Title: The bigger person
by Genevieve from Essex | in writing, fiction
Two girls sit in the garden quietly side by side. The mood is harmonious and relaxed when all at once the silence is broken.
Girl 1 (in a loud melodramatic tone): 'Oh my!'
Girl 2 (leaning forward in shock): 'What's the matter?'
She looks at Girl one's exasperated gaze and her eyes follow down the line of her trembling arm to the tip of her finger. There, scuttling beneath the shadow of the girls index finger, is a large spider making its way across the flagstones. Both girls watch as the spider manipulates its eight legs across the path and up onto the fence. Girl one watches with a look of disgust and horror whilst girl two watches in awe, admiring its swiftness for movement.
Girl 2: Afraid of spiders I take it?
Girl 1: They're horrid! The way they move, the way they crawl and sneak in the shadows. (She gives a brief shudder). Look, give me your shoe and there's a good chance that whilst it's still I can kill it.
Girl 2: There's no need for that! It's not doing any harm, it barely even came close to you.
Girl 1: That's not the point. This is my garden, it shouldn't be here! It has no right and I want to make sure that I never see it again!
Girl 2 (giving a short laugh): I think it has more right to be here then you. It lives here, hunts here, it's free to roam wherever it wishes, and more than anything you should feel privileged.
Girl 1: I beg your pardon?
Girl 2: Well the spider's a free spirit, it has the choice of every garden and field for miles around yet it chose yours. It chose this garden for its home. You should feel privileged it finds your garden so accommodating.
Girl 1 (giving a snort and taking on a sarcastic tone): Well I'm glad I'm so hospitable. Look its ugly, I'm terrified of them and although it may not be in close proximity to me now there's no doubt that one day we'll meet again only for it to make me jump out of my skin and have a heart attack.
Girl 2: Slightly exaggerated don't you think? (She looks out onto the garden). Just leave it be. It's perfectly happy here making its web and feeding itself. It's doing absolutely no harm and believe me it's bound to be far more terrified of you than you are...
A loud thump causes her to turn her head back towards the fence. There stands Girl 1, shoe in hand, towering over the crumpled body of the former spider. Its legs stick mutated at random angles from its once rounded body. Girl one lets a triumphant 'humph' escape her lips and returns swaggering to her seat once again to look out on the garden. Girl 2 watches as a breeze washes the corpse to the side of the fence, realising that some things can never change.
I often think how funny it is that some people's views and opinions can never change. Even if they are completely unjustified, people think it a matter of pride to stick to them no matter the logic behind them. This is really a situation that people wouldn't take any notice of but it explains the girls inabilty to tolerate something which she has clearly chosen to despise without any rational explanation.
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