Chapter 9: Prince and the trip to the forest edge (1)

The heat from the camp fire melted away the frigid air on his frozen hand. Fearless exhaled a long sigh, tossing the fatigue and soreness out of his system with that long sigh. He added more firewood into the camp fire and poked them with a stick them with a stick, the fire danced and cackled. From the dancing orange flame tiny embers flew up, twirling in the air like fireflies before drifting and disappearing into the cold night.

Finally, he had a moment to take a breath, to fully appreciate the warmth of a camp fire, the tepid pungent smell of grass and mud and the chirping orchestra of insects. No more fear and spiders and the need to bang the bronze gong. He wet his throat with a large gulping sip of wine from the one of the wine sacks he brought with him.

This is life

It tasted heavenly. The wine brewed by the mythical harvest fairies in Vietnamese folklore could not be better than this. The wine that served to the Einherjar in the hall of Valhalla can only be so good. I’m sorry for calling you an inferior product before, I was a know-nothing-bastard. How could you be an inferior product, you are Ambrosia that the gods of Olympian feast and drunk on their tables, o sweet nectar, how wonderful.

Fearless almost smiled to tears as he took another sip and yet another sip. It’s good, he thought, truly tasted great. Then he noticed the spider queen Iliva swung her queen-size handmade hammock created from hers strings at the edge of his vision.

“Iliva,” he called.

What are you doing in that place o beautiful Arachne? All alone by yourself without fire to warm you or wine to wet your parched throat. Come here and share the camp fire with me, it’s warm. Come here and share the wine with me, it’s good.

“What?” She asked with an annoyed inclination to her voice, finally resigning to let him calling her by that name and not bother to correct him.

O beautiful Arachne, you are gorgeous even when you are angry and sulking.

“Oh, so you are not ignoring me anymore,” he could not help but want to tease her more.

“Because you keep pestering me,” she grunted, staring at him with grudging eyes.

“You are so beautiful that it was a sin, you know that?” Fearless smiled and honestly praised her look.

“Your compliment don’t make me feel happy or anything,” she replied in a vexed voice, turning away, accidentally showing him her beet red pointy ear.

“No, that was not exactly a compliment or anything, just stating the truth. Also, you are the dumbest person I have ever talked to,” Fearless laughed, broke his harder-than-a-rock rye bread into two pieces. The damn thing was so hard that Fearless could imagine himself using it as a weapon to kill a bison with it, just drop the damn bread on a bison head and it would probably die. He crunched on the stone-like bread and wetted his lips with his heavenly nectar again.

“I will kill you,” the spider queen warned in a low and threatened voice.

How could a person be this cute even when she’s angry? You look just like Alice when I pretended to forget her birthday to tease her. Or that stabby stabby girlfriend when I was joking about being gay for FY and had no real interest in a woman.

“I’m merely telling you the truth. I have talked to a lot of smart women, I know what a smart woman sounded like. You don’t sound like a smart woman and you don’t even sound like a dumb woman. You might probably be the dumbest woman ever if you come to my world,” Fearless cackled, admiring at the wonderful curvatures of the Arachne’s body and the golden glow of his campfire casted on her white hair.

“That’s it. You are dead,” the spider queen leapt off her hammock. Her eight arachnid legs made a sharp sound when contacted with the ground. Her divine and amorous perky breasts jiggled as she landed.

Fearless thanked the gods for sculpturing such a masterpiece that worthy to call an epitome of beauty and whoever or whatever it was that lead such beautiful woman into the deviant path of an exhibitionist.

This must be the holy land of Canaan, the golden land of Avalon or the heavenly garden of God. Everything that I have ever wanted are all in this place, great wine to drink and an unworldly beautiful woman to admire, how can it get any better than that?

“But you know what? You will do just fine in my world, my people would adore you, and they would love you to dead. You are just that beautiful,” Fearless smiled, raised his wine sack to a toast.

“Hphm,” the spider queen flustered and hummed away, tossing her murderous air into the darkness of the night.

O beautiful Arachne, how unworldly you are, both your beauty and your naïveté. I can’t imagine that kind of praises would work on the modern day women.

