The Spider Kingdom Competition
In the early morning, the first rays of sunlight streamed into the farm.
The morning glories climbed up the fence, blowing their trumpets with all their might, their faces flushed. They had an announcement: “There’s going to be a competition!” The Spider Kingdom on the farm was holding a web-weaving contest.
The queen said, “Let’s see who can weave the most beautiful web; beauty attracts bugs.”
The general said, “Let’s see who can weave the web the fastest; speed is essential for catching bugs.”
The chancellor said, “Let’s see who can weave the biggest web; the bigger the web, the more bugs it can catch.” The ministers began to chatter, and it seemed like everyone had a point.
The king, with his big belly, slowly said, “What everyone says makes sense. I think the best web is the one that catches the most bugs.” Being the king, his words brought silence. Soon, applause erupted all around.
The competition officially began.
The first contestant was Fat Spider, whose round belly was covered in stripes of yellow and green. Wobbling, Fat Spider climbed up the wall and jumped onto a round straw hat. “Your Majesty, I will weave a web with letters that will surely attract lots of little bugs.” Fat Spider found a few spots on the brim and stuck the silk threads. “Heave-ho, heave-ho…” In no time, a round web was completed, adorned with the letters “GOOD.”
“Wow, that’s really nice—round and beautiful!” the queen exclaimed first.
The second contestant was Thin Spider, with long, slender legs that allowed her to move quickly. She climbed up the gate in the yard. “I can weave the biggest and sturdiest web; even birds can get caught in it. My speed is so fast, even horses can’t catch up!” She quickly spread the sticky substance along the door frame and pulled long strands of silk, looping them one by one. In a blink, a large web hung on the door.
“Wow, indeed fast and large,” the general applauded first.
The third contestant was Laughing Spider, who had a bright smiling face on his belly. “Your Majesty, I can catch the most bugs for you.” Laughing Spider took a tour around the farm. The pig pen was buzzing with mosquitoes, and the pigs kept swatting their tails to chase the bugs away. Laughing Spider decided to weave a web right there in the pig pen. He climbed up the wall.
“What? Weaving a web in the pig pen? That must look terrible,” the queen shook her head.
“Isn’t that going to be hard to do?” the chancellor asked.
Laughing Spider pulled up a fine thread and slowly climbed up the wall, sticking one end to the roof and the other to a wall. He pulled another thread, sticking it to the roof and the opposite wall. This was the crucial part. Finding three points, he carefully wound it around, making it dense and sturdy. After a good while, a small triangular web was finally finished.
As the sun rose, all the participating spiders had completed their webs. The king announced it was time to see how many bugs were caught. At that moment, the farmer and his wife finished their breakfast.
“Dear wife, I need to go work in the fields,” the farmer said, bidding farewell.
“Goodbye, old man. Be careful of the heat,” his wife replied, handing him his straw hat, which he placed on his head as he went out. The web on the hat was torn. The farmer, who worked in the fields every day, always wore the hat. When he stepped out of the door, the hat snagged the web hanging on the door, ripping a big hole in it.
Now, let’s take a look at Laughing Spider’s web.
As the pigs ate, they swatted at the mosquitoes and flies. The mosquitoes flocked to the web. The fine mesh quickly caught many mosquitoes and flies. Laughing Spider hurriedly used his silk to bind the little bugs—this was the best packaging material.
“One, two, three, four…” A total of six mosquitoes and two large green flies were caught in the small web. Laughing Spider presented the catch to the king.
The king announced that Laughing Spider had won three awards: “Best Design,” “Best Practicality,” and “Most Scientific,” and he instructed all the spiders to learn from Laughing Spider’s approach. They should first observe to find the best spots to weave their webs.
From then on, various spider webs could be seen all over the farm. Look, in the cow shed, the horse stable, the chicken coop… in every nook and cranny were round, long, square, and triangular webs. Throughout the summer, the spiders of the Spider Kingdom had more than enough food and lived happily ever after.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
