“—the tables, and I saw a lady with lots of spiders under her dress. They were crawling all over!” he insisted, his small hands gesturing dramatically as if to mimic the eight-legged creatures. I tried to stifle a smile at his vivid imagination, assuming it was simply a child’s fantasy born of anxiety and confusion in a somber setting.
“Ben, there aren’t any spiders here,” I assured him, brushing a stray curl off his forehead. “You’ve probably just imagined them.”
He shook his head vehemently. “No, Mommy! They were real!”
Before I could delve further into what he thought he saw, Arthur joined us, curiosity piqued. “What’s going on?” he asked, sensing the seriousness in Ben’s demeanor.
“Ben thinks he saw spiders,” I explained, trying to keep my voice light-hearted.
Arthur chuckled, ruffling Ben’s hair. “Probably just crumbs or dust bunnies. This place is old, after all.”
But Ben remained insistent, and his persistence made me pause. Kids have a way of noticing things that adults overlook. I decided to humor him and asked, “Can you show us where you saw the lady?”
