SPIDER (Trey & Lovely)        CLICK TO SEE ANIMATED VERSION
by William Avery

Trey Spider was spinning his web trying to catch a meal.  He was very hungry and had not caught anything for quite a while.  His other spider friends would tease him.

Jake     :  Look at little Trey.  He can't make a good web.
               He'll never catch anything. 
Fred      :  Let's give him a mosquito.  NOT!  Ha, ha, ha.

Poor Trey kept on making his web and hoped to catch something soon.  After a while something flew into his web.  Trey excitedly ran to see what he had caught.  It was a butterfly.  This would be a good meal for Trey but when he saw the butterfly something so very strange happened.  She was so beautiful.  He instantly fell in love and could not bare the thought of eating her.  He wanted to tell her that he would let her go.  As he approached her closer, she screamed and screamed.  She screamed so loudly that she could not hear Trey.

Trey      :  Don't worry.  I am not going to eat you.
Lovely   :  OH NO!  HELP!  AARGH!
Trey      :  I am going to let you go. 
               Maybe we can talk and be friends.
Lovely   :  GO AWAY!  Help!  Help!  I'm gonna die!
Trey      :  Let's me get you untangled.  It's ok.  I just....
Lovely   :  Help! 

As soon as Trey set her free.  She flew away screaming and crying.  Trey's heart broke that day as he knew that they could never be together.  Lovely flew home and told her parents how she escaped from the spider.  The Butterfly parents could not understand how Little Lovely could get away from the spider.

Lovely   :  The spider came closer and he was trying to eat me.
               I must have hit him then he was surprised.  So I flew away.
Mom     :  That is very strange.  Nothing ever gets out of the spider's web.
Dad      :  You are so little.  How could you get away? Strange.
Lovely   :  I was just lucky.   I guess.
Mom     :  We are glad you are home.  Safe and sound.

Sometimes Trey would see Lovely from afar during the day.  He didn't want to frighten her so he always hid out of sight and just quietly watched her.  One day Trey saw another boy butterfly in the neighborhood.  He was talking to Lovely.  Trey wanted to do something but what could he do.  He thought and thought then he got an idea.  He climbed down the tree, made many balls of sticky webbing and put it on his back.   Then he carefully ripped many different colored petals off the most beautiful flowers he could find and stuck them to his back.  He stuck the petals on his back and made them look like butterfly wings.  Not only did the wings look beautiful but they were also very fragrant.

Trey      :  I made some beautiful butterfly wings.
               But what about my eight arms?  Butterflies only have six.
               I'll just tuck two arms behind my back.

Trey climbed back up the tree, tucked two of his eight arms behind his back and lowered himself down while hunching his shoulders to make his wings flutter.  He landed on the flower next to Lovely. 

Lovely   :  Who are you?  
Trey      :  My name is Trey.  What is your name?
Lovely   :  My name is Lovely.  Your wings are so beautiful.
Trey      :  No.  They're not half as beautiful as yours.
Lovely   :  I have never seen a butterfly like you before.
               Your tummy is a little fat. 
Trey      :  [Trey was embarrassed and did not know what to say.] Well...
Lovely   :  But you're kind of cute.

Trey and Lovely talked the whole afternoon as they sipped nectar from the flowers.  Trey had never tried flower pollen before but he thought it tasted pretty good.  Trey was the happiest Spider in the world.  Soon the sun was setting.

Lovely   :  It's time to fly home.  Where do you live?
Trey      :  Not so very far.  I can walk. 
Lovely   :  You are so funny.  Ha, ha.  You want to walk home.
Trey      :  I was kidding...  Ha...  Walk..
               See you tomorrow Lovely.  OK.

Lovely flew home and told her parents about Trey.  Trey climbed up he tree and thought about Lovely.  Trey was careful that no other spiders saw him going home with his wings. 
 

 

AT LOVELY'S HOUSE

Lovely happily told her parents about Trey, the most interesting, fragrant, funny butterfly she had ever met.

Lovely   :  He was very interesting.  You have to meet him.
Dad      :  Where is he from?  Does he have a good family?
Lovely   :  Oh Daddy... 
Mom     :  Sounds like Lovely is in love.
Dad      :  We will all go to meet him tomorrow.

