Dark Fables for Modernity: The Spider and the Fawn

There once was a mother who left her fawn’s upbringing to the care of the animals of the woods. “An open mind will bring diverse knowledge to my child,” she said, and she sent the Fawn on her merry way.

            Seeing the Fawn in need of direction, a small black Spider approached. He whispered in the Fawn’s ear “perhaps you are a beaver. Go help them with their dam.” The Fawn, being open minded, sprang into the water, gathering wood and bringing it to the Beavers. But the Fawn was clumsy, and could not swim well. She broke the dam, and the Beavers yelled her away.

            Again the Spider whispered in the Fawn’s ear “if not that, then perhaps you are a crow. Go fly with them.” So the Fawn spread her legs, and attempted to fly. “No, no” said the Spider, “you must be a baby crow. Go up to the nest with your brothers.” The Fawn promptly climbed a tree, and sat in the nest. For a moment all was well, until the tree branch began to bend and break under the weight of the Fawn. The nest came tumbling down, and the mother Crow squawked and squawked and made the little Fawn run away.

            Having brought disruption to the forest, the animals grouped together, and berated the black Spider. “That is quite enough of that, Mr. Spider. I think you have done enough whispering for one day.” Then they turned to the Fawn, and said “it’s time to go home to your mother. She will tell you what to do from now on. Your mind is too open for this forest.” Terrified, the Spider turned to the Fawn. “Hide me from these beasts, lest they squash me for helping you!” But the Fawn, having closed her mind, refused him. “So your mind is now toned with logic,” said the Spider, “fine, but hear this logic; I have helped you in honesty, now please reciprocate the gesture.” The Fawn agreed to this reasonable request, and the Spider climbed into her ear, and up into her head.

            At once the Spider began spinning her web in the caverns of the Fawn’s skull. With its many legs he took up fiddling with the gears and buttons that controlled the Fawn.

The Fawn was not seen for many days, and a search party was sent out. When the animals found the Fawn, she was high up in a nook, hidden deep in a damp cave on the edge of the forest. A web was all around her, and she was chewing on the grubs of the cave. Her mother was called, and she tried to reason with the Fawn. “Please, dear, come down from that nook and graze on this fine grass out here in the sunshine.” But the Fawn’s mind was closed now, and she only looked around for more grubs.” The Mother, beside herself, raged at the Spider. “How dare you, foulest of animals in the wood. You are a manipulator of youth, and an evil creature at that. You are a fool that knows nothing of how to raise children.” Hearing these words, the Spider leaned out of the Fawn’s ear.

“It is you who is the fool. You should have known that Spiders spin cob-webs in open minds.”