I have a gift for You.

Once upon a time, there was a little moth. The moth flitter-fluttered
around on little purple wings and had a little moth mouth and little
moth feelers and little wiggling moth legs. And eyes, oh, this little
moth had such wonderful eyes. Flitter-flutter, fiddle-flitter, flip-flap
around the moth went, viewing the world through the lovely eyes.

And one night, this little moth flapped-flipped along, feeling quiet
special and wonderful. The moon shone above, round and luminous. Melodic
cries drifted with the moth's little flapping-flapping, swelling on the
wind as the night's creatures chased about on their hunts - surely, it
was a good night to be a little moth.

And, wouldn't You know it, the little moth lost track of the
fly-flipping, the little moth forgot, the little moth lost sight of the
world through the sight from those special, special, wonderful eyes and
straight up flutter-flitted into something. Something. SOMETHING.

Oh dear, not just something.

And now a second character enters this story, for the little moth had -
silly little moth! - flapped and flipped and flutter-flied right into a
big, thick, tangled, horrid, twisted, snarled, glorious, lovely spider
web. Oh dear, trapped right in the middle was the little moth - the
little purple wings could only sticky-stumble and the little moth
feelers were all tangled-trapped and the little moth legs could only
wriggle-writhe.

The spider considered the little moth with large, blind spider eyes, but
this was a special spider and these eyes still SAW. The eyes SAW the
little moth and the spider mouth began to grin in a spider way, for this
was a special spider, a strong spider, a VENGEFUL spider.
Scritch-scratch went the spindly spider arms and now the little moth had
no more little moth feelers. Snip-snap went the slender spider arms and
now the little moth had only rent-ruined purple wings. Slash-stab-slice
went the scything spider arms and swing and swipe and stick and splice
and away went the little moth legs. One. By. One. Bye-bye.

And still, those wonderful eyes remained, through the Pain and the
Slaughter and Reshaping, still those special moth eyes watched and
witnessed as slowly, inexorably, bit by bit and little moth inch by
little moth inch, Her little moth body was torn and torn and torn into
little moth pieces. They watched as the Pain made Her wiser. They
watched as the Pain made Her stronger. They watched as the spider taught
Her strength. Those special, wonderful eyes watched and watched and
watched as the little moth was educated.

And when the moth Herself was gone and changed, learned and stronger,
the spider began to feast.

Now, wasn't that nice? Wasn't that pretty? Wasn't that inspiring?

Be seeing You.

- The General




Penned by my hand on the 21st of Lleian, in the year 393 MA.