Spider Bites

Chapter 4
Family Time

Chapter Description: Gavin is taken back to the house just in time to go trick-or-treating.

Gavin was running along his favorite path in the city park. It was barely light outside as his shoes thumped along the dark asphalt pathway. He took a deep breath as he happily looked around the park; there wasn’t a soul to be seen on the normally crowded path. He was glad to see that he had the park all to himself; it was like his own private retreat. His feet seemed lighter, as he was filled with smug elation. With a self satisfied chuckle, he began to sprint along the path going further into the park.

As he rounded a bend, he saw the path was winding through a small densely wooded area. It was an area that always gave him the creeps. It was a perfect haven for spiders to lay in wait for their prey amongst the tangle of tree branches. As he ran through the grouping of scraggly trees, he had a chill run up his back; he could swear he felt as if he was being watched.

As he continued his run through the woods, the trees seemed to be closing around him. He looked up to make sure he wasn’t imagining it when he felt a tickling sensation across his hand. It was a spider web. He flinched as he felt it wrap around his hand. With a shudder, he flung his hand to cast the web away and then rubbed it on the side of his pants. The web remained stuck to his hand. He took his other hand to peel it off, but it soon was also tangled with a spider web. The sensation made him panic as he looked down to see his front was covered in webbing. He ran his hands down his front as he tried to keep control of his emotions. He could see the break in the trees up ahead. He would stop there and get rid of this webbing. Where had all the spiders come from? He had never seen this many webs before. He backed up on his heels as he continued to move down the path. He could not get free of the webbing. He turned around and felt the webbing getting thicker and his arms were starting to become pinned. He felt his legs become entrapped in the netting, so he could barely move them. He began to lurch forward as the sunlight seemed to get tantalizingly closer. Suddenly, he could not move at all. His body was entangled in sticky ropes of what appeared to be a giant spider’s web. He pulled and kicked, but was unable to get himself free. He called out, but there was no sound other than his voice, even the early morning birds had seemed to have deserted him.

As he found himself immersed in the web, He felt a tremor along the threads. He looked up and froze in terror. An impossibly huge spider was hovering at the edge of the web. It was like the spider of his childhood nightmares, fearful jaws ready to pierce his body, otherworldly skeletal legs balancing on the thin threads. Its bulbous body was covered in spiky razor thin hair and its eyes glowed iridescently. It began to advance toward him. Gavin tried to stay still, hoping that the spider would not find him. It was coming stealthily closer and closer, seeking him. In horror, he felt its thin arms surround his body. The legs spun him until he was solidly encased in the webbing. In the next instant, he felt the teeth puncture his neck. It began to drain him. As it did so, he felt himself becoming smaller and smaller. He opened his mouth to scream but instead of a full grown man’s scream; a high pitched scream of a child came out of his mouth.

………………………

Gavin jerked awake as his scream echoed around him. Panting, Gavin found himself on his stomach on a smooth surface. He braced himself up on his elbows as he fought the constricting embrace of the something around him, screaming as tears fell freely from his eyes. Raw sobs shook his body as he kicked his feet to unsuccessfully free himself to no avail.

A soft light flipped on over his head. He turned his head to look over and saw wooden bars surrounding him. He was lying on his stomach in a crib. He looked down at the smooth flannel sheet under his hands. He was still so distressed that all he could do was bawl for a few moments.

“Hey. What’s the matter, Pardner?” A soothing voice floated over Gavin’s prone form, as large hands reached down and untangled the cotton blanket from around him. Before he knew it he was being held against a comforting warm shoulder and being patted on the back as he sniffed and hiccupped his upset.

“Did you have a bad dream?” The man’s gentle and deep voice asked, concerned. “Let’s see if you’re wet.”

Passively laying against the shoulder was still overcome with his runaway emotions and did not move as fingers moved toward his crotch. Gavin suddenly felt the intrusion of fingers inside his what? Gavin’s mind reeled as the thought entered his mind. Was he wearing a diaper? He froze in stupefaction. He twisted as he looked around the room. Where was he?

He saw a nursery set up for a toddler. There was a crib against the wall with a changing table, toy chest and a chest of drawers spread out around the room. Looking down at his body he saw he was wearing a t-shirt and a diaper. He was being held by a strange, but kindly looking man, who seemed to be at ease with him in his arms.

“No, you’re okay.” An affable looking man pulled back his hand back from the diaper and wrapped it around Gavin. He patted Gavin on the back as he turned to leave the room. “Let’s go see Mommy.”

Gavin was in a state of shock as he felt himself being carried out of the room. Bad enough to have a nightmare of being a spider’s breakfast, but to awake to find himself diapered and in a crib was staggering. Now he had a perfect stranger take it upon themselves to investigate the state of his attire. Gavin wondered how long he had been there and in this state. Looking down at his body, he realized that it resembled a two year old.

As they left the room, the dress shirt he had been wearing this morning was draped over the end of the crib. Quietly and almost undetectably, a small spider moved out of the fabric of the shirt and crawled down a bar of the crib. It skittered over to nestle in the fur of a teddy bear sitting at the end of the crib.

“Oh, look who’s up! Did Daddy come get you?” Mommy asked as she was setting the table for dinner.

“Yeah, I think he had a bad dream. He was awfully upset. But we’re much better now, aren’t we, big guy?” the man said as he gave Gavin a small bounce.

