The Spider’s Warning

Each morning, Pip the spider checked her web between two tall sunflowers. She pulled on every thread and fixed the loose ones. Her friend, a small moth named Dot, often rested nearby.

One warm afternoon, Pip felt a strong tug on her web. She looked up. Dark clouds were rolling over the garden, and the sunflower leaves were turning in the wind.

“A storm is coming,” Pip told Dot. “Let’s find a safe place before the rain starts.”

Dot looked at the sky. “There’s still a patch of blue. I have time to visit the white flowers by the fence.”

Pip wasn’t so sure. Last summer, a storm had torn her web apart. She remembered how hard it had been to find shelter in the wind.

“The flowerpot by the shed will keep us dry,” she said. “Come with me.”

“In a minute,” Dot called, fluttering away.

Pip hurried down a sunflower stem. At the bottom, she turned the empty flowerpot on its side with a push from her legs. Then she tucked herself beneath its rim. From there, she could still see the white flowers.

The wind grew stronger. Dot flew from flower to flower, but soon the stems began to sway. A fat raindrop hit a leaf beside her. Then another struck the ground.