“Iliva,” he tenderly called her name.

“What?” she asked.

“Nothing, I just want to call your name,” Fearless replied, grinned from ear to ear and savored the seething stare that the queen of spiders shot at him.

Iliva, I think that was a beautiful sounding name.

“Iliva,” he called her name again.

“Can you stop pestering me human?” the spider queened hissed.

“What do you do in this forest for fun?” Fearless asked.

“What?” The spider queen scowled her weary ruby eyes.

“You told that you have been in this forest for fifteen years. I can’t imagine that you can stay in this forest for so long if it was really boring. So what’s so fun about this forest?” Fearless explained, chucking another large gulp of the heavenly nectar down is throat.

“A lowly human like you could never understand,” she replied mysteriously.

“That’s why I’m asking you, am I not?” Fearless sealed the leathered wine sack and asked in his most sobering voice.

His face felt hot. He wasn’t too sure if it was the work of the camp fire or the wine or the lust he accumulated for that angry Arachne.

“You are just a lowly human. Don’t be so conceited,” she snarled angrily and returned to her hammock.

“I’m starting to get sick of the word lowly human from your mouth. I have told you did I not, my name is…” Fearless sighed tiredly.

“You are just a lowly human,” and the spider queen cut him off.

“I see,” Fearless tossed another piece of firewood into the fire and watched it cracked by the flame to wash away his rising anger. Iliva was not the only prideful one. “On what basis that you think that this human is lowly? Do you think that I’m lowly because I am a human and a male? That’s laughable. Or do you think that I am lowly because that is what the other Arachnes told you? That is even more laughable. They are blind and stupid and superstitious, obviously, they fail to see how beautiful you truly are and expelled you. That is the most stupid thing... like ever”

“Hphm don’t think for a second that my opinion of you has improved because you keep showering me with compliments, you are just a lowly human,” the spider queen quipped and started to swing her hammock.

For whatever reasons, Iliva thought that Fearless was complimented her beauty with that kind language. He was baffled. “Well, maybe they actually had a point since you are the dumbest woman I have ever known. That might warrant your exile,” Fearless sneered.

“Stop calling me dumb,” the spider queen hollered angrily.

Fearless clicked his tongue and licked his lips. His thought was divided between his desire to stay sober and the desire to drink more wine. In the end, he unsealed the wine sack and had another gulp. The battle between the angel and the devil inside his head concluded quicker than he had anticipated. It’s like the devil has always won in the end, somehow.

He had an agreement with Iliva that she would not attack him while he was sleeping, and drunk. The female Arachne with her ballooned pride would keep her word. Either that or he would die, Fearless was completely fine with both endings.

“Anyway, back to the topic, why do you think I’m lowly?” he turned his sight at the spider queen, staring into her red forbidding eyes.

“Is it not obvious? Your kind is stupid and weak,” the spider queen scoffed, shrugging her shoulders.

“Iliva, my dear, you are a really funny person, you know that? You should become a standup comedian,” Fearless cackled, almost choked on his wine, “I have turned the situation against you. I have captured you, took your pearl hostage and made you escorting me to the forest edge. And still, you think that I am more stupid than you are?”

“That won’t happen again next time,” the spider queen snapped. Her fist swinging, effotlessly peeling the nearest tree within her vicinity of its bark .

“That answer just confirms how dumb you are, my dear Iliva. But I will forgive you because you are beautiful,” Fearless sighed and drained his wine sack empty.

His head felt slightly funny, somewhat heavy and spinning. Iliva started to multiply herself in front of his eyes. How marvelous! You can’t never have enough of such gorgeous looking person. One is too little, such a lonely number, two, that’s better, so much better, please makes it three, three, that’s awesome.

“Insult me or compliment me, pick one,” the spider queen snapped.

So, you actually like it when I compliment your look, Fearless grinned and tried his hardest not to laugh.

