13 Days of All Hallows’ Eve: “The Spiders’ Cave”
MuggleNet has been posting scary stories galore to get into the Halloween spirit! Here is the latest installment of MuggleNet’s 13 Days of All Hallows’ Eve!
The day started off like any other. It was a warm spring day, and my friends and I were procrastinating writing Snape’s one-and-a-half-foot essay. We decided that it would be a nice break to take a walk around the grounds to clear our heads. The usual battle began about whether to walk by the lake or the forest. I got sick of the arguing, so I came up with the compromise to walk the shore of the lake that meets up with the forest. While walking the compromised path, we noticed a rocky outcrop. My friend Adam and I were all for exploring this new territory. The girls, however, were not as enthused. They had heard stories of a monster that lived among the rocks. Adam and I left the girls on the shoreline to go explore.
While climbing through the rocks we came across some caves, so naturally, we explored them. We found some interesting things in the first few caves: a flag from a ship with a big “D” on it, a broken wagon wheel with a “B” carved into the center, and scales from a dragon. One of the last caves we came across seemed deeper than the other ones. Adam and I decided that this was the last one that we would explore before going back to the girls. We started looking around the mouth of the cave and decided to go a little deeper. As we walked deeper into the cave, it got darker and darker, so we pulled out our wands and used them to light our way. Cobwebs glistened in the wand light, the floor sloped downward, and the water dripping from the stalagmites echoed throughout the cave. The farther we descended, the more our footsteps echoed, the more our shadows distorted, and the jumpier we became. All of a sudden there was a deafening CRACK! Adam and I just stared at each other, too afraid to look. Our eyes locked and slowly moved down. When we saw that it was only a mouse skeleton, we laughed at ourselves. I shook my head and made a joke about how we were getting jumpy in the dark. Adam wanted to turn back; I managed to convince him otherwise. But the further we descended, the more uneasy we became.
We realized that as we went deeper into the cave, the bigger the cobwebs became. While walking, my foot kicked something and sent it skittering across the cave floor. When we looked down again, we realized the mouse skeletons had turned into centaur and unicorn skeletons. On the other side of a rock, I saw what looked like a hand, so I went to check it out and found something much worse. I found a human skeleton, and another, and another. An entire human graveyard lay beyond. The skeletons led up to this massive spider web taking up the entire back wall of the cave. Suddenly, Adam and I heard scuttling overhead. We quickly looked up to find the mysterious sound, and there was nothing there. Adam started to get really jumpy. I was, too, if I’m being honest, so we decided to turn back and meet up with the girls. As we turned to walk out, a gust of wind knocked our wands out of our hands. After we picked them up again we walked into spiderwebs, what felt like dozens of them. Then we couldn’t move forward. We managed to light our wands again and turn around. We stood face-to-face with a giant spider.
“I am Artu, son of Aragog, giant Acromantula! Foe to humans, centaurs, and unicorns alike! I was exiled from my father’s land due to my blood-thirsty nature. I even attempted to eat our caretaker. Now, prepare to die.”
My mind went blank, and it felt like time slowed down. The beast jumped on Adam, sinking its fangs into his neck. Screams echoed off the cave walls. The web around us shook as Adam thrashed around, trying to break free. Next thing I knew, there was a loud ripping sound, and the web went still. I looked down and saw Adam’s head rolling across the cave floor.
A new wave of panic washed over me as I tried to think of an escape plan. I wracked my brain, trying to remember something that I learned in school. The monster was about halfway done wrapping up Adam’s body in webbing. It was only a matter of moments before it moved on to me. Panic overwhelmed me as the Acromantula moved closer to me. I saw its mouth opening, and it felt like time stood still.
I finally remembered that Acromantula prefer dark spaces. Sunlight was blinding and immobilizing to them! I screamed “Lumos Solem!!” The beast roared in pain and started trampling the web I was stuck in. I managed to break free and ran as fast as I could out of that cave. As soon as I hit the mouth of the cave, I started screaming, still running at full speed. I passed the girls. I could hear them calling after me, but I didn’t stop running until I was safe inside the Entrance Hall.
I was foolish and arrogant for not heeding Dumbledore‘s warnings or the tales the students told. My stupid mistake that day cost me my best friend. From that day forward, I spread the word about the Spiders’ Cave, trying to do right by Adam. So if you ever get the chance to explore the grounds, avoid the caves and the monster that lies within.
