Razzlesnacks Book 1: Tales of Tossledowns

By Laurence Knighton

The first in the Tales of Tossledowns series, this delightful, narration is where all the stories begin—beneath the sagging floorboards of an old house when a rare tomebeetle stumbled into the sticky snare of a yellow spinspider.
To postpone the spider’s appetite, the clever beetle barters a story about how the garden out back tends for itself.
Things move when they shouldn't

• Language: English
• Publisher: Laurence Knighton
• Release date: Mar 2, 2011

Laurence Knighton

Born in the Rocky Mountains under a loaf of wry bread, Laurence (Larsky) Knighton is a graphic designer and illustrator by trade, having written and illustrated Disney's 'Donald Duck' syndicated daily comic strip for years before its cancelation in the American market. Still illustrating and writing fun, entertaining stories, he resides in Boise, Idaho with his handsome plush-stuffed black Lab 'Buck' who never sheds, barks, or runs away.

Book preview

Tales of Tossledowns – Book 1

RAZZLESNACKS

by

Laurence Knighton

Smashwords Edition

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PUBLISHED BY:

Laurence Knighton at Smashwords

Razzlesnacks - Book 1 - Tales of Tossledowns

Copyright © 2011 by Laurence Knighton

Smashwords Edition License Notes

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Prologue

In the quaint little town of Barfoo, beneath the dusty floor of an old house perched atop Karnberry Hill, a yellow spinspider burped and curled her hairy legs to nestle down for a good nap. Earlier, a swarm of tiny scatterbugs had flown into the crawlspace between floor and foundation and became trapped in her sticky web.

So many bugs, so little time, she thought as she burped again. But it was worth it. Her belly was very, very full.

Just as she closed her eyes, a slump of weight pulled at the threads and she quickly forgot about sleep. Pushing to her feet, she scurried daintily across the web to find a large beetle snared in her trap. Of all insects to stumble into the spinspider’s clever web, it was a tomebeetle, and this particular one was very rare. Hanging from its shoulders was a tattered pack, and inside she could see the spine of a thick, tiny book. Curious, she inched closer for a better look.

Oh, my! the beetle gasped. Oh, my, oh, my!

Will you stop, already? the spider groaned. I hate a whiner!

Please, let me go, the frightened beetle begged, pulling frantically at the sticky threads.

No can do, the spider said with no emotion.

She circled the beetle and considered how long it might take to digest such a delicious bulk. Then, she remembered the meal of scatterbugs. Her belly was too full to eat so soon again. So, thinking it best to tidy up the beetle for aging along with the other meals hanging in storage, the spinspider produced a thread of sticky silk and stretched it over the insect’s trembling thorax. It would take time to finish the wrapping, but when later came, she would have a most scrumptious meal.

Please, the beetle cried frantically. Can’t we talk this over?

No, the spider said sternly and stretched another thread of silk around the beetle’s legs. She had no intention of changing her mind. After all, a meal is a meal.

The beetle broke out in a worried sweat. Dinner was on the table back home and if he didn’t figure a way out of this mess he was going to be dinner, and never make it back home… ever again.

But… the tomebeetle started to say.

No ‘Buts’, the spinspider snorted abruptly and tied a neat knot. No ‘Ifs’ or ‘Maybes’!

While the spider went about doing what spiders do, the tomebeetle frantically searched for an answer to his predicament.

No ‘What ifs’, either! the yellow spider chimed joyfully and gave the thread one last tug for tightness. She smiled playfully at her victim and produced another strand of silk.

Excuse me, the beetle said.

The