You happened to be out and about that day, just, wandering, stoned, and you end up at the edge of a forest. You decide it's best you not get lost in the trees, while on trees, and turn back home. On your way back you decide to spark up another bowl, you pack it, and reach for your lighter. Shit, it's not in any of your pockets. Behind you you hear. "Yo, dude, your dropped your lighter." When you turn you find a two foot tall spider behind you. You are paralyzed with fear as it walks to your feet and drops the your small red BIC at your feet. "Chill man, we're cool." The deep voice echos out as it’s mandible chatters. Hesitantly, you pick up the bic and walk off. You can hear it behind you. Following you. "So, like... there's a Armando's down the road if you're hungry." How could this spider know? How can this spider even talk? Why is it following you? You ignore it, but your stomach does grumble, a stoned adventure with no munchies was an ill planned idea, but you didn’t think you were going to wander so far from home. As you continue to trek on you smell fired meats and tortillas. No way, the small eatery creeps into your vision from behind a tree with a large yellow sign with big red cursive writing stands in the parking lot. “Armando's” Your stomach growls in protest as you consider passing up the shop. When you enter the two Mexican woman behind the counter smile. “Welcome!” They say in thick accents as you approach. “What can I get you?” You pause to deliberate and order two Carne Asada burritos and a large Horchata, because, what’s good mexican food without a chilled glass of cinnamon rice milk right? Right. “Ok, that will be seventeen dollars, and sixteen cents.” You dig into your pocket and feel the weed from the bowl coat your hand. You forgot to unpack it before you pocketed it. Damn. You reach into your back pocket and and take out your wallet. You take out the sixteen dollars and groan. “You have like, three dollars in change in your front right pocket.” The bassy voice of the spider echos into your ears. You quickly dig into your pocket and find three fifty in quarters. You put it down with the rest and the woman smiles. “Thank you very much, your food will be out soon.” She walks back and pours you a your Horchata. The cup looks way bigger than it did when it was in the back. You thank her before slipping into one of the booth seats. The spider crawls up and plants himself next to you. You grab the straw she handed you and are about to slide it into the plastic cap when the spiders mandibles twitch again. “You didn’t take the paper off.” You look to the straw and find it still wrapped in the paper that it is sealed in. You tear the top off and aim it at the spider. You blow, sending the paper off and it hits the bugs face with a light pap before deflecting off and falling to the floor. A deep rumbling chuckle comes from the arachnid. You take a few big gulps from the drink, glad to have something to sooth your cottonmouth. The woman calls you over and you take your burritos and sit next to the spider. You begin to eat happily, still put off by the spider and every now and then it’ll look about suddenly, causing you to jolt lightly, but stays completely quiet.You continue to eat, slowly accepting there is a giant talking spider sitting next to you. You wonder if anyone else can see him, for a moment you wonder if your bud was laced, but put it out of your mind knowing that if it was, this wouldn’t be the only hallucination you’d be seeing. When you are full, there is still half a burrito left which you hesitantly offer to the large bug. “Thank you.” You watch as it crawls to the table and sinks large fangs into the the wrapped meal. He devours it quickly, chewing as it lays in his mouth, shoveling more in after every few seconds until only a few slices of tomato lay on the tray. As you stand to walk out the women say bye calmly. You can here the spider chatter behind you as you continue to walk onwards, you’ve come to grips with the fact that it’ll continue to follow you. How far you aren’t entirely sure. Will this thing live in your house and like, eat bugs? Or will it not even be there anymore when you get home. You look back to see it keeping about a footstep behind you. “Crosswalk, might wanna stop.” You look forward to find a flashing red hand across the street with at least three cars stopped between the white lines. You reach over to find the large black button to prepare to cross. “Wait!” Is shouted from the machine and you push it a few more times, listening to the word cut itself off. “Wait! W-W-W-W-WWait.” You pull away when the rapid clicking starts, signaling it’s safe to cross. As you approach a bus stop a segmented bus speeds up and stops.. Everything’s coming up milhouse, minus the spider. You take out your bus card and slide it through. The woman sitting behind the drivers seat thanks you and walk over to a seat. The spider crawls up onto the seat next to you and stares about, the same jerking motions from it’s head that it displayed in the restaurant continueing. For most of the ride you are zoned out, occasionally turning your attention to the arachnid, the fear you had before is now replaced with conscious interest. After a few minutes of staring you hesitantly reach out to touch the spider’s fuzz coated back. You find the black fur to be abrasive as you run your hand across it. The furs seem to cling to your hand and fingers, jerking at your hand. It almost feels like running tape across your hand. “Your stop is next.” Whoa... how does he know where you live? You tug the cord above your head signaling the driver to stop. You thank the driver and hop out. You walk the quarter block to your apartment and head in. The spider crawls up onto a wall and scurries across your roof, catching something, some bug. You sit down to watch tv and pop in a movie before starting up some pop corn. When you turn you are frightened to see the spider sitting on the table calmly. You recollect yourself and ask, “So, like, can other people, see you?” “Yes.” He responds calmly. “Why don’t they react?” You listen as the popcorn begins to pop. “Because most of these people, aren’t human. Orcs, Elves, Minotaurs, and Insecta-morphs live among you, just well hidden.” You are blown away by the revelation and look up to the ceiling. “Do you outnumber us?” You look down to the spider. “In this town, yes, as it sits on a portal for the mystic. In the world, no, you greatly outnumber us.” You lean back onto your counter and look up again. Ding! Popcorn’s done. You turn around and take out the bag before heading back to the living room. The spider follows. You hit play and enjoy your film as you come down from your high. The spider sits calmly next to you, replicating the jerking head movements from before. When your movie ends and the popcorn is eaten you stand and stretch. “So, I’m dead right?” You ask the spider as you start to walk to the bathroom. “Dead? No. You are still living.” You strip down and climb into the shower. “Then I’m comatose?” You begin to wash your self and the spider crawls to the roof. “No, you are conscious.” It responds from the ceiling. “Then I’m trippin’ some serious balls.” You grab the shampoo and lather it through your hair. “You are not hallucinating.” You rinse yourself off your hair. “No, I’ve got to be dreaming or trippin’ right now. I’m talking to a giant spider, who is speaking back, and he is telling me that there are elves and shit living in my town.” “That is correct.” You rinse once more and step out to dry. “I might be a stoner, but I can’t believe that. I’d need proof.” You head up to your room where you change into a pair of loose sweats. “Am I not proof enough?” It asks as you climb onto your bed. “Tell you what Mr.Spider thing, if you’re here tomorrow morning when I’m sure I’m sober, I’ll believe your story.” You roll over onto your side.