© James Pyles

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In the other world, Danaerys had turned Frank into a part of her end table for most of a day. She was really upset that he had used her magic book against her. Since she was only seven, she wasn’t mature enough to see how she was being unfair to Frank or that Frank might have been even slightly right in doing the same to her as she had been doing to him.

Finally, the spell wore off and he spontaneously turned back into a spider. The transform spells didn’t last forever. If they did, she might turn Frank into something and then get distracted and Frank might not come back for weeks or months.

When Frank became a spider again, he hurried into his hideout in her closet. Danaerys had just come back from a sleepover at Bubbe’s and Grandpa’s house. It was a Sunday afternoon and she was downstairs watching TV.

While she was eating dinner with her family, Frank decided to peek into the other world where he had sent Danaerys after he turned her into a baby chick. He was alarmed at the war between the two spider groups and how the humans were caught in the middle. Spiders in the real world almost never fought, and even then, it was because they wanted to hunt in the same territory or something. They never went to battle in groups like the humans did.

When Danaerys came into her bedroom to get ready for a bath, Frank popped out and started talking to her.

“It was fun being a baby chick and chasing spiders.”

“You actually liked that?” Frank was amazed. She didn’t act a bit angry at him.

“I was mad at first, but then when I got back and was a girl again, I thought it was fun. Do you want to send me back to scare more spiders?”

“Actually, I want you to stop a war between two rival gangs of spiders and between spiders and humans.”

“But it’s happening in a story world. It’s not real.”

“It’s real to them, and in that world, there’s a chance that spiders could take over the world.”

“That sounds silly.”

“You saw that world. It’s just as real as this one.”

“But aren’t you on the side of the spiders?”

“Why do you think I didn’t let you eat any.”

“So why worry?”

“Because you are human and you are my friend. In that world, maybe there is a way for spiders and people, to be friends too.”

“They aren’t here, at least not all the time.”

“Let me show you what’s happening in that world.” And with that, Frank used a spell he borrowed from Danaerys’ book to show her everything that had been happening.

This is the sixth installment of eight chapters in a story I co-wrote with my seven-year-old granddaughter starting last Halloween. If you have missed the other chapters, you can start with Chapter 1 and then click through the links at end of the subsequent chapters to get back to here.

I publish one chapter a week on Fridays just so you know. All of the drawings are mine. If you enjoy them, and they’re perfectly “kid-friendly,” pass them along to your own children or grandchildren (or nieces, nephews, and so on).

Let me know what you think. I’ll pass any complements along to my granddaughter.

On to Chapter 7!