Other Spiders

In front of us, a large screen appeared, and on it was a picture.

"Our hero, Spider-Man, left us today. His death is linked to another mysterious seismic event that took place in Brooklyn today."

"Confirmed by multiple sources, Peter Parker, a 26-year-old graduate student and part-time photographer, played the role of Spider-Man for more than a decade."

On the side screen, the report of Spider-Man Peter Parker's death was still playing.

And a live press conference of Mary Jane giving a speech about Spider-Man.

"My husband, Peter."

"He was an ordinary man." 

"He always said that anyone could be the man behind the mask."

Both Shadow Spider-Man and I were in a somewhat serious mood as we listened to that.

We soon arrived in Queens, in front of a detached cottage with a courtyard. Shadow Spider-Man said, "If nothing else, this should be it." I looked and nodded, affirming, "This is the right place; look, there are still sympathy gifts from the fans over there."

On the fence of the courtyard, there was a gift or a bouquet and a note on top of it, saying something like, "A tribute to our beloved Spider-Man," "Our friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man," "Dear Peter Parker," and so on.

"Well, this is the right place." Shadow Spider-Man shrugged.

We were pushing and shoving each other, deciding who was going to ring the doorbell, when suddenly, I felt a violent twisting sensation arise in my body. I fell to the floor without being able to help myself; the intense pain gave me a feeling of separation from the mass walls.

This sensation came and went as quickly as it came. After a few seconds, we both breathed a sigh of relief and got back to our feet.

"What's happening to us?" Shadow Spider-Man asked rhetorically, his heart palpitating. I pondered for a moment and said, "We are known to have come from our world to this parallel world for some reason, so essentially we are not part of this world. So, it can be defined as a gradual elimination of us due to inadaptability to this dimension."

The door to the room opened to reveal an old woman with a baseball bat, her face rather haggard in the light. I looked at Aunt May, then at Shadow Spider-Man, and decisively stepped forward and removed his hat with one hand. "What are you doing?" Shadow Spider-Man queried. "Can you bear to see her sad? Besides, how can we get in without showing our faces?" I explained. 

Shadow Spider-Man understood in seconds, then reached down and removed his visor. Under the mask was a middle-aged face with a sharp and experienced look, more vicissitudes than the Peter Parker of this world that I had seen on the street screen earlier. However, anyone who was not face-blind could see the extreme resemblance between the two. And Aunt May was clearly not blind.

The baseball bat fell to the ground and rolled down the steps. Aunt May was trembling all over with excitement. "Peter! Peter!" Shadow Spider-Man obviously wasn't very good at smiling but managed to pull out a smile: "Hi Aunt May, I'm Peter, but I'm not the Peter of this world."

Aunt May had stepped in front of him and said as she surveyed him, "I know, you're Peter from another time and place."

As soon as we entered the house, a sense was immediately touched in both of our heads. "This feeling..." I said, my eyes wandering around the room for a moment before quickly settling on the three "people" in the room: a little girl in a plaid dress, a red robot with four legs, and a pig.

"Hi, my name is Penni Parker," the little girl greeted with a wave, followed by the red robot sitting on the floor behind her. The pig stood up with a start and trotted over to us, tilting a pig snout while holding out his hand and saying, "Hello, I'm Peter Porker."

I stared at the three of them and said, "Wait! You guys aren't also..." Apparently the beings in front of us, all with names similar to Peter Parker, were all Spider-Men. "You guys are Spider-Man; I just recently got bitten by a spider," I retorted with a tired look.

"Huh? How did you just get bit by a spider?" The little girl, Penni, bounced over to me and looked at me curiously.

"Don't ask her about that. She just experienced a traumatic situation." And he whispered to them about my situation with them. 

Suddenly, Noir appeared in front of me and put a hand on my head. "Alright, listen up, Webhead. Time for a little spider training." He paused, then added with a hint of a smile, "Though I've got to say, you're looking a little on the small side. Sure, you're not just a baby spider?"

