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1st Procurement: Angelina and Winnifred
Angelina had always been such a bitch to me. Not just me though. Almost everyone I knew. If anyone had ever deserved a punishment like what I had in mind, it was her. And, I'd like to think the whole thing had a touch of style to it as well, a sort of poetic retribution to make even the greats like Milton and Dante proud.
The stone had been in my family for years, and outside of occasionally using it to fix a breakout of acne or subtly improve my looks, I had been careful with it, just as each grand and great-great had warned the next generation. Only one of us had been stupid enough to use it foolishly and for outright selfishness that affected other people, and that had cost my Great-great Uncle Howard his human life, although he was still in great shape and probably as alive as the day of his transformation, although he had called several museums home for the past one hundred and fifty years. Still, he did make a lovely marble figure of Harriett Tubman, all things considered, and he had been a total racist bastard by all accounts.
So, trust me, just knowing that, I had done all my research to see if what I had in mind fell within the rules of justice that governed the stone. Thankfully, because of all the people whose lives had been all but ruined by Angelina and my other targets, it seemed that the stone would accept my wishes without returning anything to me as a sort of karmic exchange.
And today was the day to begin.
I knew Angelina would be working late in the biology lab. Not because she enjoyed either the work or the science, but because it was the best place for her to fuck her boyfriend of the week without running into the campus grannies -- as the students called the campus cops who were always disrupting public displays of affection on our more traditional, good-girl school of the South.
Sure enough, she was on her back on one of the lab tables with some dude between her knees, pumping like a piston. They both startled when they heard the door swing open and slam against the wall.
"What the hell are you doing here, brat?" she screamed at me.
The dude who still hadn't pulled out of her turned to face me as well.
"Fucking A," I said. "Mr. Winston?"
He smiled. " Do you need help to pass too?" he asked.
I knew I had found another target.
"Is there nothing you won't do, sis?" I asked, then, without saying another word, I made a fist around the stone. The first wish activated.
Right there on the lab table, my bitchy step-sister Angelina started to shrink. As she did her screaming and cursing voice grew more and more squeaky. When she finished, she was about six inches tall, and I picked her up and dropped her into a large graduated cylinder I knew she couldn't climb out of.
"As for you, teacher," I said. "My grades are just fine. Unlike my bimbo slut sister, I take my education seriously and don't have to earn my As and Bs on my back."
I tightened my grip on the stone again.
As I watched, the tall and handsome, six-foot-two professor started to grow out his hair until it was long and bounced over his shoulders. Then the shoulders softened, as did the rest of his features. After that, his chiseled and sculpted chest was suddenly starting to fill with what had to be D-cup breasts. Then his hips widened as his waist narrowed. His ass took on a more bouncy, bubble shape, and I could only guess what was happening inside his pants.
"Sorry, Prof," I said. "The wish spells I prepared were all for girls, so this has to happen first."
"Please," said the new, cute girl who had moments ago been the supposedly hottest young professor on campus and one with quite a reputation. "What are you doing to me?"
"Same thing I'm doing to her," I said. Another squeeze of the stone, and the professor too started to shrink until he was a six-inch version of his new self. She tried to get away but was so tangled in the clothes she had shrunk out of that she couldn't get a solid footing.
It was easy enough to pick her up and move her to the top of the lab table as well. I found a large, bowl-type cylinder and placed it on the table over her upside down. I was heavy enough that at her new size, there was no way she could move it or get loose.
Once I had them both trapped, I took a moment to survey stage one of the plan. I hadn't planned on finding the "Professor Gigalo," but I would assume that only meant the universe was still on my side regarding the punishments being justified.
In her graduated cylinder, my step-sister was terribly cute. She was naked, just like the professor, and I quickly wadded up her dress, underwear, and sandals and shoved them into my backpack. Her short black hair was cut like Louis Brooks, not that she'd have known who that was. It was only because she was naked that I could notice she had started to grow a little bulge on her tummy. I thought it made her that much cuter, but she would have thought it made her some kind of "tubbo" -- a word she was overly fond of using against anyone who wasn't obsessed with being skinny.
