A Day in the Life…Ch. 1.1

Bzzt…Bzzzzzzt…Bzzzt…Bzzzzzt…Bzzzzzzzzzzt.

“Hun…Hun!”

Waaa-THUMP!

What!?

“There are mosquitoes in the bed net.”

“I know.”

“Well they’re keeping me awake.”

“Me too, now try to go back to sleep.”

“I’ve tried, I’ve been up for hours now, DO something.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Umm, I don’t know, get rid of them?!”

“What? Fine. Just a second.”

I discretely peel the covers back, listening intently, hoping to close in on each mosquito. The room is still, save for the distant in and out buzzing. I can hear them, but see nothing. There must be at least two to four floating around. By now I know, they must have had their fill. I untuck the net from my side of the bed and squeeze out the opening. I take care to stumble around my half empty water glass, dvd collection in a ziploc bag, headlamp and mobile phone. I tip toe over my warm computer still spinning the Dark Knight DVD that I turned off half way through last night. I follow my hand down the wall to find the electrical outlet. The nightglow spills into the room as my eyes adjust and I feel for the outlet. The outlet has an on/off switch that powers the overhead bulb. My finger fumbles for it and clicks it on. Anne quietly stirs and twists the comforter over her head. For about three seconds she squirms her entire body, eyes to toes and all I do is smile about it. It’s become a near ritual.

My eyes are back on target. Focused. Ready for the hunt. My hands are quick and nimble, ready for the kill. I scan the net progressively. Looking dead on into it, I can easily see them resting on the net itself, swollen from the nights buffet. There are mosquitoes on the outside of the net as well, but those do not concern me. They are skinny, they have taken nothing from me. I see right through them. The net’s weave pattern blocks my sight of those perching on the side of the net. They will be dealt with in time. Many don’t believe the fact that the mosquito is a cunning, elusive creature always reading to pierce and indulge. I myself never believed it. I do now. There are two ways of mosquito slaughter in the dark of night. The most efficient is to kill from outside the net. Only in necessary circumstances is an interior kill proper. The advantage I have is these insects know nothing of me. They know not that I’ve purged them for months now, they know not my methods of attack, they know nothing of how it will end. My skills have been honed.

Three are resting, gorging themselves in the night’s feast. They are without suspicion. I have them locked in. They will soon be reduced to simple blots of blood on the net. I shall have my vengeance. They will not enjoy the feast on my wife’s blood. From outside the net they do not see me coming. My stalking is complete. It is time for the kill. My undershirt is stifling; I throw it to the couch. My headlamp is heavy; I drop it to the floor. My sandals make me sluggish; I kick them off. I have to be light, I have to be fast, I have to become and idea. That is how I will defeat them. I approach silently as every vein in my body pumps. My muscles clench, they are set for speed. My eyes narrow, focusing in every striation on the mosquitoes’ form. My breath lightens and is as deep as a gorge. I have to be fast. I have to be quick. It cannot see me approach from below, but my breathing alone pulses the net. The foe remains static. I know it is over. My hands flash in like lightning, and strike the mosquito with a thunderous force. That is all the noise that is made. A lone devastating WHAACK! It is finished. The speed of the blow leaves the net still. The tactical hunt is perfect. I am becoming more than a man, more than a machine, more than a cheetah. I stare down at my hands, rich with blood from the kill. The insect’s weapon lays lifeless in the red blot. I cleanse my hands of the carnage under a cool running tap. One is finished; two more shall meet the same fate. My skills are honed. The buzzing is silenced. I click off the light and sweep myself back between the net and the covers. My wife is at rest. No more will she be disturbed this night. My senses ease. My muscles relax. My eyes become lazy. We both drift back off to sleep.