“There would be no next time. That was a real battle and I have expected to kill the leader of the spiders, you my dear Iliva, but I did not expect you to show up. I was expecting a Mangora spider. I intended to kill the leader of the pack and walked away with that. Do you know what this is? Iliva,” Fearless produced an cyclical metallic tube of fifteen centimeter length from his belt and showed it to the spider queen

“What’s inside that?” the Arachne watched the tube with curious eyes.

“Dragon bane, the deadliest poison that man has ever concocted with alchemy, it is very hard to get one of this because not many people know the recipe and the method to create it. Coated it on an arrowhead, find an arbalest that was powerful enough to penetrate the dragon’s scale and you could potentially kill an ancient dragon with a single arrow. Even the like of demon lords make little different, just a few hundreds of arrows coated with this deadly poison would be enough to kill any demon lord,” Fearless explained and tucked the tube back to his belt.

Those Grayscale magic caster must have intended to use this concoction on the demon lord that they were supposed to summon in the case they failed to seal him with Enfermé alone.”

“…Your kind is dreadful human,” Iliva commented.

Fearless was unsure what sort of feeling she had when she said that. Was it fear? Was it hatred? He could not tell. But he knew she meant what she said.

“Was you a Mangora Spider or a male Arachne or anything else, you would have died without even knowing who or what killed you. The only reason that you are still alive right now, and have this conversation with me is because you are one of the most beautiful woman I have ever seen and I can’t stress that enough. I feel stupid when standing in front of you like this. I should have better vocab to praise your beauty and yet this is all I can manage.

At least. be thankful that you are a woman and you are beautiful. That is the only reason you are still alive.”

“..” Iliva was silent.

And Fearless had intended to leave the matter like that. But he remember her previous comment about mankind being stupid and weak, “Correct me if I’m wrong, I think I heard you calling me weak,” he questioned. He left no stone unturned.

“What? Do you dare to claim that you are not?” The spider queen indignantly challenged.

“I cannot ignore that. Let’s have a contest of strength to see which one of us is the stronger one. You or me? Arachne or human,” Fearless tossed away his empty wine sack and smiled a toothy smile.

“Oh, and you would not threaten to crush my pearl during the contest to make me admitting defeat, would you?” she taunted, still swinging her hammock.

“Wow, you suddenly become smarter." Fearless theatrically clapped his hands, "That sounds like an excellent idea. But, no, I would not do that. If I win against you using trickery, that only prove that I’m a lot smarter you, not stronger than you. A contest have to be fair. Also, there must be a prize. That’s why, if you win, I will return you your pearl and give in myself to you. If you win you could do whatever you want with me, be it takes me in as your eternal husband or whatsoever,” Fearless cackled, putting a hand on his mouth to prevent the burping sound from reaching Iliva’s ears.

“Why would I want a lowly man like you as my husband?” the spider queen angrily retorted. She immediately sat up from her hammock when Fearless mentioned about returning her pearl, brimming with expectation.

“Why wouldn’t you? Even though it sounds a little bit shameless to say this myself but I’m handsome, smart, understanding, and very adept in bedding matters, if you have me as your husband, you will instantly become a winner in life.”

“No, I don’t want you. Just return me my pearl,” said the spider queen, descended from her hammock one more time, and Fearless again feasted his eyes on the jiggled divine mounds.

“Well, your loss. So, what are you going to wager?” Fearless asked

“Me? I would wager…” The spider queen thought, mulling over her option and came up with nothing, “Shameless human, you are after my body,” and finally noticed Fearless’ lustful heated gaze. It took her long enough. And yet, she made no attempt of covering up her body. She made him questioned if Arachne was so different from human.

“I do desire your body,” Fearless honestly admitted, “But, not that badly,” followed with a white lie and shook his head with toothy smile, “Also, don’t you think that it is very unfair of you to put your body as a prize? I’m waging your precious pearl and myself here in this contest,” he targeted the Arachne’s pride.

“You can never defeat me in a contest of strength so why does it matter?” the spider queen replied.

“You have a point however, this is a contest and as I have said, a contest have to be fair,” Fearless stressed the part about being fair while to stand up to face Iliva with wobbling footsteps.

“Withdraw yourself, I don't even need your annoying existence in my life. Beside, I don’t have anything else. You have already taken my most precious item,” she reasoned.