"I'm gonna tell Mom and you're gonna get in so much trouble, Laney," she squeaked. "So you better turn me back right now."
I shook my head.
"Nah. I don't think you."
She continued cussing a blue streak while I gathered Professor Winston's clothes and squeezed them into the backpack too. When I was sure I hadn't left anything out to be found later, I zipped up the bag and gave my full attention to the tiny, naked, now female professor.
"What's your first name, Prof?" I asked, and the terrified doll-girl answered quickly.
"Fred."
"Well, Fred Winston," I said and studied her new body. She was still in her mid-thirties, but clearly a woman. Her figure was already more matronly and less girly than Angelina's, and I'm sure even as a woman, this professor could still get as much action on campus, just from the other side of the playing field. Her blonde hair was thick and almost bushy, sort of like a bombshell from the nineteen seventies might have worn it. Her tits were straight-up majestic. Her hips would have made her a prime target for a man looking to find a wife and start a family. Even her naked bush was as thick and curly and unkempt as someone from the seventies, particularly seventies porn.
"You don't look much like a Fred Winston anymore, so how 'bout I just call you Winnifred for now? That sound okay to you, little lady?"
"I don't care what you call me. Just change me back, please. I won't say anything. I'll leave campus, anything."
"You'd leave my poor step-sister to face her punishment alone? Could you really just take off and leave her like this just to save your own skin?"
"Yeah, absolutely," she said, nodding. "Whatever you want. I promise."
I grinned. "Then I'm sure I'm doing the right thing by having you join her."
Then I left them both alone to stew in their confusion and terror for a few moments while I retrieved two Mason jars from a second bag I had left by the lab door. I also remembered finally to close the damn door that I had left open for anyone to walk by and see inside. Luckily, no one had, but it certainly drove home the point to not forget that the next time.
I brought the jars to the two tiny girls and showed them the toothpick-sized air holes I had made in the lids. Then I set a jar beside each of them.
"Here's what you're going to do, you two," I said. "Just like I tell you to, no questions asked, no backtalk, and no disobedience."
I slammed my open palm on the table to highlight the last word. Both jumped and fell onto their asses in their temporary glass cages.
"First, I'm going to open these jars. And then I'm either going to dump you into one of them or you're going to do as you're told and get inside all on your own."
I glanced from one to the other before continuing. They had both gotten quiet finally after I slammed the tabletop.
"If you try to run away, you're going to learn a few things really quickly. One, it's a long way down to the floor for a little toy like you are now. Two, I don't have to treat you so gently after I catch you and put you in myself. And last and most important, three, I'm the one person you don't want to piss off. If I can do to you what little I've done this afternoon, just imagine what other kind of shit I can do to make your new lives a living hell."
I gave them time to respond.
Winnifred nodded, but Angelina started to yell again.
"A simple nod will do, little step-sister. Keep up that fussing, and I might just magic your mouth shut for good."
She shut up and nodded instead.
"Good little sister," I said.
I opened both Mason jars and set them back down. Then I took Angelina's cylinder and turned it end over end so that she slid down the glass and fell in a tumbled heap inside the wider jar. She immediately stood up and jumped to read the top, but I had been too fast for her and already had the lid screwed halfway on. It was no difficulty to finish the job and trap her inside her new traveling accommodations. I gave her a smile and left her to pound on the thick glass with her minuscule fists.
"You turn, Winnifred," I said, and the professor nodded, either biding her time or already broken by the mere act of having to acknowledge that what she had experienced had shattered her entire way of looking at the world and where she fit in it.
I lay the other jar on its side, then lifted the bowl cylinder to allow her to crawl out from under it. She dropped to her hands and knees and then went directly inside the jar and held on as I righted it on the table and fastened the lid.
"I see you're already worlds smarter than my sister, Winnifred."
I put the cylinders I had used for temporary traps back up where I found them under the lab table before giving my full attention to the little bugs I had trapped in jars.
