One day the spider and the dust mite met in the cool of the underside of a misshapen pillow.

Out of the pleasantries, an awkward silence grew. Intimidated by the size of the spider, the dust mite boasted, “Have you ever noticed how similar I am to an eagle?”

“You? Like an eagle?” the spider questioned.

“Oh yes,” the dust mite responded, gaining confidence. “An eagle. Like an eagle, I have a head, legs, and I lay eggs.”

A condescending smile grew across the spider’s jaws.

“Foolish, mite,” chuckled the spider. “You are nothing like an eagle! I am the one like an eagle.”

“I don’t see how that is,” said the defensive dust mite.

“But I am very much like an eagle,” boasted the spider. “I not only have a head, legs, and lay eggs. I also am one hundred times larger than you. And unlike you, I have eyes like an eagle. And unlike you, I also kill my prey, like an eagle.”

And so the spider went away more confident and smug in who he was than before. But much closer to the dust mite than the eagle.

Photo by Timothy Dykes on Unsplash