And then as I watch, another small flying insect approaches the web. It doesn’t crash into the threads. It hovers above the spider as she works, and she doesn’t see it. It descends and lands on the spider’s back. John’s talking about the mortgage rate. The spider is confused, and moves in a circle, but the insect on its back holds tight and lowers the sharp sting on its tail and inserts it into the spider’s mouth. The spider continues to turn, then stops as if dead. The insect pulls out its sting, turns, and appears to deposit something on the spider’s body. Then it flies off, up and away. The spider starts to move again. It returns to its task.

‘OK, Mum, I’d best be off. I’m glad you’re feeling well and enjoying life here.’

‘Lovely to see you, dear. And give my love to Emily, and Tom, and – Charlotte.’

‘Yes, Mum. I will.’

My dear son gives me a dry little kiss on the cheek and leaves, a spring in his step. He’s come here to make sure I don’t do anything unplanned, or make demands. If I stay put, all will be well. And he has no need now to worry that I will want to move in with him.

Am I being unkind? If I asked, he would give me a home under his roof, he says. Charlotte’s web could accommodate me. She wouldn’t be happy, but we’d all pretend it was no big deal. The children would like it, I’m sure.

No, it’s not what I want. I’m pretty sure I won’t stay here, though. I need to get thinking about a plan.

The spider is sitting in the centre of its web now, quite still, its feet touching the communicating threads, feeling for any slight touch that will make her spring into action and seize another unlucky fly.

Winifred

I checked in with the blackbird nanobots and found they were not having a good time. Do nanobots distinguish between a good and a bad time? Anyway, they were having difficulties doing their work.

‘What is your present position?’ I asked.

‘We are on the lawn in the garden. Do you want co-ordinates?’

‘Negative. Report on the last twenty-four hours please.’

‘Request a delay. We are experiencing some turbulence.’

‘Are you in flight? You said—’

‘Negative. We are on the ground, moving violently and erratically. We landed here and our host started feeding. Then there was a violent shock, felt throughout the host. It is continuing.’

‘Hypothesis?’

‘We had visual set-up, but we saw nothing prior to the shock. And the host’s eyes are now in darkness, for reasons we can’t explain.