Monday Interview Series: Charlotte

Hi, I hope everyone's Thanksgiving break was very nice and you all got a chance to eat some good food and catch up with family and friends. This week, I was trying to think of someone extra special to interview. Then I saw someone just hanging around, and I knew I'd found the perfect person. I'm talking about everyone's favorite arachnid, Charlotte. Let's see what she had to say.

Greg:  Welcome, Charlotte. Thanks for taking some time out to talk with us.

Charlotte:  Not at all. Salutations to you and all your readers. It is such good fun to be here having a dialog with you.

Greg:  Oh yes, you like large words. You speak beautifully. What is your full name, if I may ask?

Charlotte:  Indeed you may. My full name is Charlotte A. Cavatica. It is a splendid name, don't you think?

Greg:  Yes, yes it is. I was wondering, why did you save Wilbur?

Charlotte:  Why? Because he is my friend. We became friends on his first night in thee barnyard. He was sad because his friend Fern had sold him to farmer Zuckerman. He was so lonely. I was lonely as well. He is such a dear. He befriended me, no questions asked.

Greg:  I see. How did you come up with the idea of messages in your web as a means of salvation?

Charlotte:  I knew that I had to make Wilbur famous, so famous that Zuckerman would not be able to slaughter Wilbur. People will not kill the goose that lays the golden egg is they have any sense at all. Now Zuckerman might not have a lot, but he does have common sense in abundance, so I thought it reasonable to assume that Wilbur's life would be spared if Zuckerman stood to benefit.

Greg:  A reasonable assumption, and one that turned out to be correct. But how did you learn to weave words into your web? Most spiders that I know can't even spell.

Charlotte:  Really? How odd. All spiders as a rule are exceptionally intelligent. I am dumbfounded that you have met any illiterate spiders. They weren't black widows were they? Black widows are intelligent, but they pretend not to be. It's their nature to be contrary, it comes with the name I believe.

Now, to answer your question. Spelling is one thing--most humans can do it--but spinning words into a web is quite another. Wilbur tried it once, but he did not get far. He lacked know how and spinnerets. I was lucky because I come from a long line of spellers, who are by nature most acrobatic. 

Greg:  It was fortunate that you were there for Wilbur.

Charlotte:  Yes, I suppose. It was also fortunate for me, because Wilbur gave me a very special gift.

Greg:  And what was that?

Charlotte:  Friendship. It is a gift that no one had given me until Wilbur, and it made all the difference in my life. So, naturally, I tried to make a difference in his life, too. When it comes down to it, that is the most that any one of us can hope to accomplish, to help make the lives of others a little better.

Greg:  Well, thank you for that though Charlotte. Please come back and visit us soon.

Charlotte:  Thank you. I enjoyed my time here. Now, I've got to be moving along. Templeton promised to find me some more words, just in case I need them in the future. He can be a real rat sometimes, but underneath it all, he's got the heart of an arachnid!