"Time for stage two," I said. "And if stage one freaked you out and broke your tiny little brain, then this part will really send your world into a tailspin. You see, I wasn't sure what to do to reward Angelina for her rotten, inhumane behavior on campus and, well, everywhere else too. But I know that more brains are better than mine alone, so I brought two friends in on the plan. They're both big anime fans, so this next part you can thank them for."
I held up the stone, wrapped my fist around it, and focused my thoughts through it.
As I did, my step-sister's body changed again. Only this time, her legs fused together and took on a distinct pattern of red, gold, and black diamonds. Her smooth, well-maintained, and always moisturized skin became layered with scales. The changes continued until they reached her waist.
"What the hell did you do to me, Laney? Am I a snake now? Did you turn me into a fucking snake?"
I laughed. "No, sis. You're something called a naga. Or maybe a lamia. I can't really tell the difference to be honest. But it's one of the most popular monster girls in anime so you should feel proud."
"You turn me back right now, bitch!" she shouted.
I looked over at Winnifred, whose eyes had grown wide with terror again.
"Like I said, not as smart as you. Right?"
I gave Angelina my full attention again, lifted her jar, and carried to toward one of the classroom windows.
"No," I said firmly. "You listen to me, dear awful step-sister. You're gonna get your shit together and do what I say from now on. And for now, that means being the best, prettiest, kindest, and most obedient little pet snake-girl you can be."
She started to yell again but I shook the jar to make her lose her balance.
"You probably don't realize just how small you are. I'd say tail and all, you're still not more than ten inches long. I wonder if that's the size that makes the birds notice them. I bet you'd make a delicious little meal for an owl or some other bird of prey if I were to open this jar and dump you outside. Sure, there are people over in the courtyard, but that's a good two hundred yards from here, and you do see all those trees between here and there, don't you? I wonder how many hungry birdies live between here and the courtyard. It's almost worth testing out, just to see if you could get there without some raptor swooping down and grabbing you in its sharp claws and carrying you off for dinner. Or maybe you could find some person to tell, but let's be honest. How do you think that person would react to seeing a creature like you slithering up toward them? I'm willing to bet that before you could even open your mouth to ask for help, they'd either run off screaming or stomped you flat to keep you from biting them."
I started to unscrew the lid and held the jar over the threshold of the open window.
"Well, sweet pet sis? It's your choice. Whattaya say?"
"I'll..." she started. "I'll be good. I'll do what you say."
"So much better. Maybe next time I can use the carrot instead of the stick."
She slunk to the bottom of her jar and sat without moving much. I carried her back to the table and sat her down. Then I turned to Winnifred.
"Are you going to do that to me too?" the tiny girl asked.
I shook my head. "Not the same. But similar."
"I figure since you were always on the prowl, looking for some weak-minded co-ed to take advantage, I'll let you have the arachnae treatment."
"Arachnae?" she said. "That sounds like a spider."
"So smart you are," I said and the stone's magic did its thing again.
Below the waist, Winnifred's body became two joined balls, one small and one huge -- well, huge to her tiny perspective -- bulbous one. Six slender, jointed spider legs grew from the two balls, three on each side of her horrifically beautiful body. Her new spider's lower half was shiny black with yellow stripes. A bit of webbing dripped from the spinnerets at the end of her large abdomen.
"I'm a spider," she said, crying. "You turned me into a spider."
"Technically, an arachnae. Although I used my favorite spider as your base. So I guess in a way you are a garden spider. I think they're so beautiful."
"I'm... Oh... What's this?"
Winnifred turned around to see the stringy web leaking from her spinnerets.
"Apparently your new body feels the innate need to create a web."
I lifted both jars and carried them to the bag by the door. I unzipped it and gave both of my new pets a good few of what was inside. A foam layer with eight holes was designed to keep the mason jars safe and from breaking against each other when the bag was carried. The other holes all held a jar already.
"Those are all empty," I said. "You two are the first pets in our new collection. But I'll make sure you have companions soon."
