No matter what anyone says, space tarantulas are real and can grow up to two meters. I have no idea what part of the universe they came from or how long they have been around. What I do know is they have a fondness for the planet Mars and have developed a taste for human flesh. Like their Earth counterparts, space tarantulas do not utilize webs to trap their prey, but instead they hunt. They use digestive enzymes to turn their prey into liquid before consuming.
Unfortunately I found all of this out when my crew and I landed on Mars.
What a cool story! Nice hook, creativity, and also a bit of educational value! Well done.
Fun, but had it been more show-not-tell it could possibly have gone up a level from a snippet or a trailer to a sinister surprise in its own right. i.e. “I didn’t know space tarantulas liquefy their still-living prey into juicy sacks, just like the Earth variety. No-one did. Until my crew and I landed on Mars.'” etc. Promising piece! 🙂
The last line (twist ending) was great!