Grandma Spiderwebs and the Darkness Invisible - an illustrated fairytale

Once upon a time...

there was an old lady who lived in a green valley but didn't much like to go outside. Too bright, too hot, she would say. And too rainy in the winter.

She was comfortable in a little old room in a little old home looking out a little old window. And besides, she had the spiders for company. Ah, the spiders spun the most beautiful webs which sparkled with the dew and glittered in the sun and gleamed by the light of the moon.

If only...

I could capture a spiderweb and keep it forever, thought the old woman. Then I would not feel this darkness inside.

And so she did.

But the darkness was invisible...

and the beautiful spider webs could not keep the darkness out.

If the darkness is invisible...

I will capture it by its shadow on a piece of enchanted paper, thought the old woman.

And so she did.

First the darkness was hiding...

in the head of a unicorn, but the darkness slipped through the old lady's fingers.

The old lady found three insects...

Now this is a perfect trap for the darkness, she thought to herself.

And it was...

Oh! The darkness is vast...

With its shadow trapped in the three insects, the old lady could see the extent of the darkness now. She could see it expanding out in bilious tendrils, its hidden pockets unfurling. The darkness filled the green valley.

Where is my little old house!

... cried the old woman. Where are my spiderwebs! But the visible darkness filled the sky above and covered the earth below. The last fading colors of the sun and the moon glimmered without hope...

She became aware of a presence in the darkness...

Who are you? How can I make the darkness invisible again? But the presence did not answer...

There must be a path through the darkness...

And so there was. The old lady walked and walked through the shadows and the way opened up in front of her and swallowed the path behind until she came to the egg chamber.

I must be close!

... thought the old lady, and sparks of color began to spread around and around, spiraling out from the eggs.

Who are you?

the old lady asked again, suddenly and uncomfortably aware that she was not alone.

I am the mother of darkness...

do you not recognize me? After all these years?

And the old lady cried...

Oh now I see, how foolish I have been! I cannot trap the darkness like a spiderweb. The darkness will always be inside.

And the colors ran like tears up her cheeks

and disappeared into her eyes.

Darkness invisible...

Please click digital art images to see full size

• Spiderwebs collected by my mother-in-law (my footage). She shakes baby powder onto the webs, sprays them with Elmer's spray adhesive, and carefully collects them on black paper. Spider song in the video is my own original music. Photo of Grandma Spiderwebs used with permission :)

• Sun exposed images of unicorn head and insect toys also created by my mother-in-law.

• All digital art was created by me starting from manipulations of the three insects sun exposed image. The darkness invisible was inside that image all along. I plan on writing a separate post about how I created these images, it was a very long and involved process!

• Credit to @geekgirl for the "darkness invisible" inspiration.