Then I gently pushed Winnifred's jar into the slot from which I had taken it out. Before I nestled Angelina's jar safely in place, I lifted it to my face and tapped on the jar for attention, which she promptly gave, scooting up on her tail to push her face and hands against the glass.
"You can't just keep people as pets, Laney. You can't get away with it."
"Sis?! Who's gonna know? Mom and Dad? Let's be honest, when was the last time you did anything other than text them for more money, and since I have your phone I can take care of that. It could be a graduation before they even know you're gone. And your friends. Well, the kind of people you call friends will happily forget all about you after a text or two about how you're leaving school and fed up with all the fakers on campus. That sounds like you, right?"
She slid down the side of the glass, her face taking on a somber, accepting tone that clearly meant she knew I was right.
"So yeah, I think you're the perfect starter pet for the private collection my friends and I are getting together." I smiled at her, enjoying the look of broken acceptance I saw. If only she could have realized the truth about herself a few days earlier, she might not have needed to be punished in the first place. "Besides, if you ever decide you don't like it, I can always set you free in the garden to live off bugs and avoid the predators and nightly raptors who want to eat you."
She didn't say anything as I pushed her jar into the hole that awaited it.
Then I zipped up the bag. I put my backpack I had filled with their clothes on first, then draped the duffel bag of mason jars over my shoulder and began the long walk to my car in the South Lot.
I usually liked it for the extra steps, but today I liked it for all the extra jostling it made Angelina and Winnifred experience before I could drop them in the back seat and drive them to their new home.
2nd Procurement: Isley
Before I even made it back to my car, I was lucky enough to run into Isley, my next target, on her way to the campus coffee shop. We were by no means friends, or even friendly, but she was always willing to pick up a side hustle for a little extra cash, so I figured it wouldn't be too difficult to get her alone.
I followed her to the "Cafe Studious" and even got in line behind her. She ordered her overcomplicated latte with a specific 167-degree temperature and 1/2 skim and 1/2 almond milk then complained about having to repeat it when the barista at the register asked her to slow down.
She was hot. I'd give her that. Tight black jeans and a cropped, pink T-shirt, and to top it all off, she was wearing high-heeled pink strappy sandals. It was a perfect fit to complement her straight, long, red hair. She looked almost like a living anime character.
I grinned. She'd get hers. Justice and karma were waiting just around the corner.
After she ordered, I asked for a small hot coffee, black, and smiled warmly at the barista, who was still rolling her eyes at Isley's attitude.
When I got my drink I waited at a table by the door and only went outside after Isley did.
"Are you following me, skank?" asked the slim, attractive redhead.
"Waiting for you," I answered.
"Well?"
"I wondered if you still needed money. Cuz I need help with Chemistry, and you must do well in that class since I saw your name on the tutoring board."
"For you, it'll be double," she said and continued walking.
"Listen. Please. I really need help."
"Then it will cost you, skank."
"Fine."
"Can you pay me up front?"
I smiled. The hook was baited. Now I just needed to tug on the line a bit.
"I figured you might ask that. Yeah. I pulled money out of the bank earlier. Cash okay?"
She stopped walking and turned to face me. "Cash is great."
"Good. Would five hundred get me through the first week before the test?"
"Absolutely."
"You want it now or tomorrow before the first session?"
I saw in her eyes that the hook was firmly in her cheek. Time to reel her in.
"Now would be good. You have that much on you?"
"In the car. Not in my wallet. Locked it in the glove box."
She nodded. That's fine. Where are you parked?"
"Far lot. J Lot. I like the extra steps for exercise."
"Fine. Whatever. Let's go."
She followed me out to the J Lot, not walking beside me so as not to be perceived as a friend, I guess, but I didn't really care at this point. I led her to my car, which I had parked as far from the lamps as I could. There were still a few cars in the lot but no other students.
Isley checked the right and left as we reached my car, just as I had for years, always being aware of potential attackers. That was probably the only thing we had in common. Of course, what she didn't know was that the only person should have feared then was me.
