Spider

	The night is dark, and the air is filled with the sounds of crickets chirping their sonorous tune. Wind whistles through the trees on the outskirts of the city surrounding the castle of Lord Wehnt. At this distance, houses are sparse enough to be considered rural territory. The chill of winter sweeps through the darkened land.
	In a modest home, a fire is burning, sending a soft plume of smoke drifting skyward. A youth of nineteen years lives here, released from his apprenticeship under the master tailor of the city. As a new member of the Tailors Guild, he is expected to pay his dues and craft only the finest products. To do otherwise is to besmirch the Guilds good name.
	The youth, Alexander, has just settled into his new home. Unbeknownst to him, a shadowy figure peers in through his window. A stranger watching him sleep with eyes filled with sadistic glee. It stands there for around an hour, plotting. As the nights watch make their rounds, it is gone.
	Morning comes, banishing some of the cold. Alexander dresses in warm clothing and steps out into the bracing air. He stops to grab a few logs on his way to the attached workshop. Upon entering, he tosses the logs into a small stove and sets to lighting it.
	It begins to warm up, and he hangs up his cloak. Looking proudly at his masters parting gift. It is a loom crafted from the finest oak, with intricate carvings said to ward off spirits who would cause snags and tears.
	Alexander spends the next few hours weaving cotton threading into beautiful cloth. He feels content to watch the threaded boat slide back and forth. The effect is hypnotic, to the point he almost misses the faint knocking on his door. Putting on the brakes, he steps outside to greet the one who knocks.
	Before him stands a beautiful pale skinned woman, dressed in immaculately woven silk clothing.  What draws his attention isn't the shoulder length raven hair, the emerald eyes, or even the soft swell of her breasts.
	It's the arachnid body supporting it all. Smooth and iridescent, her purple-black spider half twists the  light into a gleaming rainbow upon her exoskeleton. He is taken aback when she addresses him.
	"Hello." the voice is much more pleasant than her lower half would suggest. "I've been waiting to see who the owner of such a beautiful loom. I watched from a distance as it was brought in piecemeal and assembled."
	Alexander pulls his utility knife free, brandishing it at the stranger. "Leave this place monster! You'll not steal me away like the rest of your ilk!" He frantically looks around for the guards.
	The woman stifles a smile and presses the blade away, "You are shaking, poor thing. I'm not here to take you from your home. I simply wish to discuss the craft with you. It's rare to see someone such as yourself in this line of work. Especially this far from the city."
	Alexander shudders and returns the knife to his belt. "If you try anything, you will regret it."
	"Oh I'm certain. Big strong man like yourself could easily slay a beast like me." she goads him, covering her mouth and snickering at her joke.
	He wasn't much to look at. Brown hair and eyes. Weighed at most 110 pounds, was lanky as can be, and could barely grow a beard. He was as far from "Big and strong." There was a few moments hesitation where he thought about crying for help, but ultimately decided that it would be pointless. He is at this woman's mercy.
	"So what do I call you?"
	She brushes her hair back, "Serena. May I come in and watch your work?"
	Opening the shop door, he motions for her to enter. It's a tight squeeze, but she makes it inside and settles near the loom. Alex takes his seat, picking up his boat and returns to his patterning.
	The work continues well into the evening, and the pair discuss technique and the merits each material used in the fabrication of clothing. As the day wanes, Alexander has lost some of his earlier fear, and is enjoying the company. Serena leaves as the sun sets, requesting a chance to come back tomorrow.
	"I guess that'll be okay." What is he saying? Serena is a monster, she must be striving for some nefarious goal...
	Her smile wipes away these thoughts. "I'll see you then."
	And so the two continue this routine for several months. Serena watches and shares a few of her secrets, and Alexander offers her companionship that she must be lacking where she comes from every day. She always leaves before dark.
	When Alex asked her why she always leaves, she simply grinned and said, "The real monsters come out at night." And then she left. It was odd, because he knew there were quite a few monsters who attacked during the day...
	One day mid spring, Serena brings a few reels of silk, dyed in a variety of colors. She presents them to Alex to congratulate him on a successful bulk sale of his clothing, set to be shipped out to another city.
	He checks the tension and quality of the silk. "They're... Beautiful. Strong, pliable, and with perfect thickness. This must have been expensive! I'll pay you back for it-"
	Before he can finish, she places a finger on his lips. "I made them myself. They cost nothing. Sit." She guides him to his chair at the loom, and grabs a spare boat. Reaching back to her spinnerets, she pulls a line of silk to load the boat. A few moments pass as she works the silver-white silk into place before handing it over to an awe-stricken Alex. "Use this. I'm sure that whatever you make will be fit for the queen herself."
	Gingerly taking it, he feels the warmth of her body on the silk. The sensation takes him by surprise. Without wasting a moment he begins to work. Hours pass as he works a new pattern with the silk, making a bolt of the most resplendent and colorful fabric of his life.
	Serena watches curiously as he cuts and shapes his cloth, weaving and sewing, cutting and folding. An outfit begins to take shape. A luxurious gown is brought into this world, with a quality unmatched by normal silk.
	Serena comments on it, "Truly fit for royalty. I wager it will fetch a high price."
	Blood rushes to the young mans cheeks. "I don't want to sell it."
	"Oh?"
	He looks her in the eyes, "I made it for you."
	It's Serena's turn to be embarrassed.  "Why... Thank you..."
	She takes it, and their hands touch. They remain still for a moment. Alex feels uneasy, he shouldn't feel like this towards a monster like her. In the past few weeks, he stopped seeing her as creature of the woods. All he saw was a woman, as alone as he was. The two found each other and drove off the loneliness. Serena, isolated from a community terrified of her kind. Alexander, living at the edge of a city with few whom he could call friend.
	Ignoring the urge that told him it was wrong, he leans in. Serena meets him halfway, and the two share a tender kiss. Before long they start running their hands over one another.
	Serena looks outside and pulls away. "Night is almost upon us, I must leave."
	Alex pulls her close, "Don't go..."
	"I have to. The night... changes me."
	"I don't care. You will always be you."
	"So be it."
	The two retire to his house for the evening.
	Alexanders pleas for mercy go unheard by anyone.
	The next morning, Alex groggily comes to. He can't move. Looking down he notices that he is wrapped in silk, arms and legs bound together as his torso is pinned to the corner of his room. His limbs are aching from the tightness of his bonds. He understood why Serena always left at night.
	She becomes the very thing that scared him upon their first meeting.
	He decides that this isn't so bad.
	Serena enters the room and starts cutting him free. "I warned you. My kind are... different at night."
	"I'll say."
	"Is this a problem?"
	He thinks about it.
	"No. Let's get something to eat. I'll cook."
	The pair share a laugh and go about their usual banter.
	The years go by, and the two grow closer. They start a business together, and for awhile it suffers. Humans are uneasy about Serena's nature and avoid her for a time. But as their clothing starts to become noticed, the little shop prospers. They use their newfound wealth to build a larger house and start a family. And in the end, the two find themselves perfectly content.