Gavin looked askance at the man. Was this man’s name Daddy? Why didn’t that seem right? Gavin looked over at Mommy with watery eyes and sniffed. He wasn’t sure where he was but he was glad to see the familiar face of Mommy.

“Here, let me have him.” Mommy held her arms. Daddy leaned forward, so Mommy could pick him up from his arms. Despite his thoughts to the contrary, Gavin found himself leaning out with his arms out stretched to the woman. He cuddled close, placing his head on her shoulder for comfort.

Tony shuffled into the room, looking disdained at the maternal scene.

“Is dinner ready yet?” He asked as he sighed disparagingly.

“Not yet. It’ll be another half hour.” Mom responded as she turned toward Tony with Gavin in her arms.

“Well, I’m just going to grab something. I have a party to get to.” Tony muttered as he started to head toward the kitchen.

“Hold your horses, young man! Mom admonished her eldest. “We’re all going trick or treating tonight. It’s Gavin’s first time.”

“Really? All of us going trick or treating? That’s so retarded.” Tony complained. “I have to get to the party.”

“There’ll be plenty of time for the party. I don’t think we’ll be out an hour. I don’t want Gavin to catch a chill.” Mom announced with finality. “The party can wait.”

After dinner, Gavin found himself helplessly encased in a tiger costume, as his mother drew whiskers on his face. The fuzzy hood encapsulated his head with two pointed ears sticking up. He staggered around the house as he was blinded by the camera flash after the costume was fittingly recorded for the family album. The family headed out with a bewildered Gavin in a stroller being pushed by his delighted parents followed by a surly teenager in a hoodie pulled up to cover his face.

At the first house, Gavin was pulled out of the stroller and Tony was given the task to escort Gavin to the front door. As the huge door opened, Gavin instinctively knotted his hands into the loose denim of Tony’s pants leg. The person at the door was huge and scary to Gavin. He ended up hiding behind Tony as the traditional interchange about trick or treating went on over his head. Gavin’s mind wondered how he was going to get out of this predicament.

The next house, Tony grumbled with the tedium as he pulled Gavin up to the door. This time, there were a number of trick-or-treaters milling about. In the crush, Gavin got separated from Tony. Seeing his chance to get away, Gavin stumbled across the yard. He made it to a pole that was sticking in a yard, as he rested from his trek. He looked up to see his own older smiling face looking down at him. He was mesmerized as he stood there entranced with his own picture. Suddenly, a large hand wrapped around his chest as he stood there. Daddy was kneeling next to him.

“Where do you think you’re going, Tiger?” Daddy asked, smiling at the little person in front of him.

Gavin decided that maybe this was the right person to confide his situation. He was another man. Surely he wouldn’t get carried away with the emotions. Gavin hoped that Daddy would be a reliable resource to help him get back to his adult self. Gavin lifted his finger and pointed at the picture of himself on the sign as he launched into a detailed explanation of his situation. He emphatically stated that he was actually an adult under a witch’s spell and he desperately needed help.

Unfortunately, Gavin’s verbal skills had regressed along with his body. So the only thing that came out of his mouth was some basic words accompanied by a string of babble. He threw himself into the explanation not realizing that his message was not being communicated. At the finish, Gavin looked up with hope into Daddy’s face. Daddy beamed at the small being who was so enthusiastically communicating.

“That’s right.” Daddy said as he patted Gavin’s small torso. He then stood up and began to pull Gavin away from the sign.

Gavin’s face fell when he realized that his message had not been received. He pulled back and pointed at the sign again. This time, anger made his voice louder as he again launched into his tirade. Daddy just nodded as he began to pull Gavin away from the sign.

No! Daddy had to listen! He had to understand! He didn’t want to go back to that stupid trick-or-treating!. Daddy had to stay here and listen to him until he understood! Gavin thought desperately. Gavin dug in his feet as he was being pulled away from the sign. He began to puff out his face and began to stamp his feet in frustration and anger. As he pointed back to the sign, tears were flowing down his face, he opened his mouth to scream. He began to try to jerk away from the hand holding him; but was unable to break the hold. It made him so angry that let his legs collapse under him. Stray trick or treaters stopped and stared at the emotional scene. Finally, Daddy picked him up which did nothing to calm him down and he continued screaming at full force, kicking his legs.

When they returned to the stroller, Tony was being read the riot act by his mother about letting Gavin out of his sight. Mother threatened to not let him go to the party. Tony just glared at Gavin with ill concealed hostility.

Within the twenty minutes, the family was back in the house. The hood from the costume was removed and a wet washcloth was pressed to his face to remove his whiskers and help him calm down. In order to keep family peace, Mommy allowed Tony to go to his party as she tried to console an upset Gavin. After deciding Gavin was too overwrought, she put him down early.

Lying on his back in the crib in the darkened room, Gavin watched the mobile spinning over his head. He was exhausted from the turmoil of experiences and emotions he had gone through that day. Didn’t he start out as an adult this morning with a possible multi million contract on the horizon? How things had changed since the morning, he contemplated, staring at the large shadows cast by the crib’s bars. He hoped that he would get some opportunity to make this alright tomorrow as his eyes closed.

In the half light, the spider crawled down the front of the teddy bear and slowly advanced toward the small form under the blanket.