Rough Outline
Aurelio wasn’t much more than a speck when he caught the eye of Bonito. Bonito was on an exhibition, a trip provided by the king he was visiting. In the forest there were many wonders to see: the tall trees with fuzzy bark, the plants growing out of the sides of those trees, flowers of every size and color. There was a large waxy pink flower that he went to look closely at, to smell it’s nectar, when a bright speck caught his eye. (MORE DESCRIPTION. MAKE A TRAIL STORY, DESCRIBE WHY HE WAS VISITING THE KING. CONVERSATION TO TELL US MORE ABOUT WHO BONITO IS.)
“What is this?” Bonito asked the king.
The king stepped over the protruding roots into the mossy bowl beneath the flower and peered inside. “A mirror,” he said translating as best as he could into Spanish. “Un espejo de una cosa,” he repeated, then added, “a rainbow”.
(BONITO NEEDS TO BE CONFUSED BY THIS ANSWER, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE MEANING OF WHAT THIS KING IS SAYING.)
“Is it dangerous?”
“It’s so small a thing. How could it be.”
“May I touch it?” Bonito said as he reached out his hand slowly, and cautiously to the side of the small creature.
“Of course.”
Bonito extended his reach, placing the tip of his pinky in front of the mirror. It reached forward with its glassy leg, tentatively touching and tapping it before climbing up. Bonito could barely feel it; he slowly lifted his hand to his face for a closer look. “Does anyone have a magnifying glass?”
No one answered.
“A container? Does anyone have a small container?”
One of the guides came forward with his plastic sandwich box, a few crumbs clung to the side. “Here you are sir,” he bowed slightly as he passed it.
“Perfect!” said Bonito. “Here you go, my little shiny friend. I wonder what you eat.” Looking at the king he asked, “What does it eat.”
“Very small things, I suppose,” he replied with a shrug and a flattened lip smile.
“May I,” Bonito stopped himself from putting the container in his bag, “May I keep him? I’m sorry, I should have asked first. He’s just so beautiful, in my excitement…”
“Yes, he is a small thing. You do not ask too much. I would gladly share more of our treasures with you.”
“This is enough. He has caught my eye, and I shall treasure him.”
(HOW DID BONITO CAREFULLY TAKE CARE OF HIS NEW LITTLE TREASURE? VERY SMALL GNATS PUT IN HIS LITTLE CAGE? HOW DOES AURELIO TRANSITION OUT OF THE CAGE TO HIS SPACE BELOW?)
Placed in a carefully cleaned our corner of the king’s hall, Aurelio grew quite nicely in his new home. He had a window between two pillars, a high wall with an arched ceiling, and a chandelier. The chandelier was a particular treat for Aurelio, because many small bugs were attracted to it, and caught in it’s bowl. Aurelio was able to build a small web across part of the bowl so as to catch the midge flies and stray mosquitoes.
He only went there to pull out the fresh flies before he or they were baked by the light bulb. He would have to wrap them quickly, and cut them from the web to pull them up to his guide line from the pillar. Up by the Corinthian capital, sitting on an outturned carved leaf, he would feast. The rest of the time, Aurelio preferred to sit by the window. Not only for the warmth, but he also enjoy reflecting the light that came in. With a slight turn of his abdomen he could make the light dance across the wall, or with a little puffing up of his abdomen the blobs of light would also enlarge and spread into the corners and over the floor.
Aurelio played this game for his own delight. Being so small, he thought only he could see it. Bonito, loving the beauty of his new pet, often watched him when he was contemplating his great matters of state. The little play of light, and the slight spark in the dark places often comforted Bonito and reminded him that there was always good to be found, and a solution to every problem, even if there was no agreement he could still lead with his own integrity.
One day, as Bonito was arguing over a treaty with the neighboring country’s ambassador, he called his advisory over to the window. “Samira, look over here,” Bonito pointed to a small shimmering aura against the window, “Do you see this small thing here?”
“You must get your servants to clean better, my friend,” she retorted.
“Ah, no. Do you not see the beauty?”
“A fluttering, loose web, with a small hole in it? Really?”
“No, look closely at what you think is a hole. That is not a hole, that is my Aurelio. Isn’t he beautiful?”
Samira leaned in closely, her eye caught a bright glint, “Indeed, friend, indeed! It is like a diamond. Or a ruby. No, I see emerald.”
“He is a rainbow jewel, is he not? Now look out at the walls. Do you see how he reflects light onto the dark stone, showing the cuts and facets?”
She leaned over, “Yes, there is a small star field shining there.”
“Don’t you think that is this little fragile creature can create such beauty in a dark corner, that we can create a peaceful treaty that brings light to both our homes?”
