The Mosquito

"If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a closed room with a mosquito."

There have been countless nights that this African proverb has resonated with me.  Last night was one of them.  These guys are relentless.  I'm not sure how they get in my mosquito net, but somehow it happens.  The war begins.  It starts with the buzzing in the ear, the most annoying sound to me.  It quickly wakes me from my sleep as I swat around usually hitting myself in the head.  Annoyed, but in my sleepy state, I just want it to go away without any effort.  This usually leads to the next step, trying to sleep with my head under the covers.  As someone who can't sleep with my feet tucked in, I don't know why I always try this.  Not even minutes later, I am hot and suffocating.  I then create a small opening in the sheets around my nose to provide fresh air, hoping the mosquito will not find me.  It always fails.  Last night while battling the mosquito, I got to this point and fell asleep.  When I awoke, my upper lip felt huge; for a moment I thought I was having an allergic reaction to something.  Nope, I quickly realized as I began itching my lip that the mosquito got me.  That was it.  I turned on the light and went after him.  I found him on the net but before I could smash him, he disappeared.  I sat on my bed looking around for him without any success.  I thought about sleeping outside the mosquito net and taking my chances with the rest of the room.  Oh well, I'll get him in a minute, I thought, as I fell back asleep with the lights on.  I woke up later scratching my neck; he got me again.  Exasperated, I jumped out of bed and went after him, desparately wanting sleep.  This time, he didn't get away.  The blood stain on my mosquito net gives fair warning to any others that might want to try me.  Finally, peace for the remainder of the night's rest.