Spider and Tree - Part 1 - 4

Brown recluse, the spider everyone fears, approaches a tall oak with cautious apprehension, as spiders move in their routine precision.

Recluse eyes the scaly bark with a wary stare, rhetorically asking, "Tree, you're not afraid of me? Good, I'll stay. Your branches can save me. I'm starved, it's been three days or more, I've lost count."

The tree is amused. "You are welcome. My list of fears is brief. Some creatures are not friends. Mostly, I fear for the health and wellness of my neighbor trees." Recluse is surprised by this answer, but puts the thought aside. There was a quick web to weave.

Part 2

Hours later, belly no longer empty, Recluse rests, dozes, and dreams. In his dream, there are broad leaves like plates across a pond, clusters of tiny flies buzz about, and the morning's mist disappears into day. Recluse then dreams of trees in battle, thrashing about in unkind winds, then the calm of night's cool air. He was glad about the small tangle of low branches for his web, it was an easy climb and build. Recluse and tree did not interact, both busy with chores. 

Part 3

After several days tree noticed Recluse had settled into a tiny niche. Tree's bark was still damp from the recent downpour, but Spring was bounding away quickly, much warmer days soon arriving. Tree broke the silence. "Spider, you've found enough shade there? You'll soon need it for cover. In a month the morning sun will be hot, you'll want to be safe and secure."

Recluse is both glad and careful to reply to the tree, as silence itself, when mindlessly over-practiced, becomes a threat. "My list of fears is longer, tree. They can change by the hour or second. Anything can be my enemy in a single moment. There is no time to ponder over threats or danger. Acting quickly is how I survive. Yes, heat is a major fear. And, lack of moisture. Too much of anything is death to me as a spider. Your reality must be different, tree. And by the way, how do you know so much about me? Why do you care about other trees around you? You don't share their trunk or leaves. Why is it your worry? I hate sharing anything. But you may take years or longer, reacting to what confronts you. Recluse felt like the smallest speck of nothing in a forgotten universe of giants, and also hated being dependent. "Trusting nothing is best!", Recluse often recites like a darkly personal mantra. 

Part 4

Trust is an enigmatic critter, tree knew that from the start. All motives are self-interested, even selflessness, sacrifice for others. He wanted to answer Recluse's challenge, but in a timeless manner. "Other trees are important for my own survival. If nearby neighbors are good, my chances rise. If there's illness or turmoil, all are imperiled. We are not here alone, ever, whoever or wherever we are. It's no secret that everything is connected, everything affects something, it's simply a matter of observation and acceptance. Finally, simply being kind matters the most. The rest is already starred by the constellations of the cosmos, we may be assured." 

Recluse then feels solemnly quiet, considering tree's words, and how relevant they are in his own tiny universe of experience. Dependency is neither a curse nor a blessing, but merely a reality of co-existence. Was Recluse not dependent on branches and cover? Was tree not dependent on the stars for his crown's alignment? They went on this way together for many years, friends in need.