“Oh, but you do. My dear Iliva, I will now name my prize. If I win this contest, I will walk away with your heart,” and Fearless pointed his finger at the Arachne’s bare chest where her heart located.

She tilted her head as if confused. And then realization hit her like a thunderbolt, her face went beet red instantly, “In your dream,” she yelled.

Fearless wasn’t even sure if this was his own idea or the wine which he drank that came up with this insanely stupid and crazy contest. But one thing he can be sure, if wine has voice, it would say something like this, “I take that as you have agreed to wager your heart for this contest, let’s begin our contest of strength now,” and the wine laughed grandiosely.

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The human approaches me with shaky footsteps. His breath smells like wine. His face red as if it was burned by the fire.

“You are drunk human,” I warn. There is no glory in defeating a weakened opponent in a fair contest.

“Consider this as a handicap, it would not be fair for you otherwise,” the human arrogantly replies. He is just as insolent as ever.

“You can surely talk human. But talking is all that you are good at. Start explaining the rule of this contest and be done with this quickly. I’m taking back my pearl,” I shout. I do not lose to a human in a contest of strength, never, especially this one.

He has little muscles on his lanky body, just a disgustingly pretty face for a mere human, nothing else worth mentioning.

“May I have your hands, beautiful Iliva,” the human asks while raising his hands up as if surrendering.

I show the human my hand and he grabbed them, entwining our fingers together as if he is trying to weave a tapestry with our fingers alone. His fingers are thin, long and uncalloused like that of a woman, like the hateful girl whom every male in the settlement adored and lavished her with gifts and praises.

What human? Why are you staring at my fingers like that? Have you never seen any woman’s fingers as calloused and rough as mine before? Do you think they are ugly as well? And why are we holding hands like this? Is this a pushing contest or an arm-wrestling contest? Do you think you could win against me like this human? No, Iliva, that cannot be. This human has a devil for a mind. He will try to trick you.

“Your precious pearl is still inside my mouth. Use your tongue to take it back. If you can take it back, it’s your win. We will have this contest for as long as you can continue” the human grinned dastardly, showing my pearl on the tip of his tongue.

“That’s it?” I ask, genuinely surprise because it is not as terrible as I have imagined.

And the arrogant grin on the lips of the human crumbles instantly, his eyes widen in utter shock.

“Is there something wrong with my question?” I ask, strangely satisfied to see that mocking grin completely wiped from the human’s face.

“You are not repulsed of doing this with me?” the human asks.

Is that so much a shock for you human? Oh -“Oh, so that’s the reason why you drink so much wine. You are trying to make me repulse because of the smell of the wine and make me forfeit it. In your dream,” I sneer.

Does he think the odor of wine is enough to prevent me taking back my precious pearl? Human you have severely underestimated my resolve.

“Yeah, I think I must be dreaming right now. This is too good to be true. How could a person be this unworldly?” the human staggers backward and I have to hold him still, his dark eyes show an expression as if he didn’t believe it.

“So are we going to stand here like this all day or have this contest going?”

I cannot contain my eagerness to defeat this human. I want to see his face when he realizes he has been thoroughly defeated. I want to see him humiliated. I want to see him suffer. I want to see him groveled in front of me, kissing my feet and asking for my forgiveness.

“You can start any time you want,” he smiles, sticking his tongue out with my pearl on it.

And the contest begin.

I make a swift attack, hoping to destroy my opponent with the first attack. But the accursed human has expected that, he promptly retreats along with my pearl.

Not yet, human, I pursue, chasing after my precious pearl. His tongue it smells like wine and it tastes like wine. It’s hot and wet and it makes me feel weird. I feel his hot breath on me as well as his arrogant chuckle when my teeth clumsily hit against his white and even teeth and bar myself away from my target.

“You are really bad at this, my dear Iliva,” the human teases.

His arrogant voice is just as infuriating as ever. And I can immediately feel my anger flares up. I bend my eight spider legs to stand on my elven feet. I’m now exactly at the same height as the arrogant human. We look at each other eye to eye from the same level for the first time. I tilt my head and commence my invasion again. This time, my teeth will not hinder my own attack.

