Read Online The Hand of the Devil by Dean Vincent Carter - Free Book Online Page B

news that sightings of the Ganges Red were on the increase. Stories about her had been circulating near his research post for decades and, being busy on numerous projects, he couldn’t find the time to look into all of them. He was sceptical about the existence of a creature that had eluded capture for so long. I have to admit, I’d had doubts for many years myself. Nevertheless, I pressed him to at least talk to some of the native people who claimed to have seen her. He relented and for the next few weeks, when he had the time to spare, he made enquiries, interviewed certain individuals. He wrote back some time later, detailing a number of testimonies that all pointed to the same conclusion. The Ganges Red, or something fitting her description, was alive and well.’
    ‘But she isn’t the only one, is she? I mean, surely if these sightings are real they are of different insects?’
    ‘I wasn’t sure at first, but to my surprise I found myself beginning to believe the mythology surrounding her. And there have been no more sightings since she came into my possession.’
    Mather paused for a while, during which all I could hear was the grinding noise made by the Dictaphone. He turned his back to the window and leaned against the sill.
    ‘I yearned to travel to Africa myself, but I had grown too accustomed to my life here. I always feel anxious whenever I think about leaving. Instead I made a plea to my friend to find the Lady himself, whatever it took. I told him that I would cover any necessary expenses. As it turned out, he had begun to share my excitement and had already started making arrangements. A week later an assistant of his came across a small cave near a river.’ He nodded towards the tank. ‘She was inside, along with thousands of smaller mosquitoes, most likely from the Aedes aegypti family. Unfortunately, the assistant and his guides died in their attempt to capture her. My friend found their bodies when he arrived at the cave some days later. Thanks to his experience in capturing dangerous insects, he was able to secure her almost without incident.’
    ‘Almost?’ I asked.
    ‘Well, it sounds incredible but my friend claimed the Lady possessed an ability to . . . communicate.’ Mather rubbed his head. ‘I know how it sounds, but many occurrences in nature are difficult to comprehend.’
    ‘Yes, that’s true,’ I replied, more to keep him talking than anything else. Not for a moment was I prepared to believe that an insect could talk.
    ‘Mother Nature loves a paradox, as an old friend used to say to me,’ Mather continued. ‘And how right he was. Our Lady here is a living testament to that.’ He left the window and went back over to the recess, placing his hand on the glass and concealing the insect. ‘Scientifically, she shouldn’t exist – has no right to exist. And yet here she is, in all her astounding glory. I gave her a name of my own, you know. I felt rather odd doing it as she is hardly a pet, but I felt a compulsion of sorts. I initially thought of calling her Isis; then some short time later I had a vivid dream about her. I dreamed that she spoke to me and asked that I call her Nhan Diep.’
    ‘Like in the book you gave me?’
    ‘Yes, that’s right. I think the dream quite affected me to begin with,’ he replied, smiling. ‘But it was just my mind playing tricks with me. I like the name though, and it’s very appropriate.’
    ‘Why’s that?’
    ‘Didn’t you read the story?’
    ‘Not all of it. I was too tired last night, I’m afraid.’
    ‘Oh, that’s a shame. It’s a delightful tale.’
    ‘You mentioned a myth earlier . . .’
    ‘Yes, well, for a long while,’ he said, turning in my direction and affording me another look at the red monster, ‘the Ganges Red held a position in the natural world comparable to that of the yeti or the Loch Ness monster.’ He chuckled a little. ‘Until the numerous sightings and testimonies in Zaire there had been a few