"Hang on," I said as I clicked the fob and unlocked the doors. I opened the trunk as well and set my duffel -- the one that contained my jarred lamia and Arachne in their foam padding. Then I put the duffel of Winnifred and Angelina's clothes beside it.
Returning to the front, I opened the passenger door and unlocked the glove compartment. After opening it, I leaned over and pretended to get the cash. Instead, I gripped the stone and squeezed it.
"Whoa," she said suddenly, shaking like she had gotten the chills. "Weird. I just got a tingle."
"Maybe you're cold," I said, knowing full well the temperature had nothing to do with it.
"Maybe."
Even as she spoke, she began to realize what was happening. She shrank until was a mere six-inch toy of a young woman, practically lost in the jeans and crop-top T-shirt she had been wearing.
"What the hell?" she squeaked, her voice almost lost on the breeze from beneath the mound of clothing. "What did you do to me?"
I didn't respond. I only sat on the edge of the passenger seat and leaned over to retrieve the tiny beauty from the ground.
"What the fuck, skank?" she asked.
"Do you even remember my name, Isley?"
"Who the fuck cares? How did you shrink me?"
I laughed. "It's always the same. You're always more concerned about how I did it than with what is going to happen next."
Her itty-bitty eyes grew wide in relation to her face.
I gripped her in my fist and held her tight. "What's my name, Isley?"
"Fix me!" she yelled, but it was more comical than threatening. "Change me the fuck back."
I squeezed gently, enough to make her feel it and be worried, but not enough to hurt or bruise her.
"Say my name, little doll girl."
"Fine. Fuck. Laney. Okay? Your goddamn name is Laney. Now can you unshrink me?
I laughed and lay her on my lap. Then I shook my head.
"No. I don't think so."
"Please. You've got to. I'll tutor you for free. I'll be nice. I'll do whatever the fuck you want."
"I know you will. But only because that's part of your punishment. Karma's a bitch, they say, and boy is she on the rag about you and the way you've been treating people."
"Please," she said, standing up on my thigh and struggling for balance.
"Let's help you with that balance, young lady."
I gripped the stone again and her body shifted again, this time, her arms growing thin and feathery, and from the waist down, her body took on the form of a red bird, to match her hair. Even her hair became more of a bed of red features growing from her scalp rather than a thick head of lustrous, full, red locks.
"What the hell?!" she squawked as her mouth and nose extended into a dull yellow beak. "I"m... I'm... Fuck... I'm turning into a bird."
Only by that point, the transformation has stopped. She stared at her wings and started to cry.
"Not a bird," I said. "A harpy. It's a monster girl from anime and mythology. Part bird, part woman."
"I'll fly away!" she squawked up at me.
"You're welcome to try. I'm sure your wings won't be strong enough yet, but do ahead. Give it a shot. I'll even cheer you on."
But she didn't. She only hunched down to a sort of sitting position on my leg.
"Please change me back," she begged.
"Not gonna fly away, little bird? Or did you realize that leaving me was the dumbest decision you could make?" I grinned and put my palm out for her to step into it. "On two counts, actually. One, fly away and you'll be leaving the only person with the power to change you back. And two, you're just an itty-bitty birdy, and that makes you prey. There are a lot of predators out here who would love to make a tasty snack of you."
"Please," she said, obediently settling into my palm."
"Don't think so. Not anytime soon, dear. First I have to know that you've changed your tune."
"I'll change. I promise."
"Yes, you will change. Now come with me, little bird."
I rose from the seat and shut the passenger door behind me. I carried her to the back of the car, where the bags were still sitting in the open trunk.
"Hop down," I said as I lowered my hand into the trunk.
She did, flapping as she leaped, probably out of instinct more than intention, I figured, not that the motion aided her in the slightest. Flight was a trick, well, a skill she would have to learn later.
I lifted a jar from the bag, taking a moment to tap the tops of the lids holding my tiny lamia and my equally tiny Arachnae.
