Zoe: What happened 2 u? I called and texted a ton of times earlier this wk…
Finn: 🙂
Zoe: Ur phones broken douche. Back from the mountains yet?
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Finn 🙂
Zoe: Okaaaay good 2 know. Txt me when ur back in town. Parents wont be back til Sun wink wink
Finn: 🙂
11:50 PM
Piper: HIST term paper finished n still have 48 hours of spring break left. Jelly?
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Zoe: I hate u.
Piper: What’s ur progress?
Zoe: 2 sentences. Can stretch it 2 like half a page with title & name & all that … 🙁
Piper: Lol a page half full way of thinking ;D
Zoe: Kill me plz
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Piper: Come over and work w/me. Still need 2 do BIO reading. Ill get ma barista on = ice mochas!
Zoe: Mb tomorrow. Finn just pulled into the driveway…
Piper: Sigh … l8r sexy
Zoe: L8r
11:55 PM
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Zoe: Come up. Kitchen doors unlocked.
Finn: 🙂
Zoe: This is getting old Finny boy.
Finn: 🙂
Zoe: Not 2 mention creepy. R you coming n or not?
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Finn: 🙂
Saturday, 12:07 AM
Zoe: Where r u?
Finn: 🙂
Zoe: Can you stop this fucking game
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Finn: 🙂
12:11 AM
Zoe: Christ im freaking out
Piper: Lover boy trouble?
Zoe: Something weird is going on here. Finn pulled into the driveway 15 mins ago. I told him 2 come in but he never did. When I went down 2 see what was taking so long his car was empty not just empty but open. He left al the windows and doors open the engine running there was mud all over the pedals and floor. It was so rank I almost puked and there was this dark dried stain on the driver side headrest. Maybe blood. Dunno.
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Piper: Shit. U call 911?
Zoe: Fuck no. What if hes drunk or high or something. I don’t wanna get him arrested.
Piper: Ok just calm down. Im sure its fine. Mb he stumbled into the bushes outside. Hes probably out cold in your yard or something.
Zoe: I doubt it. When I texted him before he kept replying with a 🙂 every time.
Piper: Def high
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Zoe: I tried calling out 2 him, texted him again after I found the car. Same thing. 🙂
Piper: Weird
Zoe: Right? Wtf? Did you talk 2 any of the other guys? Zac or Trey? R they back yet?
Piper: Talked to Lucy earlier today. Said she hadnt heard from Zac or any of the others but she said cell receptions spotty in the mts. And nonexistent in the caves. She didnt sound too worried.
Zoe: Yeah I texted him Mon and Tues and he didnt reply til tonight with that fucking smiley.
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Zoe: Shit I just heard something
Piper: Like what?
Zoe: A door creaking. Brb.
12:15 AM
Zoe: Finn r u in the house?
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Finn: 🙂
Zoe: I’ve got ur keys.
Finn 🙂
Zoe: Quit fucking around!! Im calling u. Pick up.
Finn: 🙂
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12:19 AM
Zoe: Fuck fuck fuck
Piper: What’s happening
Zoe: Finn isn’t answering his phone. Just playing the stupid 🙂 game.
Piper: He’s not in the house?
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Zoe: I dunno. Couldnt hear his phone ringing but it could be on silent. I found a flake of mud in the front hall. Could b from his car.
Piper: Call the cops, call 911
Zoe: Yeah ok ok l8r
Piper: L8r
12:42 AM
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Zoe: Finn?
Zoe Hello?
Zoe: Finn please answer me. Im worried about u.
12:50 AM
Piper: Everything ok?
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Zoe: Patrol car came by, 2 cops.
Piper: What they do?
Zoe: Came in, took a look around, took a statement, checked out Finn’s car.
Zoe: They didn’t take much interest in the stain. Pretty old they said, if it even was blood.
Zoe: I showed them the texts and they thought he was prob playing a practical joke. I txted Finn in front of them, but all a sudden he stopped replying. Maybe he passed out or whatever. Fuck I felt like such an idiot.
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Piper: Shit Zoe ur being too hard on yourself. U were scared. Least its over now.
Zoe: Ugh Im having a vodka shot and going to bed.
Piper: Night
Zoe: Night
1:35 AM
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Zoe: Is that u Finn? Did you turn on the TV downstairs?
Finn: 🙂
Zoe R u ok?
Finn: 🙂
Zoe: Ur not hurt r u? I saw the blood. Fuck come up here, I’m scared shitless, come up here, plz come up, please please stop this
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Finn: 🙂
9:44 AM
Piper Morning sexy you survive the night?
Zoe: 🙂
END
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Tim Boiteau lives in Michigan with his family. He is a Writers of the Future winner, with fiction appearing in Deep Magic, Kasma Magazine, and Dream of Shadows. His debut novel, The Drummer Girl, is out now in hardback and e-book.
So, as you may have noticed, we have a special fondness for spiders here on Nightmarish Nature. Well, they are kind of the spokes-critters for horrifying animalia, perhaps because they are so freakishly different from us. Or maybe it’s because I find them a little disconcerting for all that I try to take the “you mind your business, I’ll mind mine” approach, at least if they stay outdoors. Or just because I really like to draw spiders for all that I prefer not to find them sharing my home (though I’ll gladly take spiders over other bugs or mice or larger critters who didn’t get an invite).