It was a turning point in their conversation, and also a turning point for Aurelio. He was truly noticed by someone other than Bonito, and the servants that were admonished to clean very carefully in that corner. His web had not seemed loose to him, but he took that criticism to heart. He dismantled his web, and carefully pulled the first line taught from the top of the window to the side. From the middle of the line, he attached a second line and pulled that as hard as he could, attaching it to the corner of the window. That pulled the first line even tighter, to its limit. Each line was pulled as tight as he could make it, and his web was stiff and inflexible. Aurelio was uncomfortable sitting on the unyielding strings, unable to feel the movement from the breeze. Even though he wasn’t hungry, he kept one leg on his trip line to the trap in the chandelier just for comfort.
Still in their negotiations the next day, Samira wandered over to the window to see the inspiration for their renewed negotiations. “Is it possible that he is even more beautiful than before? What did you call him?”
“Aurelio. It means ‘golden’, because he is precious. I found him in the jungle and carried him back here. He seems to enjoy this corner, and has set up an elaborate home for himself.” Bonito pointed out the chandelier, the dining room on the capital, and the ultra tight web in the window.
“He web is a delight of organization today,” replied Samira.
Aurelio puffed himself up with pride, causing the display of light to dance outward.
“Oh, my!” exclaimed Samira. “It’s as if he’s dancing for me. Does he understand our words?”
Bonito didn’t answer, rather he tilted his head and bent closer to Aurelio’s face to see if there was any expression of recognition. “Back to business, Samira, we have much to do.”
“Indeed!” she exclaimed, as they returned back to their table strewn with papers and maps.
exceeding the size of his ancestors. And being in the constant company of his new master he learned a lot. He learned how beautiful his was from all the praise of the visitors to King Bonito. They would look closely as Aurelio with amazement on their faces and say things like, “Gorgeous!”, “A fine specimen!”, “Where ever did you find such a creature?”, “May I touch him, is he dangerous?” To which Bonito always said, “No, do not touch him, he is precious.”
Aurelio would puff up his abdomen, shining his mirrors even more brightly when he heard the word “precious.”
“I swear that he understands me,” Bonito would say. And he wondered, as it appeared that Aurelio would come to make an appearance before his guests, and that he showed himself all the more brightly with the more praise that he received.
Bonito loved his small pet. Each day he would check his nest carefully to make sure it was in good repair, that there was a fresh catch for Aurelio to eat, and that the last day’s meal was cleaned away. Aurelio had plenty to eat with all of the small gnats that flew by the window that he hung his home by. And as he grew, the gnats were nothing more than a distraction as he hunted the flies, and wasps, and bees.
But Bonito didn’t like him to catch the bees. “They are good insects. Do not eat them. We need them for our flowers,” Bonito would admonish him. And Bonito wondered at the fact that he didn’t see another bee caught, but could see where the web had been cut carefully and neatly in certain places. There were holes left where a bee may have been caught. Certainly, there were no bee carcasses to be found.
Aurelio’s diet was that of a king to him, and he continued to grow beyond his design. He grew in size, and in beauty, and in pride as each day there would be a visitor who came to see him and wonder at his long star-ray legs, and his bedazzled abdomens that shined with rainbow colors, and even reflected the face of the one looking at him. They would laugh to see their faces colored and slightly distorted by the curves of his mirrors. Some facets would make them long, others pinched and short. Each one was amazing. Aurelio would slowly turn his abdomen to give each person the full affect. He loved the praise and attention.
His life was long too. He continued to grow, and his diet changed. The small insects were no longer enough for him, and in service to King Bonito he took to eating the mice, then the rats that scurried through the castle. It took some skill for Aurelio to learn to catch them, because they didn’t just fly into his web. He had to set traps by their holes and nighttime paths. Bonito thought he heard Aurelio chanting, “This will be your downfall,” as he spun a trap by a small hole in the wall. “This is for you!” Bonito watched as Aurelio studied the hole. It appeared that Aurelio was just sitting, but he sat very close to the hole, facing it and keeping perfectly still for hours. At this time of the evening, Aurelio wouldn’t prance for the guests. He was hungry, and wanted his rodent. But he still enjoyed the praise, and would puff up in pride slowly so as not to make a movement that would startle his prey.
Bonito watched him closely, somewhat with pride for his beautiful pet. He was like a star that climbed the walls or swung down to the floor gracefully. And it was with concern, as Aurelio swung down to the floor with a flourish mixed in with that gracefulness. There seemed to be a showman’s attitude in that flourish, that Aurelio was looking for praise. The more praise he got, the more he puffed up his abdomen. Bonito watched as he would swing it more into the light, and twist slightly to reveal the shifting rainbow effect. Aurelio also seemed to know how to make his glassy legs disappear in the shadows, or against the broken light of the stained glass windows. Then an unexpecting guest would feel a little tickle on their neck, or might lose their handbag. (DESCRIBE THIS BETTER TO MAKE IT FEEL MORE THREATENING. NEED A PROGRESSION FROM RODENTS TO LARGER GAME, AND AN INDICATION OF HIS HUNGER GROWING TO LARGER AND LARGER MEALS. WHAT WAS THERE FOR HIM TO EAT AFTER CHICKENS AND OTHER LARGER ANIMALS. GREAT DISGUST WHEN HE EATS THE KING’S DOG.)