Our lips meet. I explore his gums, his upper jaw and his lower jaw to confirm if he has hidden my pearl there. And once I have confirmed it, I press my attack, wrestling with his tongue to get back my precious pearl. His tongue is relentless, it entwine and sticks to mine, a weak moan reverberates inside my head. What kind of sound is that human? That’s weak. I inwardly mock the arrogant human until I hear that moan again only to realize that it is not his, its mine.

I immediately sound the retreat. My breath becomes erratic. My heart misses it beat. My mind confused. I don’t understand what just happen. The human’s teasing smile is the only thing inside my mind.

“I’m sorry, my dear Iliva. It should have been me who took the lead. I should have showed you how it’s done,” An apologetic smile, a tender smile and an arrogant smile.

His tongue is in my mouth, it’s wriggling and coiling as if it has a will of its own, as if it is a living thing. He sucks the air out of my mouth. His tongue is wrapping around mine, coiling, entwining and sucking greedily, making that wet sound. The sound, it’s reverberating, it’s ringing in my head and whisking away my brain.

Our tongues go astray for a moment, and I take the chance to fill my lungs with air.

What is with this terrible human? I instinctively feel scare, trying build some time for regrouping. But he recommences his attack, sealing my lips with his. His tongue stimulates mine once more time, entwining and sucking. My legs give and he catch me, holding me back through our locking hands. He continues to scrap away what left of my dignity, whisking away my strength and reason with that terrifying tongue of his. And suddenly the world turns white.

“I’m sorry. I overdid it.”

The man’s gloating voice gives my weak body a reason to move. I glare at him from the ground.

“Sorry I did not think you would climax from a deep kiss,” he says.

I follow his heated gaze. What is this liquid? I touch the viscous liquid, my hand accidentally brushes against my secret garden, it's dripping wet. My face instantly flushes red with shame and anger for reasons that I don’t really understand.

“I will kill you then take back my pearl and then kill myself,” I laugh manically and walk toward the hateful human.

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Fearless ran but he felt flat on the ground. Iliva got him, one of her spider threads bound his legs, chained him to her.

“”Don’t come here. I’m sorry. Don’t come here. I was wrong,” he apologized to the manically laughing Arachne but she did not stop her advance.

She mumbled the same phrase from her mouth over and over again, “Kill you, take back the pearl, kill myself”, her red eyes swirled and added to the horror that has been gnawing at his heart.

Fearless tried to pry the binding on his legs with his shaking fingers. The sticky web was strong and unrelenting, showing him no chance. Fearless pointed at his own mouth, showing Iliva his jaws and her pearl, “Don’t come or I will crush your…” and was cut off by a ball of web flew right into his mouth.

“Kill you, take back the pearl, kill myself”

And Fearless can only scream, but his scream could not form words, just muffled sounds. He tried to crawl himself out of the situation and wiggled with his bounded legs. His mind suddenly sobered. The wine was no longer the master of his mind, the fucking coward bastard left him alone by himself in the time of trouble, what kind of friend was that?

He got himself drunk while flirting with death, and now he got what he deserved.

Eight powerful arachnid legs plowed the ground, kicking up dirt and entrapping Fearless within their encirclement like jail bars. The situation reminded Fearless of that one time FY and his wife sent him to a mental institution to help Fearless with his alcoholism and philanderer nature. Little did the kindhearted FY and his wife knew the horror when Fearless discovered the psychiatrist in charge of him was one of his exes, and she wasn’t just his ex-lover, she was the most insane woman he has ever dated.

“Kill you, take back the pearl, kill myself,” the spider queen said. Her bloodshot eyes glowed like flame lodged within. Her dripping secret garden was in front of him, leaking viscous substance to his chest. She then grabbed him by his chin and hauled him up to the air with her vice like grip. Fearless screamed for his dear life, apologized to the Arachne who dignity was damaged by him, but only unintelligible muffled sounds echoed.

