The Maid of Don Amparo

THE MAID OF DON AMPARO

By: Diego Cerveza (April 15, 2013)

There once lived a man named Don Amparo who resided in a house often frequented by guests. These guests would indulge themselves in his food and his company before staying the night in one of his magnificent rooms. In order to cope with the various persons who brought with them a most peculiar set of wants, Don Amparo hired himself a maid named Kuting – a woman well versed in the art of cooking, cleaning, and caressing. Of all her lovely traits, it was this last one of caressing that endeared her to him, securing for her a job that would never be under threat.

                Things would have been swell and the pair would have lived happily ever after but alas, like all good women, Kuting had in her a deep and wretched flaw. She had what is known as an obsession with shiny things – not just any shiny object but only those that were already possessed by another. And though in most people’s books she would automatically qualify as a thief, her master only saw her as his kind and faithful servant. True, she would pilfer rings, watches, jewelled mirrors, and other belongings owned by the unwitting guests of Don Amparo but that did not change the fact that she also cooked, cleaned and caressed – who could stay mad at a woman like that?

                And so life continued in this manner without much fuss. Food would be cooked, the house would be cleaned, Don Amparo would be caressed, and items would go missing. At times, the guests would directly complain to Don Amparo of the wretched behaviour of his most trusted employee but he turned a deaf ear and refused to do anything – as far as he was concerned, he would rather lose his guests than lose his maid.

                One night, an old woman came to Don Amparo’s house. Her hair was a greyish white, her movements slow but deliberate, and her eyes had a twinkle in them that would suggest either extreme cunning or subdued malevolence. Don Amparo did not notice anything suspicious about the old woman and so he welcomed her with open arms and treated her like he would any of his guests. After supper, Don Amparo conversed with the old woman in his living room while Kuting observantly waited on them, ready to bring them coffee or tea at a moment’s notice.

                “Have you ever seen a red diamond?” asked the old woman.

                “I have not” he replied. “Aren’t diamonds supposed to be white?” he asked her.

                “Only the common ones” she answered. “But then,” she said, her eyes lighting up. “The red of my diamond is not hard to come by.” She put her hand into one of her pockets and pulled out a diamond the size of a grape. The diamond had a crimson hue and it radiated with an aura that induced both fear and desire. “Would you like to know the secret behind my diamond’s colour?” she asked the Don, her eyes locked on his like a lion staring at its prey.

                “My lady, your secrets are yours to keep” said Don Amparo wisely.

With that, she put the diamond back in her pocket and they continued to converse until it was time to sleep. As Don Amparo and the old woman spoke, Kuting stood among them thinking of nothing but the diamond’s beautiful red shine. It was a magnificent jewel, the likes of which she had never seen before. By the time Don Amparo and his guest had retired to their own rooms, Kuting had already decided that she would relieve the old woman of her treasure.

When she was sure the old woman was asleep, Kuting crept into the old woman’s room and stealthily searched her belongings. Years of practice had strengthened Kuting’s resolve and not for a single moment did she think she would be caught. Moving around with such agility and deliberateness that only experience can give, Kuting was able to find the diamond without much of a problem. Overwhelmed by its beauty, she walked to the window and lifted the diamond, viewing its ruby-like hue with the light of the moon.

Without warning, the lights in the room turned on. Turning around, Kuting was surprised to see the old woman out of her bed, slowly advancing towards her with a knife in her hand.

“My dear,” began the old woman. “I had no clue you were so interested in my diamond.” Kuting was unable to respond. She stood there, diamond in hand, petrified by the old woman who was now just inches away from her. “I guess it was my fault for not showing it to you earlier” continued the old woman. “It could have spared us this most unfortunate encounter” she said, her hand lifting the knife to Kuting’s neck.

“Would you like to know the secret behind my diamond’s colour?” asked the old woman, her eyes now glowing like orbs from the depths of hell. Tears began to form in Kuting’s eyes as she felt the cold metal of the knife which was now being slowly moved around her neck. Caught in a trap from which there was no escape, Kuting slowly nodded her assent, hoping that this would save her. The old woman smiled with such malevolence that even the word malevolence is not enough to characterize the degree of evil that is being contemplated. With a skilful flick of the wrist, the knife performed its purpose and Kuting fell to the ground with a thud.

From the floor, Kuting could see the diamond in front of her. She wanted to get it but her limbs would no longer cooperate. Slowly, she saw a crimson liquid flowing towards the diamond, eventually surrounding it until it resembled nothing more than an island in the middle of the ocean. (by Diego Cerveza, April 15, 2013)