Eyes of a Creature

Strange was the world I had entered. The lethal orbs of water drove me here. When they come from the sky, I ran for shelter, as my world began to flood. Panicking, I realized I was too far from my home; I had to find shelter soon or be killed. It was my only choice. I had observed this monolithic structure before from a distance, the dwelling place of the hairless monsters. I had to find refuge there. Using the muscular powers of all eight legs, I scuttled though a tiny gap into this unfamiliar land. The damp exterior gave way to a forest of blinding white. Each tree stood curving, comprised of hundreds of tiny strings. Tentatively I stretched my front two legs each on a different cloth-tree and pressed down, relieved that it held my weight. But walking in this way left me vulnerable and exposed to the monsters that I could sense nearby.

The wall was the best option; from there I could better see a hiding place. I knew that I could easily be spotted against the bright white, but it had to be done. Extending my forelimbs, I hauled my thorax and abdomen up the gargantuan surface, and my perspective shifted so the wall became the ground. I looked up with all eight eyes, and stared at a massive flatness. A ribbon of black lined the rectangular surface, and it captured the attention of the two monsters within the room. Tiny rectangles of three brilliant colors filled the display, a vibrant red of ladybug prey, a green deeper than any among the leaves, a blaring brightness. And these blocks changed their color faster than I could change direction. The monsters were still mesmerized by this odd display, fixated on the moving hues. One of the monsters was held up by an odd construction, and was making booming vibrations to another monster, located on the same surface. Their massive bodies seemed to sink slightly into their edifice, and their pitiful two eyes each remained in focus at the device. I was lucky for their focus, although I could not see why it so captured their attention, for it saved me from being seen.

I took a breath and paused. From this vantage point, as I looked down at the monster’s domain, I spotted an opportunity. It was not a place to hide, but a place to feast. Circling a bright ball of light, the sun within this world flew a housefly. Its compound eyes saw me through fractured pinholes, but it could not escape the appeal of the brilliant light. Thanks to the monsters, perhaps benevolent monsters, I was saved from starvation. Using the reflection off of my two large central eyes, I blinded my victim. Launching off my two hind legs I caught it within my front limbs, stabilizing my body with the remaining four. It struggled, but I was victorious. Despite my success, I could not see anywhere within this castle that I could hide from the monstrosities. This place could not become my new home; the creatures were too dangerous, too powerful. I returned to the opening that had saved me from the falling orbs, and left this land. The downpour had ceased and the true sun had returned. They could stay in their world, and I would return to mine.