger over what the men did to her caregiver Small Eagle had the best of her. Ana Anansi wore a simple round wedding band on her third left finger with an encrusted black widow spider wrapped around the band. Instantly, Ana broke Mitch’s neck without any thought. Father Jeffrey and Raven were left to battle the woman spider now. Raven almost became sick after he witnessed seeing Mitch’s neck broken and thrown to the ground in front of him and Father Jeffrey. Nearly fainting, the priest began to pray again.

      “Raven, cast me the axe and quickly do as I say,” Father Jeffrey shouted to Raven and he did. “Burn the body now, Raven!” the priest readied the axe using all his strength. Ana Anansi screamed a war cry as her body collapsed to the ground, and with a mighty swing, Father Jeffrey quickly severed the head of Ana Anansi. She screamed in terror, until at last Ana’s scream died away, but the expression of terror remained on her face. Ana Anansi’s hazel-yellow green eyes remained open, and the rest of Ana Anansi burned on the ground, until the ashes of her body turned smutty black. Ana Anansi’s head was buried inside Shade Crypts Cemetery. Terrified, Andrea fled the scenery. The gruesome murder she witnessed on the fairgrounds that night would haunt Andrea for a long time.