"I've got a friend for you guys," I said although I didn't remove their jars to let them see Isley. They would have plenty of time to see her new form when they were in my menagerie.
I placed the jar beside Isley on the rough trunk carpet.
"Would you prefer to get in willingly, or should I pick you up and drop you in? Whatever makes you feel better. You won't win, but if you feel like you need to fight me to salvage your pride, I won't complain."
She walked toward the jar. "I can't reach the top," she said.
I turned the jar on its side. "That's a good girl," I said.
"Can't you at least not talk about me like I'm some kind of pet?"
"Oh, darling, but you are a pet," I said. "In fact, that's exactly what you are. Now get inside. This is just for travel to your new home. I won't keep you in something so cramped all the time."
I righted the jar after she crawled inside and then I twisted the lid onto it.
"Please," she begged one last time, but I could barely hear her through the glass. She was crying openly now, not trying to hide it from me.
"There, there, little bird. You'll be fine. I'll take good care of you."
Then I put her jar back in the space reserved for it, folded the top of the duffel over, and zipped it closed.
Only two left. But I didn't have to push it. Those could wait for another day.
Interlude I
My friend and partner in crime -- at least in kidnapping my victims anyway -- was still at the loft I had rented outside of town. Sure, it made for a longer drive to the campus than I had rented a dorm, but for what I had planned, I didn't need frequent visitors.
"What do you think," Kiki asked as I entered the room with my duffel back of tiny, pet monster girls.
She had painted the back wall to look like a jungle mural. Thankfully, the terrarium was on wheels. Getting one large enough to allow all our new pets' room to play required purchasing something that was also big enough to be way too heavy for one person to move around. So we had also looked around and bought a rolling base that matched the base dimensions of the glass cage.
It stood four feet high, eight feet wide, and three feet deep with a locking glass top. The top and walls were three-quarter-inch thick glass so they'd be tough enough to stand up to any escape attempts. They were also treated with a lubricated tint that not only kept out the hard loft lights but also would prevent even Winnifred from climbing the sides once she got above two feet.
"It's gorgeous. They'll love it, I'm sure," I said, setting the bag down on my coffee table.
But I was still far more fascinated with the terrarium. The base was filled with a foot of soil and that had been potted with several flowers and other plants, and several long twigs for them to use for exercise. But the soil only covered six feet of the bottom on the right-hand side. The remaining two feet on the left was barely an inch of sand in a plexiglass base that was a foot deep and fit the interior of the terrarium snugly. This was filled with water and made a sort of "beach" for the girls to enjoy. It would also be a home for one of them I hadn't captured yet.
"You must have spent a long time on it," I said.
"All day," she put down a paintbrush she had been cleaning and walked to me. She wrapped her arms around my waist. I did the same to her. We kissed. Then we kissed again, this time with open mouths.
"That's nice," I said. "You should always be here when I get home."
"Then you should always stay out late."
"Well," I said as I pulled out of her embrace and opened the bag. "I was a little busy tonight. But I don't want to make a habit of it. I like my class schedule. I like being able to rest in the afternoons when I don't have to work."
"Well, then I guess you'll have to be the one to greet me when I get home then."
We shared a laugh.
I pulled out Angelina's jar first and set it on the coffee table beside the bag. Next came Winnifred's, and it was followed by Isley's. I moved the bag from the table to the floor and spread the jars out even across about a foot and a half of space. Close enough for them to all get a look look at each other.
Angelina stared at me angrily still. Winnifred sat with her six legs folded beneath her. Her eyes seemed sad, and I figured I had broken her completely. No doubt she would be the first of my new pets to be tamed. Isley sat in her jar, actually resting, apparently having fallen asleep from the gentle jostling motion during the car ride back to the loft. She started to awaken as I tapped the side of her jar.
"Wake up, little bird," I said.
Still groggy, she opened her eyes and waved hello, out of habit rather than any genuine happiness at seeing me again, I was sure.
When her brain caught up with her body, she cut her eyes at me and turned away.
