Rachel licked her strawberry ice cream cone. The hot summer sun melted it quickly and it ran down onto her hands. An oak tree offered shade.

A big black spider sat on a branch of the oak high above Rachel. “That little girl has an ice cream cone. It’s pink ice cream. That means it could be strawberry, or cherry, or bubble gum, or raspberry, or…oh, it doesn’t matter. I want a taste of it.” Malfred dangled from his web, lowering himself until he hung right above Rachel’s head.

“A spider,” she said, looking up at the wriggling black bug. “I don’t like spiders. Go away!” She shooed it away by blowing on the web.

“She can’t get rid of me that easy. I want that ice cream.” Malfred thought of what he might do to frighten her. “I’ll make her so scared that she drops the ice cream and runs away. Hee hee hee.” He started swinging the web back and forth, trying to land in Rachel’s hair.

“Oh no you don’t. You stay away from my hair.” Rachel licked her ice cream cone.

Malfred wiggled his legs and then his eyes. “Ha! This will scare her.”

Rachel didn’t budge. She looked around on the ground and saw a stick. With her free hand she picked it up. “Let’s see who’s afraid now.” She raised the stick and was about to hit the spider web.

“Don’t. I’m sorry,” the spider said. “I am so hot today. I only want a bite of your ice cream one. It looks so cool and delicious.”

Rachel smiled at the spider and tossed the stick into the bushes. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll scoop some of it onto this rock. You can drop right here and have some. I don’t mind sharing.” She used her finger to scoop off a blob and put it on the rock. “There you go.”

Malfred landed on the rock and licked the ice cream. “I knew it was strawberry. My favorite ice cream!”

As the sun shone down on them, Rachel and Manfred sat in the shade of the oak tree, both licking ice cream and both feeling cooler.