Week 9 Story: The Legend of the Mosquito
Based on The Legend of the Rice from Folklore of Laos by Katherine Neville Fleeson (1899)
The Legend of the Mosquito
Once upon a time, there was a large farming village on the outskirts of a deep, murky wood. The farmers grew leeks and radishes, carrots and potatoes, and they raised sheep, cows, pigs, and chickens. Every fall, they harvested their vegetables and preserved them in cool, underground chambers. They slaughtered the animals whenever they needed to eat them.
The farmers lived in relative peace, and though they did not venture frequently into the dark wood, they were allied with all of the animals that lived there. The owls ate the mice that threatened their vegetable storage, the wild goats trimmed the brambles that overgrew their gardens, and the mosquitoes sucked up the blood from the slaughter so that it did not fester.
The mosquitoes then were not like the mosquitoes of today. They were few and enormous, larger than a person. They had no interest in fresh blood and were content to drink what was left over. Thus, they did not annoy the people of the village.
One day, a farmer woman went outside to call the mosquitoes, as she was ready to slaughter a pig to cure and preserve. The mosquitoes arrived, one by one, and waited outside of her house. However, the woman became distracted and delayed killing the pig. She went about the house performing other chores, and each time she went out the door she pushed the mosquitoes aside and told them to wait.
The mosquitoes grew more and more impatient. They buzzed to one another and flapped their long, translucent wings in anger toward the woman. Finally, as the sun was beginning to set, and the woman still had not slaughtered the pig, the mosquitoes attempted to enter the house and persuade her to give them something to eat. The woman, surprised, swatted at the mosquitoes so hard that they burst into a million tiny pieces, each one a small mosquito like those that exist today.
To get their revenge, the mosquitoes sucked the blood of the woman and found that they preferred fresh blood to the stale blood they had been drinking before. They were no longer content to return to the forest at night, but chose to live among the people, biting them for food.
Author's note: The original story features giant grains of rice which feed a single person for days. A woman becomes impatient with them and bats at them, which turns them into the tiny grains of rice that exist now. I chose to keep a similar story line and writing style, but change the setting and the animal.
The Legend of the Mosquito
Once upon a time, there was a large farming village on the outskirts of a deep, murky wood. The farmers grew leeks and radishes, carrots and potatoes, and they raised sheep, cows, pigs, and chickens. Every fall, they harvested their vegetables and preserved them in cool, underground chambers. They slaughtered the animals whenever they needed to eat them.
The farmers lived in relative peace, and though they did not venture frequently into the dark wood, they were allied with all of the animals that lived there. The owls ate the mice that threatened their vegetable storage, the wild goats trimmed the brambles that overgrew their gardens, and the mosquitoes sucked up the blood from the slaughter so that it did not fester.
The mosquitoes then were not like the mosquitoes of today. They were few and enormous, larger than a person. They had no interest in fresh blood and were content to drink what was left over. Thus, they did not annoy the people of the village.
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| Moss Laden Trees // White Mountain, New Hampshire by Robert Laliberte via Flickr |
The mosquitoes grew more and more impatient. They buzzed to one another and flapped their long, translucent wings in anger toward the woman. Finally, as the sun was beginning to set, and the woman still had not slaughtered the pig, the mosquitoes attempted to enter the house and persuade her to give them something to eat. The woman, surprised, swatted at the mosquitoes so hard that they burst into a million tiny pieces, each one a small mosquito like those that exist today.
To get their revenge, the mosquitoes sucked the blood of the woman and found that they preferred fresh blood to the stale blood they had been drinking before. They were no longer content to return to the forest at night, but chose to live among the people, biting them for food.
Author's note: The original story features giant grains of rice which feed a single person for days. A woman becomes impatient with them and bats at them, which turns them into the tiny grains of rice that exist now. I chose to keep a similar story line and writing style, but change the setting and the animal.
Hey, Natalie!
ReplyDeleteThis woman is singlehandedly responsible for probably my least favorite aspect of the summer/autumn months. I cannot stand mosquitoes and if she would have just had some patience with her slaughter, we wouldn't have to deal with such a pest. Although, I'm not sure if I could handle basketball-sized mosquitoes any better, even if they aren't coming after me.
Hey again Natalie!
ReplyDeleteI wasn't expecting a story that would make me recoil is abject horror, but here we are. I really do not like mosquitoes, but your story definitely fit the bill for an interesting story to explain their dreadful existence. I can see why they've became such a bane, with their already obnoxious lives being made worse by the actions of a tarrying provider. Without sarcasm, well done!
Hello, Natalie!
ReplyDeleteAt first glance your title may seem to be common, but I have never read a story that focuses on a mosquito’s legend before! I am not sure how I feel about the concept of an enormous mosquito, even if that mosquito is relatively harmless. Quite frankly, I think any insect that side would be incredibly unappealing to me. I was not expecting that twist at the end! Great story!
Hey Natalie,
ReplyDeleteI have to say that a mosquito the size of a human is quite terrifying to imagine. It was nice that they were patient before and did not feast off of fresh blood, but unfortunately, that woman ruined mosquitoes for all of us. I guess with that method of being fed for the mosquitoes, the outcome was inevitable! Good job retelling this story!
Hey there Natalie!
ReplyDeleteThis was one story I could not see happening the way it did! At first, I thought it would be a normal story, but I have never once read a story about a mosquitos legend. I am definitely not a fan of the idea of a giant mosquito. This was a great story and I can’t wait to read more!
Hi Natalie!
ReplyDeleteWow, your version of this story is better than the original! I really like how you made this story your own while keeping the main idea of humans making life harder for themselves. The idea to use the mosquitoes instead of rice was brilliant and really made the story more interesting to me than the original! Great job with this story--it is beautifully written!