Psychic Roach Part Four

An insignificant roach survives only because he doesn’t do what his entire tribe does – crawl into a box. Is it by chance? As the roach explores the house he discovers that he has decidedly unroach-like abilities. His sensitivity and perception of the world around includes knowledge of what objects are called and what the massive human beings use them for.

Is that the limit of his abilities?

If you would like to read the story up to this part, here are parts One, Two, and Three. Otherwise, here is:

Psychic Roach Part Four

by Headley Hauser

Three doors remained unexplored on the other side of the stairs. Light shone from the middle door, so he chose the one to the right. This room was small, crowded, and dark. It had no… windows. It looked like Only Roach was in a closet. Most of the smells in here were unpleasant, more powder and soap, and two of those plastic things that hung from the bathroom wall. There were pieces of dead roaches sifted into the carpet. He was in a death place.

Was he in a death box? He couldn’t smell anything like canned peas. He wandered to the back of the closet, and his leg caught in something springy. He tried to move his leg away, but the springy thing moved with him. It wouldn’t let go. There was some sort of cord traveling up from the floor to the back wall of the closet. He sensed movement. Above him two clusters of luminous facets sparkled. The clusters moved towards him.

A spider! A large spider was coming to eat him, and he couldn’t break free from its web. He could feel his leg begin to loosen but he needed more time; the spider was too close. If only… a sparrow would come and eat the spider. He didn’t think sparrows visited dark closets, but he pictured the sparrow anyway as he worked to free his leg.

“The sparrow is scanning the web, looking for his supper. He knows that where there are webs, there are usually fat tasty spiders.”

The roach looked up and saw that the spider’s eyes were dimming as it retreated to the back of the web. Giving another tug, Only Roach’s leg came free of the web. He scampered under the closet door and out into the hall.

He had made the spider see a sparrow that wasn’t there! But many roaches had died in that closet. Why hadn’t any of those roaches made the spider see a sparrow? He couldn’t remember a roach from his tribe doing anything like that.

“Is that why I’m alive?” he wondered.

For my unrelated (non-roach) video, I submit what I think is one of the most brilliant comic scenes in history from Danny Kaye’s Court Jester.

So, the only roach wonders why he’s still alive. Does he feel confident? Does he feel prepared for anything? Well there are bigger roach-killers than spiders, and as morning approaches – they’re about to wake up.

The danger mounts on Monday…