There was once an old house that stood at the very end of the street. The garden around it had long since grown over with weeds and thistles, and the wind whistled through cracks in the window panes. No-one had lived there for years.
No people, that is. But if you dared go inside, you’d discover that the old house was actually full of life. Pigeons and crows perched in the attic, and one summer a little owl even made her nest there. A pair of fat mice lived down in the cellar, along with a plethora of insects – ants, flies, woodlice and ladybirds. Occasionally, a hornet or grasshopper lodged there for a season. There was plenty of room for all of them.
Two spiders had taken up residence in what was once the living room. You’d have to look pretty closely to spot them. The slimmer, leggier spider’s name was Clara, and the darker, stouter one was Franz. They couldn’t have wished for a better abode – it was pleasantly dark and quiet there. Clara and Franz liked their peace and quiet more than anything in the world. They had woven big, delicate webs on a strange wooden cabinet that stood in the middle of the room. That was their kingdom. They didn’t know what the cabinet was for, but they had explored it inside and out, and discovered there wasn’t much room in it, just a whole lot of wires and pieces of wood.
“What strange creatures people are, wanting this in their house,” Clara remarked.
Franz agreed. “It's a good thing there aren’t any people here now,” he said, “that would be the last thing we needed.”
The days passed, one by one, each as silent and dark as the next.…
