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Chapter 20
Monday put construction in full swing. The anchors for the spiderweb were being installed and Roscoe, who was a net maker by trade, arrived. Part Native American, his dark hair hung down his back and his cowboy hat was as broken in as his cowboy boots. Eddie explained what he wanted. Roscoe nodded and never said a word. The new raised floor was complete at the end of the building designated for the huge spider web. Roscoe ' s spools contained different thicknesses of white and black rope. He measured with nothing more than a slow steady stride and never scribed a note.
Eddie approached what appeared to be nothing more than a pile of white and black rope. Roscoe caught his eye with a piercing look from his dark eyes and slowly shook his head. Eddie nodded, turned and left him to his work. From six until two every day, the Indian sat cross-legged, tied knots, wove rope and drank coffee from a bell shaped mug. The first day the only words came as he left.“ Good coffee,” Roscoe said, and exited.
The piles of rope seemed to move around him and his wide bottomed mug. Every day for four weeks Roscoe worked nonstop for eight hours, picking his spot around the growing heap and not moving until the next day. Stainless steel turnbuckles hung from the anchors in the concrete walls and I-beams. The thickest white ropes had stainless steel rings woven into the ends. A crowd of workers formed as Roscoe moved a small stepladder to one of the I-beams and placed the first rope.
Sitting in his office Eddie noticed the sudden silence and opened his door. He saw where the group gathered. With a few of the rings in place everyone could see how it was going to look. The web took shape and Roscoe accepted the help that was offered with the last dozen or so rings. Roscoe began to tighten the turnbuckles and the sagging web stretched tight and took shape. Eddie stood beneath the work of art.“ Is it as strong as it looks?” Eddie asked.“ You could catch a humpback but your walls won’ t hold,” he answered. A look of satisfaction spread across his strong features.“ Anyone want to be a spider?” Eddie asked, climbing the ladder to the web. Roscoe followed him. Twenty men walked, crawled and bounced on the suspended structure. Eddie knew it would hold a few large spiders.
Arriving fifteen minutes early each morning to put on the pot of coffee and making sure no one touched the piles of rope, paid an amazing dividend. He could see how the web would look under the ultra violet lights. Eddie left to purchase eight, four foot long lighting fixtures. Upon his return he had the electricians mount and wire them. Frank and Rodney said they wanted to be there for the lighting of the web. Rodney arrived first. He and Eddie were admiring the work when they heard Frank’ s car park. Eddie pointed at the light panel and ran that direction with Rodney hot on his heels. Eddie flipped the switches and the only light came from the open steel doors. Frank and Samantha entered. He caught the surprised look on Eddie’ s face.“ I had to tell her about the project. She knows some people who specialize in costume design. I could not find anyone willing to build what we wanted. Sam wouldn’ t give me their names unless I let her in on the secret and gave her a percentage,” he said. A look of smug satisfaction appeared on Sam’ s face. Eddie closed the steel doors and they were cast in total darkness although it was only five in the evening. He led the group with the flash light on his key chain, pointed at the floor, to a position beneath the center of the web.“ Don’ t move,” he said, leaving them to watch Eddie, and his only light, leave. He turned on the ultra violet lights. Sam gasped, Frank applauded and Rodney said“ I’ ll be damned.” The huge web was magnificent.“ How about we take a spider’ s point of view?” Eddie said heading for the ladder.“ You are going to fall through!” Sam said, with alarm.“ No I won’ t, You can’ t see the majority of the web,” he said, as he crawled overhead.“ Turn on the work lights and see what I mean.” Rodney went to the light panel and illuminated the room. Sam saw the web and it’ s invisible network. She turned and saw all the partitions.“ Tell me what you have planned,” she said, getting the big picture immediately.“ I’ ll show you the list and the layout,” Eddie said.