"You've had your fun," Angelina said. "Not change us the fuck back, sis. I promise you I won't even tell Mom."
"We already talked about this, little snake. And the answer is still no." I lifted her jar from the table and carried her over to the terrarium. "What do you think of your new home? It should give you plenty of room to slither around and be comfortable."
"You're not serious, Laney! You fucking can't be!"
"You know, little tiny sister of mine, if you can't learn to control your language and speak to me with respect like a good little pet, then I may have to actually start treating you like a snake. I bet you'd like having to catch and eat a live mouse instead of eating bits of people-food like your little friends."
"Fuck you," she yelled. "Change me back now!"
"You know what?" I asked. "Nope. I don't think so."
I unfastened her jar, and she reared up so that her head was about the open top.
"In fact," I said, "let's just go ahead and let you explore your new home."
I lifted the jar above the glass cage and turned it over. Angelina scrambled to hang onto the sides to avoid falling three feet into it. But it was no use. She slid out of the jar and tumbled through the air until she landed on the intentionally soft soil I had selected for the terrarium.
I smiled as I looked down at her.
"You dropped me!" she yelled, waving a tiny fist at me.
"Well," I responded. "You were being a bitch. Not only that, you were being a bad pet. You will learn though. I have faith even you can be taught."
She slithered up to the edge of the glass and felt for some grip.
"You're not climbing out of there, little snake.
I replaced the lid and put the empty jar back in the foam case, leaving Angelina to fume and get used to her new home.
"Who wants to go next?" I asked.
Neither the bird nor the spider volunteered.
"That's okay. We'll let Kiki choose."
Kiki went to the coffee table and lifted both jars. She looked so cute, her dark, curly hair pulled back into two "afro-puffs." Her plain, white T-shirt was covered with paint spots along with her overall shorts.
"Let's do the little bird girl," she said.
"Sure," I said and she handed Isley's jar to me. I opened the lid and put my forefinger inside. "Can you grab on, Isley?"
She didn't speak, but she did take hold of my finger and hold on for dear life as I lifted her from the jar.
"Please don't drop me," she begged, finally speaking up, but with a softness that told me she was terrified.
"Of course not, little bird. Your little bones are far more brittle than those of the snake."
I held her over one of the branches that had been shoved into the soil to make a sort of "tree" in one corner.
"Would you prefer me to put you on a branch or can you leap down to the ground?"
"Branch, please."
So I did, and she stepped onto the twig and clasped her clawed feet around it.
"When you're ready to go down, your claws should let you climb down, but if you don't feel safe that way, the ground is soft enough for even you, so don't worry."
I smiled. She looked away.
I returned to the table.
"Your turn, spider-lady."
Winnifred rose to all six legs in her jar.
"I want to try something, so play along," I said.
The poor, humbled, broken spider-girl simply nodded.
"Can you shoot a little bit of web to my hand?" I asked as I rested my hand above her now open jar.
She turned around to face away from me, then pointed her spinneret towards my skin. I watched as she ejected a long stream of silk webbing at me. When it stuck, I raised my hand, and she was pulled up onto her front two legs.
"Hold on. I'm not going to hurt you my little pet spider. If you don't feel secure, then use a few more strands."
That's just what she did. When I walked with her dangling beneath my hand, there were four strands of web connecting us.
Once I reached the terrarium, I lowered my arm over the side, and she figured out how to extend the webbing to lower her body to the ground. Then she let go of the web and walked into one of the dark corners of the glass and squatted onto her legs again, silent and lonely.
Give her time, I mused. She'll be fine.
"Okay, ya'll be careful," I said. "I'm gonna roll this thing back to the wall so you can enjoy Kiki's beautiful mural."
I pushed the terrarium, and even as heavy as it was, it rolled easily. When it was in place with an inch between it and the wall, I locked all four wheels, after making sure it was centered against Kiki's painting.
For the rest of the evening, Kiki and I sat on the sofa, listening to '60s jazz and watching our new pets stick to themselves or glare at us.
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