These guest would jump and give out a startled giggle or shout; Bonito would chuckle a little to appease his guest and let them know it was just a playful trick. However, Bonito also pondered what could be the true intent of these gestures. They were similar to the gestures Aurelio was starting to use to catch the rats. The rats were intelligent and no longer fell for the simple traps that Aurelio had laid. One rat managed to skitter out of the trap, while the other watched and learned the same technique. Aurelio had to hide himself better, laying his body close against the wall, and legs outstretched in the shadows. When a rat would emerge there was no trap, but he would feel a little tap that sent him in a fright, scurrying along the wall. Then there was the trap waiting for him, held by other hidden legs, which was popped down on top of him. The web held the rat tight against the floor, subdued and ready for the quick bite of poison before he was wrapped up.
Bonito was repulsed by the remains that were left in Aurelio’s web. No longer did he find a dried out shell, neatly wrapped, but now there was a squishy mass in a stained web. Aurelio’s poison would still liquefy his dinner so he could slurp it up, but without the exoskeleton there was nothing to hold that slurry in. There was no bowl or container. The web held in the digested mouse or rat like a flour towel holding jello. Bonito took to assigning the cleanup task to one of his servants, who would come with a large bowl and tentatively clip the strings on the web, dropping the carcass into the bowl.
The servant kept his attention on his peripheral vision, uncertain of Aurelio’s intentions. Sometimes Aurelio would reach out and tap the servant’s shoulder, or quietly attach a bit of web ever so gently. At first the servant would feel that slight tug of web, but Aurelio got better at it, and the servant wouldn’t notice the web until he walked away. When the servant was departed from his cleaning, he got tugged backwards by the web. He noticed Aurelio quiver slightly, as if he were getting ready to pounce. Scissors still in hand, because he knew this game might be coming, he would quickly cut himself free and run to the refuse pile to dispose of the slightly sweet and old meat smelling remains. Bonito had not seen this new game, preferring not to watch the now repulsive cleaning process. He felt that handsomely rewarding his servant was the best he could do at that time. (AT SOME POINT THE SCISSORS NEED TO BE LESS EFFECTIVE, AS AURELIO PERFECTS HIS WEB MAKING)
(To be put in the narrative above, before he starts scaring the servant by putting webs on his shoulder.)
Aurelio was content. He had the love of his master, the attention of Bonito’s guests, and plenty of juicy bites for dinner provided by the centuries old tunnels built by generations of rats and mice. But there was a day that was quiet in the hall, no one came. Not even the servant that tidied up after him; the servant took the opportunity to avoid his task in the hopes that by waiting a day the remains of dinner might dry out a bit and be less repulsive. Aurelio sat quietly on his web waiting. He puffed and turned, watching the play of light reflected off of his abdomen. He moved his legs in and out of the beams of light, watching how they appeared and disappeared, how they refracted the light, and how the small hair glinted. There was little satisfaction in these actions, as there was no one there to enjoy them and praise them.
The next day the servant came in, knowing that he couldn’t neglect his task for too long. He carefully snipped the threads along the bottom, slipped a bag up around the carcass, the snipped the top threads so as to drop the bundle into the bag without having to touch anything. Then he left, and Aurelio was alone again.
The third day came, and when the servant came in there was nothing to clean up. Aurelio was up high in his web, and the servant thought he heard Aurelio whispering, “Bonito, Bonito…”
Not thinking that he was talking to a creature, the servant replied, “King Bonito is sick. He stays in bed. He will not get up for some time.”
Aurelio’s abdomen shrunk in at this news, hiding all of the mirrors, his legs pulled in, curling up like his shed skin did when it dried. He didn’t know what to do. He missed his master, and he missed the praise of the people. There was nothing that kept him caged or tied to this spot, so he decided to wander. (DESCRIBE AURELIO'S FEELINGS--SURPRISED BY SOMETHING NEW THAT HE’S FEELING. A DEEP ACHE TO BE NEAR BONITO, NOT WANTING TO BE ALONG)
Crawling along the wall, over the windows, he was like a jewel that was passed this way and that in the light by a jeweler, the facets skipping and dancing. Though Aurelio paid little attention to this, he was intent on finding Bonito. The hall lead into a smaller salon, filled with couches and lounges arranged in small groupings. A great fireplace that could fit a small car in it was between two tall thin windows that rose to the ceiling. No one was in the room, and even with the soft furnishings, it felt cold and lonely.
