This is purely a work of fiction, a result of the writer’s imagination. Any similarity to any individual or individuals is not intended.
Hart nodded.
It was in response to her assistant’s request for white blood cells’ attack. As he pulled the knob that would raise the alarm for white blood cells to take action, a pensive Commander Hart watched the monitor, worried her cells might be facing a tougher enemy than expected but somewhat confident that the white blood cells would know what to do.
She kept looking at the monitor as the malaria agents, disguised as red blood cells exploded again and tore through the ranks of innocent red cells on their routine trips to delivering nutrients and water to other body cells. With each explosion, Hart felt deep misery. It reminded her of terrorist attacks with explosions going off almost at every half a minute. Hart was a white blood cell and soldier by calling and training but often claimed to be a red blood cell at heart. She could sense the distress going through the ranks of her young strawberry coloured sub-ordinates.
As she paced before the monitor in the control room of the circulatory system, her phone rang. It was Caeca, head of the digestive system. Hart picked it up, her eyes not leaving the monitor.
‘Commander’, Hart said simply.
‘I’m not sure what’s going on right now but the red blood cells are acting a bit funny. Some of them are not keen on taking up food. Is there something I should know about this new behaviour?’
Hart sighed, weighing the situation. This was no doubt going to be the first in a series of phone calls to come. Bain, the commander of the brain had not yet noticed the temperature changes and the sluggishness in mental activities. It was just a matter of time before he called too, if the white blood cells didn’t curtail the growing parasites.
‘Are you there, Commander Hart?’ Caeca asked after a long silence.
‘Yes, I am, ‘an unusually tired Hart responded. ‘We have some visitors,’ she said, trying to deliver the message softly.
But Caeca knew better.
‘Visitors? This doesn’t sound like you, Hart. Is everything alright?’
Hart knew she couldn’t tell Caeca everything was alright. She would soon find out it wasn’t. Yet, she didn’t want to cause panic in the control room.
So, she quickly stepped out of the room into a blood vessel along the corridor, almost whispering as she spoke.
‘Not everything is alright, Caeca. We have malaria parasites in again. And they are causing an uproar, turning the whole body upside down and disrupting red blood cell delivery schedules.
Our activities are slowing down, Caeca; these parasites are using our own cells against us. It’s difficult to trust anyone around here. Any red blood cell could actually be a malaria parasite in disguise.’
‘That’s so scary,’ Caeca commented, slightly confused, ‘How did they get in?’
‘Good question. I think they came in through skin. Must have been when some mosquitoes bit the body about two weeks ago. They probably were transmitted through blood vessels from the skin to the liver where they lodged for some days, developing a plan before finally launching an attack. So far, they have been successful.’
‘Oh my, I didn’t know things were that bad. I didn’t think there was anything unusual about their presence when I saw the liver report some days ago. It’s similar to the experience we had at age 5 right? When we had to deal with episodes of fever, headache, vomiting and just feeling unwell, right?’
‘Yes, you’re right’.
‘Oh my, that means I have to prepare my cells for the onslaught that will provoke nausea and vomiting. I do hope they won’t go on strike again, like the last time when they protested in solidarity with their red blood cell colleagues and caught that annoying symptom of losing appetite. Anyway, enough about me; I’m sure you can handle it. You’ve got experience, and like your cells, you are highly competent.’
Hart smiled, something she rarely did, least of all in a tensed situation as this. Caeca had always been a good friend, trying to make her feel better whenever there was trouble in the circulatory system. But Hart didn’t feel better. Something, some instinct told her that the look of these new malaria agents was different. They looked more rugged, as though they had experienced more hardships in terms of exposure to different ineffective insecticides and drugs; and were very prepared to wreak unforgettable havoc. They appeared more confident and seemed to know their way around the body easily, as though they had mastered the human body like the palm of their hands.
Hart tried to shake off that feeling as she went back to the control room but the unease remained; and worsened when she watched another lifeless red blood cell float before the monitor.
Commander Bain put the phone call through to Hart. Her report had been late and there had been some speculations that all was not going well in her department. Bain was prepared to get to the end of all these. If the heart or circulatory system had a problem, it would greatly affect the brain and all the activities Bain could possibly have planned out for the body.
Waiting for her to pick her phone, he flipped the report once again. His eyes suddenly caught the spleen’s red blood cell destruction report. It was alarmingly high, almost 8 times the usual number. What was going on? Bain did a quick mental calculation, trying to put the pieces together as a similar experience came to mind.
Malaria! Was the body about to have another malaria attack or a bout of something equally sinister?
Hart’s phone kept ringing, which even Bain knew was quite unusual. Hopefully, the commander of the circulatory system was still safe and had not been captured or disguised as a malaria agent. Perhaps on other occasions, that thought would have been amusing; but on this one, Bain felt slightly concerned. Hart was so dedicated and had an intense love for her cells that she could decide to don on battle gear and go deep into battle herself just to end all the trouble. She always needed someone to restrain her and it was his duty to keep her in check; at least for the sake of the body as a whole.
Picking his phone again and dialling her number, it took two rings before she finally picked it.
‘Commander’, she said.
Bain thought he sensed a strain in her voice but dismissed it. Hart knew what she had signed up for and another case of malaria was not likely to knock her out.
‘Commander Hart,’ Bain responded, ‘I’ve just seen your report. It came in late.’ He paused for a response; Hart said nothing. ‘I expected you to say something,’ Bain continued, eyebrows raised.
‘I do apologise, Commander Bain,’ Hart finally said,’ we’ve been having some challenges in the department; that’s why there was a delay.’
‘Challenges? Really? What kind of challenges?’
‘Malaria agents are in again, and they are taking over red blood cell bodies and moving through different areas without close monitoring. It’s quite difficult differentiating disguised malaria agents from real red blood cells but we are doing the best we can. We should have everything under control soon’.
Bain sighed. This was just so like Hart, trying to put everything under control without asking for help even if it meant burning the whole house down, just so that her department didn’t look incapable. Bain quickly took a look at the hypothalamus report – temperature levels were beginning to rise. The malaria parasites’ rupturing of the red blood cells was beginning to take effect, and he was sure the malaria agents were very pleased with their progress.
‘Are the white blood cells on alert?’ he asked.
‘Everyone is on alert, Commander Bain. Every single body defence cell is on guard. We are doing our best to curtail the advancement of these malaria agents. We will make sure they do not get to the brain,’ Hart responded in her usual matter-of-fact manner.
‘I’m sure you will,’ Bain said, slightly reassured. ’Keep me posted and let me know if you need anything.’
‘I will,’ Hart said before Bain ended the call.
If Bain had heard Hart’s next set of orders as she stared at the depressing events on the monitor, he probably would have considered the option of asking the mother-body for help.
‘The malaria parasites are advancing quicker than expected. Alert the cells in the nervous system – no intruder crosses to the brain!’
Dr. Yemi Sanusi is a medical doctor with a Master’s in Business Administration degree from Lagos Business School. A certified management consultant and founder of Heritage for Health and Habitat Initiative (H3Initiative), she loves writing and hopes to make positive changes through her works. She is the author of ‘Heads and Tales’, a medical fiction on malaria as well as the e-book ‘A Woman of Honour’ which is dedicated to all the fighters of Ebola.