Anyway, this segment is devoted to the largest Giants Among Spiders, as if you didn’t have enough to worry about already. And the top place is contested based upon body mass or leg length. Most of these are tarantulas, which globally take top place among the large arachnids.
Goliath Birdeater Tarantula
The Goliath Birdeater Tarantula of South America is the biggest brute of spiderdom, weighing in at over 6 ounces. They build funnel burrows and are known to eat birds (although rarely), mice, lizards, frogs, and snakes, but largely any big insects including other species of spiders. They have urticating barbed hairs that they fling at would-be attackers as an irritant to escape. And people even eat them after they singe the bristles off. Here’s a National Geographic video showing this spider in action, in case you wanted to see a giant spider take out a mouse.
Giant Huntsman Spider
And with the longest legs, we have the Giant Huntsman Spider of Laos, with a leg-span of 12 inches. Their legs have twisted joints and they move in a crab-like manner, which furthers their impressive appearance. ‘Cause they’ve got legs, and know how to use ’em. They prefer to live in underbrush and cave entrances. These are like the big relatives of their Australian cousins, which we’ve all seen online and developed a healthy aversion to.
Brazilian Salmon Pink Birdeater & Brazilian Giant Tawny Red Tarantulas
Next we have two more South American species: the Brazilian Salmon Pink Birdeater, which boasts one-inch fangs, and the Brazilian Giant Tawny Red, believed to be the longest-lived spider with a lifespan of up to thirty years. Both are in the tarantula family and have urticating hairs, a word you probably never read much before today unless you are in the hobby. So apparently South America is not the best travel destination for you if you struggle with arachnophobia, though I suspect you’d figured that out already. (I wouldn’t recommend Australia or Southeast Asia either.)
Face Size Tarantula
And finally the Face Size Tarantula, which has a very terror-inducing name reminiscent of the Face Huggers of Alien-glory. Anyway, these spiders have an 8-inch leg-span and live in India and Sri Lanka. They look kind of like big hairy wolf spiders with stripey legs, sometimes with pink and daffodil coloring.
If you enjoyed this eight-legged segment of Nightmarish Nature on Giants Among Spiders and their larger than life kin, please check out past segments:
So here is our last installment of our AI journey exploring the idea of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad wolf being one and the same. All of these are based upon the AI generated art and prompts using NightCafe and then created as posters in Canva. Feel free to check out Part 1 and Part 2 of this exploration if you missed them.
A non sequitur I know, but I couldn’t resist. If you picked up where we left off you’ll get it.
Seriously?! Again with the cropped off head cop out…
Finally! That was a journey. And not even worth the result, in my opinion.
Anyway, here is a bonus montage I made out of a bunch of additional Red Riding Hood prompts for an article that never happened…
Prompts for Montage:
1.) What if Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf were one and the same being? 2.) Her wolf face peering out of her red cloak, fangs dripping with the blood of another victim, lost in the forest and never found. 3.) Little Red Riding Hood closes in for the kill, lunging from her red cloak, her wolf fangs dripping with blood. 4.) I am Little Red Riding Hood. I am the Big Bad Wolf. I am coming for you. 5.) Howling within, the rage sears forth from the red cloak, discarded in the deep woods. Red Riding Hood succumbs to the lycanthropy. 6.) Heaving breaths. Dripping blood. Red Riding Hood is not what she appears. She is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. 7.) Her red cloak masks the fangs hidden below the surface. 8.) It starts with a long sighing breath. Waiting. The wolf within stirs. 9.) Red Riding Hood trembles. She succumbs to the lycanthropy. 10.) The wolf bursts forth from within. It takes over Little Red Riding Hood’s mind, her body, her being. 11.) Red Riding Hood howls. She is ravenous with hunger for blood. The wolf within has taken over. Mind, spirit, body. She feasts on the blood of the moon. 12.) Big Bad Wolf Red Riding Hood ravenous blood moon feast 13.) Blood moon beckons. I. Little Red Big Bad Riding Hood Wolf. Freedom howling night curse. 14.) Beware. Bewolf. BeRedRidingHood. Betwixt. Beyond. 15.) I pad quietly as the forest dissolves around me. Red Riding Hood and Wolf, one and the same. 16.) Wolf within howling dark recesses of the mind, Red Riding Hood lost 17.) Red Riding Hood HOWL wolf bane true existence polymorph within-and-without. 18.) Red howl Riding Wolf dark existence brooding within
Continuing our AI journey from last time exploring Little Red Riding Hood herself as the Big Bad Wolf… All of these are based upon the AI generated art and prompts using NightCafe and then created as posters in Canva.
How very… Phantom of the Opera predatory… this is definitely not what I had in mind. Maybe something more cutesy?
Ugh. Maybe not.
Wow, that seems like such a cop out, cropping off the head so you don’t have to depict it. And I don’t want to lose the Little Red Riding Hood reference completely.
So no surprise there, I knew that was too many references to work.