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THE LEGEND OF THE MOSQUITO
A tale of Vietnam
by Albert Russo
900 words


This is the story of Cadeo, a poor farmer, who lived in the hills of Central Vietnam with his beautiful wife. He toiled during many years and gave everything he earned to satisfy her, for he was passionately in love with his mate. Nothing was good enough for her and he would even give his blood to see her happy.
But one day a terrible thing happened. The woman, who was named Cara, meaning Precious Jewel, became suddenly ill and died within a few hours. The poor farmer was distraught and couldn’t understand why the gods had punished him in such a way. She had meant more to him than his own soul. And now that she was gone, he had nothing to look forward to.
Yet, he couldn’t resolve to live without her, and in spite of his immense pain and his distress, he decided that he would fight against the odds and challenge destiny. He built a rickety boat and sailed up the river, taking his dead wife along with him. He had heard that a genie roamed around the mouth of the river and that it had supernatural powers.
After a long and harrowing journey, the farmer was able to meet the genie and begged him to resuscitate his wife. The genie asked Cadeo a great number of questions, sizing him up, before he gave him his answer.
«I will help you, but it won’t be easy.» said the genie. «First of all, you will have to cut your little finger and not utter a sound, in spite of its hurt. Then with a smile, you will sprinkle your wife’s face with nine drops of blood, and she will come back to life.»
Beaming with joy, Cadeo did as he was told. He was so overwhelmed by the idea that he would be with his wife again, that he almost felt no pain when he maimed himself.
There she was, in front of him, her usual beautiful self, wondering what had happened to her. Of course one of the conditions he had sworn to abide by was to hide the truth from her, and he went about his business as he always did.
«There’s a lovely cove by the river bank,» he told Cara, «wait for me there while I go and fetch some food, I’m sure you will appreciate the quiet of the place and its shade.»
Half an hour had passed when a luxurious barge cast its anchor by the cove where Cara was resting, amid the twittering of birds and the delicious fragrance which the white and pink flowers of a frangipani tree gave off. It felt like paradise.
The owner of the barge, evidently a rich man, by the way he dressed and the rings he wore at each finger, was struck by the beauty of the farmer’s wife as she walked to the bank. Something at once very natural and very unsettling occurred. The man, known as Bach yen, fell head over heels in love with her. At first the farmer’s wife felt confused and guilty, and remained dumb for a long moment, unable to react. The man then invited her to come aboard his barge and, much as her conscience said no, her feet carried her to the floating abode.
Bach yen was so kind and so very galant with her that she couldn’t find any reasonable argument to reject his hospitality. He poured her jasmine tea and presented her with honey cakes and spoke of his fabled life. She finally got infatuated with the man who promised to become her benefactor and to treat her like a queen. How could she resist such an offer?
Forgetting that she had a husband, Cara yielded to the rich man’s plea, and sailed away with him.
When Cadeo returned from his errands, seeing that his wife was nowhere to be found, he appealed to the genie and inquired about her.
«She left with a very rich man.» The genie replied. «But they’re not far away, you can still catch up with them.» he added.
At first aghast then furious, Cadeo jumped in his boat and began to row like a madman, until he caught sight of the luxurious barge.
«Cara,» he shouted, «come back here, you have nothing to do with that man!»
But the farmer’s wife had taken her decision, lured by the promises of a better life, she would live by the side of her benefactor, Bach yen.
Cadeo then consulted again with the genie and asked him what he should do.
«Ask your wife a last favor. That she too cut her little finger, offer it to you, as a token of your past life together, then sprinkle your face with nine drops of blood.»
At first the request suprised Cara. The poor farmer insisted, saying that after that he would leave her alone and that she could go the rich man’s way.
Cara and Bach yen discussed the matter and finally came to the conclusion that if that was the price of her freedom, then be it.
As the farmer’s wife started to sprinkle her blood over Cadeo’s face, she gradually blanched, and by the time she spilled the last drop, she faded out completely, and in her stead buzzed a mosquito.
From that fateful moment on, Cara the Mosquito took revenge on every human male she would encounter and stung each one of them with a rage that made them go wild and totally beserk.

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Tag der Veröffentlichung: 21.09.2011

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