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Avery took a frantic turn to look at the table only to discover—a spider? she said to herself.

“Yes, and a talking one...” the spider replied. Its voice carried a grin—a grin that wasn’t seen, wasn’t possible and yet, Avery felt it.

What’s happening? The question looped in Avery’s old, old brain, refusing to let her go.
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Avery had always felt a strange comfort in the company of insects. Silas, her young grandson, shared that fascination—especially spiders—a rare bond in a family that found this obsession unsettling. When Avery encountered a spider that spoke, she assumed it was a hallucination and, in the words of her daughter-in-law, that she was “crazy.” Soon, the voice became impossible to ignore, and things began to grow worse. The spider promised Avery a new and better world—one where nothing and no one could keep her from those she loved most. All Avery had to do was follow the spider’s instructions. As the web tightened, Avery’s grip on reality frayed, and her devotion to her family twisted into something vicious.

With each act she committed in the name of love, the line between protector and predator blurred. What had Avery done? Read and find out.