“Why are you hoarding mosquito spray?”
We were at Manning’s Hong Kong and my friend Patrice wanted to know.
“We have a mosquito problem at home. Don’t you?”
Patrice and I both live in Pasig. In fact all of her three sons have (thankfully) survived dengue.
It started probably a month ago. It was my Dutch husband who first noticed it because mosquitoes just love him.
“You have sweet blood,” I told him.
Then the village issued this letter:
Walking around the village the other night I saw neighbours swatting mosquitoes with electronic tennis rackets. They are sold out everywhere. My sister-in-law gave me one, but it conked out after two days.
One day I woke up with ten red dots on my left hand. I thought I had measles.
Last week I woke up with 15 bites on my face, and our bed sheet had various blood stains.
I imagined those bloodsuckers feasting on us while we were sleeping.
Sometimes my husband would wake up from the sound of a mosquito in his ear.
He’s upset. I went to Wilcon to buy cheap Akari lamps. They seemed to work at first, and then it seemed like the mosquitoes became immune to them.
Yesterday I woke up with this arm.
I realised the mosquito problem was real and thought about the plague in the Bible.
This afternoon I decided to buy a more serious back up. But so far we have heard it zap maybe seven times. Meanwhile the mosquitoes were hovering around me.
I’m not even sure if mosquitoes are attracted to the lamps. What I know is, they attracted to dark colours. Therefore, they are attracted to my clothes!
Thankfully night mosquitoes are not dengous (I made that up).
But so far tonight, inside the bedroom, there seems to be less mosquitoes.
I have never been so terrified of mosquitoes. With that and all the strange misfortunes happening around me, my friends and in the world (a.k.a. the missing Malaysian plane), I wonder if it is a sign of the Apocalypse.
Excuse me while I scratch under my arm.
And oh and before I forget, happy birthday Rob! I hope you are mosquito-free, wherever you are.