“You have shamed me thoroughly human. I commend you for doing that, no Arachne or human or elf has managed to put me to such shameful state. I will kill you and then kill myself afterward” the spider queen said, her murderous eye awash with tears.

Fearless could only scream muffled scream, wiggling his body around.He tried everything to stop the carnage.

“Do you have any last word human?” the spider queen asked, her head tilted as if she just got SHAFT. Head tilt has never been scarier than this.

Fearless vigorously nodded his head while making muffled sound. The spider queen extracted her ball of web out of his mouth with her left hand and held his jaws in place with her right to prevent him from crushing her pearl.

“This is bad. I have swallowed your pearl,” Fearless confessed, choking, and gagging. This was what he has been trying to tell her all along.

It took two seconds for the spider queen to digest that fact, she hauled him closer to her, yanked his head around, screaming, “Why on Escana and the nine spirit planes would you do that?” the Arachne knew men did not have a secret pouch inside their throat.

“Let me down. I have to get it out before my stomach acid liquefies your pearl,” Fearless begged urgently, if his stomach acid would really do something like that, he will be killed.

“Do it,” the spider queen dropped Fearless to the ground, shouting.

And Fearless hopped on the ground, rolling to widen the distance to the spider queen, “Fool you,” he produced her pearl, showing it being placed between his powerful jaws.

He was meant to do that while apologizing to Iliva, not adding fuel to her anger. Damn it, Fearless cursed, he was still drunk as a skunk, “Sorry, it was the wine saying that. It was not me,”

“What wine? Accursed human, you shameless, despicable … coward,“ the spider rampantly plowed the ground around her with her arachnid legs and cursed Fearless with her red swollen eyes, tear overflowing.

It took Fearless three hours to calm her hellfire anger and put their relationship back to status quo.

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The accursed human snored loudly as soon as his back met the ground. It was as if the thought that Iliva would attack him in his sleep to get back her pearl has never crossed his mind, not that Iliva’s pride would allow her to do that.

What’s with this accursed him? Are all humans in this world like him? No, the humans which Iliva has met were always soaked wet in their terror the moment they saw her. They would bare their weapons, hunting hounds and spells against her. None have the audacity to humiliate her and put her to such great shame only to sleep peacefully like that with her in the vicinity. It was as if this accursed human has no fear.

Her kind called her ugly and an ill-omen, expelling her from their land. The elves she met on her exile called her an abomination, chased her with their horses, lances, curved swords and arrows. The humans who saw her figure called her the accursed demon, set their dogs on her and drove her away with pitchforks and hoe.

What do they know? She did not wish to be born with this hideous figure either. If only she was born to the world with a glossy dark hair like all Arachne, and skin that did not burn in the sun, and eyes that casted the glint of silver, she would never be subjected to such fate, her mother would not be killed either.

Only her spiders accepted her for who she was. They would never tell her that she was ugly or cursed her. They worshipped her like their goddess and queen for imparting them with her wisdom. But even they would not tell her that she was beautiful.

So why did this accursed human call her beautiful? Only he would call Iliva beautiful.

Why did he see her differently from everyone else? Why would he look at her in the eyes and unabashedly told her he desired her body? Why would he toy with her emotion and make her seethed with anger all the time? Why would he always have that smile on his face when talking to her as if he enjoyed their conversation?

“Why are you so different, accursed human?” Iliva quietly whispered, staring at his back.

“Hahahaha…” the human suddenly broke into a loud laughter, surprised Iliva.

“So you did not sleep human. You almost fool me,” Iliva clicked her teeth, annoyed.

“Hahaha….” The human did not reply to her nor would he turn to face her and showered her with his eyes that were full of admiration and lust. He just laid there next to his camp fire and laughed.

“I told you, did I not, guys? I will beat them. See that? See that FY? I told you I would. And you people, the joke is on you. Five superstar caliber players on the same team, undefeated through the whole tournament, it means nothing if you morons don’t win the Final,” the accursed human cackled energetically and before long, his loud and steady snoring sound returned shortly.

