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A Random Man

posted April 4, 2009 - 2:35pm
A Random Man

I was lying on my bed staring at nothing, wondering about the vagaries of the world. Very soon a movement in the emptiness in front of me shook me out of the reverie. It was a mosquito which had flown into my sacred airspace. Now it was still, hanging in mid air. No movement at all.

Many thoughts crossed my mind. First I thought, maybe it was not a mosquito and that I had discovered a new species of spiders, which looked like mosquitoes. I strained my eyes to look for a tell tale piece of gossamer by which it was probably hanging. Couldn't see anything. Then I thought it was a mosquito with an identity crisis and then that maybe I was dreaming.

Normally a stationary mosquito is an inviting prospect to clap your hands. But this one intrigued me and I waited for it to make a move as it probably contemplated which part of my anatomy to feast on.

"Well, aren't you going to do something?" I heard. That was it I was surely dreaming, I thought, a mosquito with spidery habits and talking, English that too, though it wouldn't have mattered much even if it was speaking Spanish or French.

"Like what?" I asked, just to keep it in good humor.

"Like try to kill me."

"Why would I do that?" I lied, in a very questionable manner.

"Because if you don't, then I might bite you."

"Would you do that? Why would you do that?" I asked.

"Because I need to, I have to lay eggs."

"Oh! So you are a female. You might just survive then, since I don't raise my hands on females."

"How dumb? All the mosquitoes which bite you or any other human being are females."

"Really?" I was disappointed at such a sudden jolt to my sense of chivalry as well as genius.

"You really don't know much about mosquitoes, do You? We need blood to lay eggs. The proteins and iron in the blood is essential for the development of our offspings. That is why male mosquitoes do not bite humans, because they don't need your blood to survive."

"Not even just to have fun or for taste?"

"No. Males do not have the proboscis so they can't really draw blood. Even we don't need the blood to survive. It is only for procreation."

"Thank God, the human females are not made like that."

"Very funny."

"Why me?" I asked.

"Why not? We are not very choosy. Your blood is as good as any one else's. Do you think it really matters, Who we take it from?"

"You don't even know me."

"This is definitely the height of social living. I mean you expect a mosquito to introduce itself and then develop a rapport with you before it can draw blood."

"No, I mean don't you want to know about me before you take my blood into your body."

"No, would it matter to you which mosquito takes blood from you."

"As a matter of fact, yes. Are you Anopheles?"

"No. By the way, Don't you have anything better to do than talk to a mosquito. I am leaving."

"Don't you have something to do, like blood and all."

"You have taken all the fun out of it by asking so many questions. I mean it is just a simple activity in the process of reproduction. I can imagine what human females must be going through. So, No. I am going to give it a pass."

"The others will think you are crazy."

"I doubt it. You are the one talking to a mosquito dude"

The mosquito moved away from me and joined another one. As they were flying away, the other one asked, "Who was he?"

"Just a random man." My friend replied.



Comments

Swat It!

You will have to swat it even to check whether it is M or F. Not everyone can speak to mosquitoes, remember! Thanks mamamia Bare Essentials

Amazing story

Does that mean we have to check whether a mosquito is M or F before giving them over to pest control or swatting them? And thanks Les for the info on "Anthromorphism" and brain cells! Great read Taprial. Here Is My Xomba Page Buy Video Games Online My profile

Thank you kj

and Helen. If you heard it, I can see that you move around in good company. Thanks for the compliments. Bare Essentials

Great Story

Being allergic to mosquito bites I knew this one, I enjoyed the story telling. Thanks for posting. Check out my Xomba Homepage

Check out my Xomba Homepage

 

I seem to remember hearing

I seem to remember hearing that factoid about mosquitoes a number of years ago. But I didn't exactly the reason. Great post, taprial. :) ↑ Grab this Headline Animator

 
 

Amazing Mosquitoes

Thank you Les. The 250 brain cells info was even more amazing. That would mean that larger number of brain cells only lead to self destruction of the species at some level. I hate descriptions, even in novels and hence find it much easier to convey stuff via dialogues. It is much more easy and interesting. The fun thing about writing (especially fiction) is that you are the master and you can make anything happen. Bare Essentials

How the hell did

you find this out? I must admit that I was ignorant of this fact. Brilliant way to convey the information...! Enjoyed reading this article. Get money writing articles on Xomba Here

Anthropomorphism, Anthropomorphising,Well done, Taprial.

Anthropomorphising, from the idea of an anthropomorphism, was a favorite communication tool of the Greeks, or at least in some of their stronger surviving legacies, such as Aesop's Fables. It seems all modern humans have the same proclivity (not a negative inclination) to attribute human qualities to real, imagined, or other forms of life (or inanimate rocks) -- and it was and is a technique used by almost all storytellers and writers from the ancients through all societies and even Shakespeare, George Orwell, to the current cartoon characters and superheroes on Saturday morning TV (in America). In America, of course, and likely, also, in some "wrap" of worldwide corporatism, the using of anthropomorphism to sell corporate goodies to kids, requires attempting to emplace some redeeming "human values" about behavior in the story content. (Yeah. But. Mostly, in the cartoon world, it is of little redeeming value, since the cartoon caricatures have barely even two-dimensional depth; and is basically the psychology of marketing to kids, which should perhaps be better thought out, and controlled.) But your little posting made me recall some tiny information of mosquitoes. I wrote once about the benefits of mosquitoes and it turns out that they do accomplish a lot of angiosperm pollination in the smaller flowering branch, and might be in some areas helpful to local agriculture, where one might never suspect their role. Ants, as social critters and mosquitoes are thought to have roughly the same number of "brain cells" in their insect brains, and at about roughly 250 cells have remarkable range of interactions with the real phenomenal world. (Bees and wasps, and some beetles (Even Beatles?)have 900 cells in their insect brains, and for bees it is also a social as well as individual level of intelligence.) One (like me, humorously) is tempted to post a Xombyte with exploration of scales of behavior possible in small brains that have survived millions of years. Titled something like: "Enumeration of behaviors possible with 250 to 900 brain cells." It is amazing what cooperative structures Ants, Bees, Wasps, are capable of erecting. I look forward to some "frog out of well" stories too. Well done Taprial, exploiting our own proclivities! Especially writers. In an earlier byte, I mentioned my dog Spot, and HIS dog, Marcos, and their relationship still works today in a dog's life kind-of-way, though both have aged as time waits for none. Entropy occurs, as the pushing "finger" of time directs. (Is that humanizing entropy, or what?) Even that mosquito (of yours) has the "illusion" of free-willed choice? A choice "written" by you. Fun, Hey? Nice post.

Thanks Mia

I can imagine the mosquitoes (being females) feeling guilty every time they suck blood out of humans. I am certain they wouldn't have done it had it not been for their babies. Bare Essentials

Yes, MJ

everyday, something new crops up. But this one like took the cake. How come no one talked about it for so long? Thanks Bare Essentials

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