Folksburywoods Story Blog

“Hello, my little friend, have you come for a tasty fly?” asked the woman.

Galena Trufflalot lived in a small cottage near the valley of Dundor. After her husband passed away, she had only a goat and a plot of dirt to grow vegetables.

“I’m sorry, I have nothing to offer you this night. It looks as if both of us will go to bed hungry,” said Galena.

The woman was barely able to scrape together enough money to live. Yet she never failed to celebrate Advent and the Twelve Days of Christmas.

“The tree is a poor one this year, but it was all I could find in the forest. The nice ones are long gone,” said the matron.

The spider listened as she described her past. When her husband was alive, they covered the tree with paper figures and a gold-foil star at the top.

“I’m afraid this year we will have to settle for the tree itself,” Galena told the spider.

The cold was setting in, so she bid the spider good night. Then, she climbed under a mountain of blankets to save firewood.

The moon appeared through a window, illuminating the spider’s web with a silver glow. Immediately, the spider knew what to do and climbed onto the Christmas tree.

When morning came, Galena awoke to an astounding sight.

“My word, has Father Christmas already come?” cried the woman as she looked upon the glittering tree.

Off in the corner, Galena spotted her friend. She attempted to arouse the spider, but it failed to move.

“My dearest friend, you gave your life to give me one last Christmas memory,” said Galena.

The woman placed the spider in a matchbox. She tied a bit of string around the box to secure it. Then, she put her friend at the base of the tree.

“You will forever be the best Christmas gift anyone could recieve. Fare thee well, my friend,” muttered the woman.

Galena made sure that the spider had not given his life in vain. Out she popped to gather what the forest had to offer. On this Christmas day, it served up a feast.

“Mushrooms in winter, and a rabbit still warm. It must have escaped the hunter to die in front of me. How odd?” remarked the woman.

So passed the rest of the day—dried currents still on the vine and a huntsman’s pack filled with quail. Later, as she walked to the brook, she tripped over something in the snow.

“This can’t be, a full keg of flour. It must have fallen off a cart that came from the millers,” cried Galena.

That evening, the woman sat by the oven, humming an old Christmas tune. She thought about the spider’s blessing and the Christmas miracle.

The following spring, a spider appeared. As before, the two would share meals and conversation.

“Are you a guardian angel too?” asked the woman.

The spider didn’t say a word.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/folksburywoods/

Folksburywoods Story Blog: folksburywoods.com/