“Sleep or talk, pick one foolish human,” Iliva inadvertently chuckled. The accursed human was sleep-talking in his foreign tongue which Iliva has heard during the second night when her spiders intended to attack him in his sleep. In that single night, Iliva learned a whole lot of languages thanks to the effect of her pearl.

“What now FY? I have more Final MVP than you now. Kakaka. Who is the best ROC player in the world now? Kakaka. You know what? I will win it next year and the year after as well. Kakaka. Everyone will acknowledge me as the Michael Jordon of this game, not you, kakaka,” the human animatedly cackled again in his sleep.

“Guys, wait, I’m only joking, guys. What? What are you talking about? I’m not dead. We are doing this together next year and the years after that. Wait, where are you going? Wait for me. Stop joking guys. Guys, I’m not dead. Guys. FY, stop joking, this is not funny at all.”

The human’s laughter abruptly turned somber. His voice filled with dread and urgency. A smell of fear emanated from his body.

“No, no, no, no, no, what happened to you dad? No, what happened to you? Nurse, what happened to my dad? What? No, I’m not dead. I’m still alive. Please dad, wake up, I’m still alive. These people are just making mean joke. See? It’s April Fool day. Who would die on a day like that? Dad, you have to wake up. We have made plan to see mom’s grave at the end of the month. Dad, you have to wake up.”

And the accursed human suddenly broke into a sobbing fit, crying and begging, “Dad, wake up, this is stupid. I’m not dead. Wake up please. We have promised to see mom’s grave together. Please don’t do this to me,” his shoulders quivered as the dancing orange flame cackled.

Iliva quietly landed from her swinging hammock. Silently, she crept near the accursed human who was sobbing in his sleep. He was stunk of wine. His voice rattled and ill-at-ease. He was vulnerable and weak. None of his arrogance, overwhelming confidence and insolence remained. The strong and devious human that put Iliva to shame again and again was nowhere to be seen, as if he has never existed in the first place. It was as if he was an illusion created by her mind.

“Alice,” suddenly the human broke out of his sobbing shell and called, his arms thrashed around, grabbing as if he was trying to reach out for something, “Alice, Alice, Alice, please wait for me.”

Alice, he tenderly called that name with so much warmth and attention, as if it was something he held dear to his heart, “Alice, please don’t leave me Alice. They say I’m dead but I’m not Alice. I love you Alice. Don’t leave me,” the human cried.

Iliva inadvertently stepped back, suddenly felt a small tingling pain inside her chest. She placed a hand on her chest to ease the pain but it did not go away. She held her breath and listened to the sleep-talking human.

As soon as the human called out for that name, he stopped sobbing. He jabbered vibrantly in his sleep, a wide smile spread on his lips, “Next month is your birthday, I have not forgotten. I have prepared your present since last year. I asked the manager of your condo for her permission to allow me renovating the top floor into an orchid pavilion. I plant the orchid flower that you love, I got it right this time I swear. They are the “queen of orchid” that you love and not the spider orchid. I got it right this time. It’s very difficult but I made them bloom Alice, even the manager praised me. I intended to wait until your birthday and showed them to you Alice. Yes, I will change. I will take this psychiatric therapy thing seriously this time. No, I’m not fooling around with you this time. No, i'm not bullshitting” and all of sudden, the human began to weep, “I will put an end to my messy relationship and be with you. So please, don’t look at me like that. Please don’t cry. I beg you. I’m not dead Alice. Don’t tell me that I’m dead, Alice,” he sobbed. It was the kind of desolate sobbing that drained a person of their hope. His breath was ragged, gasped in between of his sobbing fit and strength left his thrashing arms. He grabbed a night wind blew by and held it to his chest while sobbing, “Alice, please. Don’t leave me Alice, please. I’m cold Alice. Would you hug me Alice?”

His tears wet his face and drenched his cloak and the ground where he slept on.

“You are pitiful, human,” Iliva whispered and weaved a thick blanket with her spider thread and tossed it over the sobbing human. She went back to her hammock, her thought a crooked and tangled cobweb. Her eyes never truly left the quivering figure of that pitiful human until darkness enveloped her consciousness with the sobbing sound of that pitiful human.