'Is he seriously treating me like a child?' But anyway, after being sheltered by Noir, I was behaving like a child in front of Noir, and now I think I feel pretty embarrassed about that.

Aunt May's eyes widened as she learned about my situation. She noticed my uneven hair, for which she urged me to go with her, as she would size my hair and give me a proper haircut. As I watched the mirror in front of me, I was completely shocked by my appearance. My jet-black hair and shining blue eyes which were too eye-catching.

She paused for a moment, taking in the sight, and sighed wistfully. "Oh, if only I had a daughter as obedient and well-kept as you," she mused, a touch of melancholy in her voice. "Peter always was a bit of a handful; bless his heart."

I felt a pang of sympathy for this elderly woman, who had clearly endured so much loss. Stepping forward, I gently embraced Aunt May, offering what comfort I could. "I'm sure Peter knew how much you loved him," I murmured soothingly. "And he would want you to know that you were the best mother he could have asked for."

Aunt May's eyes brimmed with tears, and she clung to me, drawing strength from my compassion. "Thank you, dear," she sniffed, her voice wavering. "It's just been so hard, you know? Losing him like that, and so suddenly... I feel like a piece of me has been ripped away."

Shadow Spider-Man watched the exchange, his own heart heavy with the weight of the situation. I knew he understood the pain of losing a loved one, and he could see the raw anguish etched on Aunt May's face. Stepping forward, he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, his features softening with empathy.

"I may not be the Peter you knew," he said, his voice low and even, "but I understand the pain of losing someone you love. It's a burden no one should have to bear alone." He paused, his gaze shifting to me, and a hint of a smile played at the corners of his mouth. "But it helps to have people who care by your side."

Aunt May looked up at him, her eyes shining with a glimmer of hope. "You're right, of course," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "And I'm grateful to have you both here, even if you're not the Peter I once knew." She reached out and squeezed my hand, a silent gesture of gratitude.

The three of us stood there for a moment, the weight of our shared grief palpable in the air. But as I looked into Aunt May's weathered face, I saw strength and resilience that were truly inspiring. This woman had endured so much, and yet she still found the courage to carry on.

"Aunt May," I said softly, "I know this must be an unimaginably difficult time for you, but I want you to know that you're not alone. We're here for you, and we'll do whatever we can to help you through this." I paused, my gaze steady and unwavering. "Peter may be gone, but his legacy lives on in the people he loved and the lives he touched. And that includes you."

Aunt May nodded, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "You're right, my dear," she said, her voice growing stronger. "Peter may be gone, but his spirit lives on. And I'll be damned if I let his memory fade." She straightened her shoulders; she is really a strong woman.

"You all follow me now," Aunt May said with a newfound determination, leading us towards the back of the house. She kicked open the backdoor and ushered us towards an old shed.

Aunt May unlocked the shed with a key, and as the door opened, the interior began to shine with a brilliant red and white glow, almost blinding us. Suddenly, a high-tech sci-fi lift appeared in front of us, and Spider-Ham couldn't resist a quip.

"Wow, Aunt May, I knew you were cool, but this is next-level stuff!" he exclaimed, hopping into the lift.

We all cautiously followed, and as the lift descended, we found ourselves in an impressive spider-themed hideout, complete with advanced technology and equipment.

"Whoa, this is incredible!" I exclaimed, my eyes wide with wonder. It is even more amazing than the hideout shown in the movie.

Aunt May moved with purpose, grabbing something and tossing it towards me. "Here, these are web-shooters. You'll need them," she said.

I caught them, but I immediately felt overwhelmed. "I-I don't know how to use these!" I stammered.

Noir stepped forward, placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll train you to use your spider abilities as quickly as I can. We need to get out of this dimension as soon as possible."

Suddenly, a familiar glitching sensation overcame us, and we all stumbled, clutching our bodies in pain.

"You just had to jinx it, didn't you?" Penni said, shooting a playful glare at Spider-Noir.

Despite the discomfort, we all managed to share a brief laugh, finding a moment of levity amid the chaos.