It is the year 2010 and 3 things are definitely set to rise in Nigeria: The sale of generators, the tension over our missing president (over 4 months now and counting), and the population of mosquitoes. Yes, these good-for-nothing insects have swarmed the earth since the time of the dinosaurs and specifically the anopheles mosquitoes have been responsible for carrying the deadly malaria parasite which kills thousands of africans up to this day. Well, I decided a few days ago (after a couple of extremely itchy and sore mosquito bites on my arms and legs) to get lethal.
I stopped by my local supermarket on my way back from work and roamed the isles looking for the most effective insect repellent (especially the triple action variety to suit my usual uninvited guests – mosquitoes, ants and cockroaches). My choices were: Mobil (I thought these guys specialized in oil exploration!); Rambo (just because it sounds lethal and has a red bandana on the letter ‘O’ doesn’t mean its a one-man one-can killing machine!) Raid (Now here’s something thats a proven hit but the smell is absolutely horrendous…think Nail Varnish Meets Burning Incense!); Baygon (Oh yeah baby! Effective with a clinical but bearable smell…this is definitely the bees knees. Time to cop me some mosquito heads).
I arrived my flat with a sinister grin as I walked up my flight of stairs. I walked through the corridor into my living room and proceeded to the mosquito zone; my bedroom. If Stanley Kubrick was still alive he would probably agree that my barging into the room (brandishing a trusted can of insecticide) was a Shining moment indeed as I blurted out ‘Heeeere’s Baygon!’. I shook the can a few times as instructed and sprayed every last inch of that room till the can was almost empty. And there was silence. The air was misty. Strangely enough I heard a tiny but distinct cough coming from under my bed so I pulled out a nearby torchlight and went on all fours. To my surprise I it was a mosquito…a dying mosquito. But how was I able to hear it cough? Or did I just fly over the cuckoo’s nest???
Mosquito: ‘Is it not enough that you suffocate me with these poisonous fumes? (cough) (cough) and now you want to finish me off with a torchlight? What are you going to do? Blind me to death too? Look I don’t have much time left…but there is something you should know. There is a deadly toxin coursing through your veins. The antidote is in my belly but you have to extract it with a syringe before I die or else…game over!
Me: Er…isn’t that something you just made up after watching the SAW movie?
Mosquito: You got me! Good movie, isn’t it?
Me: Huh?… Tell me, what is your purpose on earth?
Mosquito: We were put on earth by God to control the population levels, I suppose. Do YOU know what your purpose on earth is?
Me: Hey, I’ll be asking the questions here. You spread diseases, leave itchy bites and hum in my ear while I’m asleep. Quite frankly, you suck!
Mosquito: You said it, Einstein. I suck…blood, that is. And fortunately for you mosquitoes can’t harbour the HIV virus. Your species would long have been wiped out. But there’s something else we’re planning…
Me: We? You mean the rest of you mosquitoes?
Mosquito: Aren’t you the smart one, eh!. We are many and we will soon descend on you all like a plague. There will be nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. There will be blood…
Me: That’s it. I’ve heard enough.
There I was being threatened by a sarcastic, little insect about a possible mosquitogeddon. I shook what was left in the can and drowned the mosquito in a pool of insecticide spray. It choked, and its abdomen stopped moving. I went to bed that night and a few hours later I could hear a humming in my ear again but this time it was audible and this is what I heard, to my horror
… ‘Weeee’re baaaack!’
Note to self: Should have bought Rambo 🙁
In a terrific, scary non-fiction book called The Hot Zone the author proposed the idea that the “body” of Mother Earth produces diseases as antibodies, to control the infection – US!
You are a fine writer. Wish I had time to read you every day.
that gave me goosebumps. we are the disease? i hope i can get an e-book version of The Hot Zone. thanks Mikey for the other comments (much appreciated) 😀
lwkmd Jollof. There was a time I used to apologise when I kill mosquities. I really used to be scared of retribution!
But hey there’s a better antidote to mosquito disturbances. Ensures you a good night sleep and no inhalation of noxious fumes. 4 yrs waranty only for the cost of 2 Baygon cans [which last 2 months at most].
MOSQUITO NETS! trust me. ignore the cons: Chick repellant and ugliness [any word like that?] It works!
LOL! well, I think mosquito nets are only effective when they’re not already hiding between your headrest and the pillow (like the typical cunning Naija ghetto mosquitoes I’m harbouring). I’ve seen ads for the plug-in repellants that work like air-freshners and guaranty a whine-free sleep. Its prolly worth a try!