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)
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