From there Aurelio passed into a central courtyard with a large water garden and stairs in each corner. He wasn’t sure which way to go, so he tentatively stepped out into the walkway around the water garden, and into the sun. He sprayed light all around him, and a young woman walking along the second floor balcony was taken off guard and gave out a yell of fright. “Ugh! What are you doing out of your corner?” she gasped.
Aurelio was startled and a bit frightened by this reaction. He hadn’t realized that there were people who were afraid of him, and therefore avoided coming into the Great Hall. He thought back to people’s visits, and realized that he had noticed some people had stayed behind the king, or even as far as the throne, and given their praise looking straight at the king, waiting for Bonito’s reaction. Aurelio had tried to dance for them, and thought his display was too bright and dazzling. Now he realized that it was actual fright and disgust. (PUT AN EXAMPLE OF THIS IN THE STORY EARLIER)
He looked up at the woman, heard her calling to someone behind her, waving and pointing. He was frightened and started to skitter away from her, which took him straight towards the pool. He hadn’t walked in water before, and was shocked when he saw his reflection, like in a window at night, but he fell right through it. It wasn’t deep, but he didn’t understand why his feet touched solid ground with water coming up past his third leg joint. Still moving in fright, he skittered and splashed through the pool, until he came to the low wall on the other side. The stone was familiar to him, but his wet claw slipped when he grabbed to hold onto the stone. His legs slipped out, and his head came crashing down onto the wall, his abdomen splashing into the water. As his abdomen sunk into the water, a big wave reflected back onto Aurelio, washing completely over him onto the the walkway beyond.
Cautiously, he reached out his legs, looking for little crevices to grab onto. He pulled himself out of the pool as quickly as he could without losing footing again, and to keep himself anchored, he started to spin some web. As his hind legs pulled out the web, water dripped down into the filament, keeping it wet. This made it slippery instead of sticky. He dropped the length of web, curled up in the puddle like long hair that has pooled in a shower, and moved himself behind some bushes. From there, he was able to peer through a window and saw Bonito laying in bed. He ran for the pair of doors next to the window, and tried to pull them open. The two servants who were behind the door, and had been watching the spectacle, stepped back, drawing their arms up to their chests in a defensive gesture. Aurelio clawed at the glass, which made the servants step back even further.
Benito hear the clicking and scratching; using all his effort, he turned his head and weakly said, “Aurelio,” with a musical tone. “Let my friend in,” he said softly to the servants.
They moved forward slowly, glancing at each other. Wordlessly, they agreed to each open a door and move to the side. The doors opened out, hitting Aurelio in the legs. They pulled back, afraid of his reaction, but Aurelio just calmly stepped back seeing that he was in the way. Then the servants both quickly swung the doors open, letting the knobs go as they stepped back quickly into the room, giving Aurelio a wide berth to enter.
Aurelio scurried in, coming up beside his master’s bed. He reached out to touch his face, but the servant yelled at him, “No, leave him be,” being afraid that Aurelio might hurt their master. Aurelio pulled back his closed claw, and moved to the corner of the room. He climbed the wall, and placed himself high in the corner of the room, where he could keep an eye on his master and friend. He was glad to be there with Bonito, but was also confused by the reception he had gotten. Wasn’t he beautiful? But these people thought him repulsive and scary. In spite of their fears, he was determined to stay by Bonito’s side, and remained there until Bonito was better.
When Bonito was able to sit up, and talk a little he looked up at his friend in the corner and said, “Ah, Aurelio, you did come. It wasn’t a dream. I’m so glad you are here. Please come down, why are you hiding in the corner. I wish to see your dance of stars.”
Aurelio slowly moved down into the light, catching a beam of light just from the corner of the window. Bonito could see the web a little better, and noted that it was limp and dusty, more like a cobweb than a home.
“What’s wrong, my friend, you’re home in unkempt. Were you worried about me?”
Aurelio didn’t answer. He had been worried, but he also was reticent to let the servant clean his nest. There wasn’t room in this small bedroom to move out of the way, so he ate sparingly, and hid the remains behind the web in the far back. After Bonito recovered, and he was finally able to move back to the great hall, the servants had to spend a few hours pulling out the mess, and scrubbing the stains on the wall and ceiling. This only served to increase their fear and disgust of Aurelio.
(MAYBE THE SERVANTS COMPLETELY CLEAR OUT HIS NEST BECAUSE IT’S SO GROSS. AURELIO GETS HURT BY THIS ACTION, SEEING MORE SO HOW DISGUSTED AND AFRAID OF HIM THEY ARE.)