The next day Trey went down the tree to find that his wings had wilted, so he had to make them again with fresh flowers.  He went back up the tree and waited for Lovely.  This time he saw two other butterflies with her.   Trey tucked two arms behind his back and lowered himself on the flower next to them while hunching his shoulders.

Trey      :  Hello Lovely.
Lovely   :  Hi Trey.  I told my parents about you
               and they wanted to meet you.  This is my Mom and Dad.
Trey      :  Hello Mr. and Mrs. Lovely Butterfly.  I can see why Lovely
               is so lovely.  Pleased to meet you.
Mom     :  He's handsome and a sweet talker.
Dad      :  (Shakes Trey's hand.)  He's strong, too.
               Where do you come from?  I've never seen a butterfly like you before. 
Trey      :  Actually, I am from around here.  We just haven't met before.
Dad      :  I would have heard about you. 
Mom     :  But anyway it's good to meet you now, Trey.

The Lovely Butterfly family and Trey talked for a while.  Lovely often looked at Trey and smiled.  It was a wonderful afternoon.  Trey made a great impression with the Mom and Dad.  The Lovely Family started to fly home when suddenly a strong wind blew the whole family into Dougie Spider's web.  Dougie Spider was all too happy to catch three butterflies at the same time. 

Mom     :  Oh no!  We're doomed!
Lovely   :  Help!   Help! 
Dad      :  Don't eat them!  Eat me.  Let them go.
Dougie  :  Wow!  This is going to make a great meal!

Trey looked in terror at what was happening.  He had to stop it.

Trey      :  Hey you!  Let them go or I'm going to come up there.
Dougie  :  One more butterfly??  Come on up!
               If you think you are so bad, then come on up here.
               Show me what you got!
Lovely   :  No, Trey.  Save yourself.  You can not help.
Trey      :  Yes, I can! ( Trey quickly climbed the tree.)
Dougie  :  I've never seen a butterfly climb a tree like that.
               And why aren't you sticking to my web?
Trey      :  This is the last time I am going to ask you nicely.
               Let them go.  Dougie!
Dougie  :  Are you crazy?  How do you know my name?
               I'll show you.

Trey and Dougie wrestles.  Dougie grabs Trey and pulls one of his wings off.  Dougie is surprised that pulling off his wing didn't hurt him.  And now everyone can see that Trey is really a spider.  Trey angrily looks at Dougie then spins a web around him and lowers him down to the ground.  The Lovely Butterfly family looks on in shock.   Trey crawls over to the butterflies.

Lovely   :  It was all a trick.  You just wanted to eat the whole family.
Mom     :  His plan has worked.  
Dad      :  I knew something was strange about him.
Lovely   :  How could you?  Go on eat us all.
Trey      :  No.  I just saved you all.  From Dougie Spider. 
               Actually a long time ago I was the spider that set you free
               when you flew into my web because I fell in love with you.
               I knew we couldn't be together.  I just wanted to meet you
               so I disguised myself.  Now I will set you and your family free.
               I really did love you.  Good-bye.

The Lovely Butterfly family started to fly away in fear.  Trey slowly turned away and started back home.  The Lovely Butterfly family fluttered in a circle then Lovely Butterfly yelled to Trey.

Lovely   :  I love you, too!  You saved my life twice.
               Now I have to catch you.
Mom     :  We won't let you get away that easy.  You are our hero.
Dad      :  You two belong together.

Trey couldn't believe it.  He turned around and the whole family came together for a big hug.

Trey      :  Let's get married.
Lovely   :  Yes!

So Trey Spider and Lovely Butterfly were married in three days.  All the spiders, flies, ants, bees and other insects attended the wedding.  It was a really eventful ceremony.  The birds sang songs.  The rain and sun worked together to provide a rainbow for Trey and Lovely to walk under.  The grasshoppers and beetles played music for everyone to dance to at the reception. 

After the wedding Trey and Lovely went on a honeymoon.  Before you knew it Lovely had a few babies.  What did they look like?  The children had the bodies of a spider with real wings like a butterfly and they could fly.  The cute spiderflies were friends with all the insects in the forest and everyone liked to play with them.