Quoted By:
Out of all the gods that have crossed your mind, Anansi seemed like the only god that would care about someone like you. His existence had never actually been proven like that of other gods from different pantheons, but it wouldn’t at all surprise you if he turned out to be real.
There was already an infamous Norse trickster god that had tried, and failed, to enslave you all. Perhaps Anansi was more discreet in his dealings, as a trickster god should be.
The totemic deities that Webb told you about were also technically gods, and they had an even greater reason to be invested in you. They even went so far as to obscure Abe and W’s presence from her.
Ah, shit! You forgot to tell Abe about what happened!
He was technically your dad’s son as well. You would just have to shoot him a text and hope that he didn’t try to come in person. Your parents would only be confused or cautious after having learned that you had a long-lost twin brother. No one needed a bomb dropped on them like that after they just got out of intensive surgery.
But even now, you had to fight with the pessimistic side of your brain that told you he might not make it. You had to believe that he’d be okay. Even if Anansi wasn’t listening, it gave you some peace of mind knowing that you could off-load some of your burden to someone greater than yourself. Matt would be proud if he knew.
Or maybe he wouldn’t. Praying to an African trickster god was not the same as putting your faith in Jesus Christ.
So, whether out of desperation or hope, you closed your eyes, clasped your hands together and lowered your head. And then, you prayed feverishly for your father’s well-being. You begged, pleaded and even made bargains on behalf of the old man, hoping against all hope that someone, or some<span class="mu-i">thing</span> that could answer your prayers was listening.
When you opened your eyes, you were genuinely surprised to see that your family was following your example. Mom, Rich and Cindy were all praying to their respective gods, clearly frustrated with their inability to do anything to help.
Not wanting to interrupt them, you closed your eyes once more and went back to praying. You genuinely didn’t think that it would amount to much of anything, but it was better than nothing.
—----------
Several hours later, when a doctor wearing scrubs approached you with a complicated expression on the visible half of his face, the Parker family held a collective breath. But as soon as he tore off his surgical mask and revealed that the lower half of his face had arranged his features in a comforting smile, you perked up visibly.
Five words. It only took five words to pull you out from the depths of despair; to make you all literally deflate from relief.
<span class="mu-b">“Peter’s going to be alright.”</span> he said.
(Cont.)
