The Attack

May 5 2013

I’ve become sloppy with my mosquito net. It hangs loosely around my bed instead of anally tucked in vigorously with absolutely no means of entry. But after getting malaria 4 times I find it pointless to put so much effort into something that doesn’t help.

I toss and turn all night long trying to find a dry and comfortable position on my thin sunken in mattress.

The moon isn’t out tonight so it completely black out.  Which means the locals aren’t outside dancing in the moon light and pounding on their drums. It’s to quite and it’s making it harder to sleep. As if the heat and rivers of sweat weren’t bad enough.

I’m asleep but a wake enough to roll over again. When I do I feel a sharp poke and what feels like a electrical current in my shoulder. I sit up quickly sleepy and confused but in pain. I place my hands down on the mattress to push myself up and turn in the bed and I feel it again 2 more times in the palm of my hand. I rub it trying to sooth the pain but its not working. First thought is scorpion.

 Then I hear it.  Instantly I’m on high alert mode. I stop and focus my hearing. It buzzing. I cant see anything its too dark and I have only one good ear so it could be anywhere.

The one night I don’t have my torch by my bed is the one night I desperately need it.

Images of all kinds come to my mind but the one that frightens me the most is the African killer bee. I scramble out of bed and search for my headlamp. I locate the bee/hornet in the corner of my net. It not too big. How does something so small cause so much pain? I grab the thing closest to me, my flip-flops and turn them into a deadly weapon. Gotcha.

Now every time I roll over in bed I wait for the sting.