The Arms That Howl

Excavated from a home site fourteen years ago in northwestern Pennsylvania was a short diary. No name was found in it. No dates. Only a few mundane entries. And this…

There is a spider in here. It watches me.

I called for Father to make it go away. Without lighting even a single candle, he said there was no spider.

He left me alone.

I keep my diary by my bed. But I’m afraid to leave the bed to get away from the spider. I can see it in the shadows there. Black ugly thing. I want it to leave me alone.

I don’t know how it got in. I didn’t let it in. Somehow it crawled into my room when the window and door were shut. Now it squats there watching. It must have found a way. I can see its many eyes glaring.

Why do they act this way? Am I food to it? Or does it simply hate me?

It came closer.

I looked away for just a second, and it moved closer. I’m sure of it.

It must hate. Those eyes glisten with nothing less. But what hate? What did I do to it–

It moved again. I saw it. If the thing had a tongue I know I’d see it lick those wicked fangs.

What does it wait for?

I should call Father again. He has a gun and a great knife I’m not supposed to know about. He could kill it before it reaches me.

Oh Almighty God it’s so close now. I don’t want to die. It scraped its legs against the floor. I can almost hear it. Or is that coming from outside? Are there more?

Take this foul beast away! Father won’t answer me, he thinks I’m telling stories. I told the spider to go away. I threatened it.

It only creeps closer!

I cannot reach my shoes without taking my eyes off it now. Please God, make it go away. I will never harm a spider again, I didn’t know they could grow as large as dogs, please spare me
those eyes

If you search through local county records in the early 1800s, you’ll find a newspaper article about the body of a young girl discovered in her own side yard. Mutilated so badly they would not describe her condition in the article. Only that she had ‘great holes’ and her face was ‘unrecognizable.’

“Assumed work of a maniac believed to prowl about.” How wrong they were.
I know what that ’spider’ truly was. Do you?