106 | 1st Place

Fly away with your tiny wings, my Charon. No monkey-business for me anymore. Flee, for pain is yellow, and death is human.

This story tied for 1st place in our 48 HOUR FLASH FICTION CONTEST. There’s an outbreak of yellow fever in southeastern Brazil, and people are clubbing infected monkeys to death, mistaking the victims for the vectors—the mosquitoes. Researchers are investigating whether the outbreak is linked to Rio Doce (river) pollution caused by the Samarco’s dam collapse in 2015, which destabilized the ecosystem. The dam collapse, an event also known as the Mariana tragedy, is considered the worst environmental disaster in Brazilian history.

//Rodrigo Assis Mesquita @RGMesquita is a mostly strong-willed SFF writer from Brazil.//