The Moment Before the End

I sat down beside her on the bed. Her back was turned under the blanket, her hair in a pile on the pillow. I was so tired.

"Have you ever seen a video of those clumps of spiders?" she asked, not moving. "Harvestmen, daddy-long-legs, whichever. Looks like a smudge on a wall or a pile of dust, but then someone pokes it and they all skitter off in every direction, like magic. They think it's for protection."

Her hair shifted, but her body under the covers still didn't move. My hand hovered, inches away, frozen, not wanting to break the spell...