Green Flies

By Maria Magdalena Bhoernomo

Green flies the size of ostriches swarmed around Mangga Dua trading center in Jakarta, droning like the sound of planes. "Look, giant flies," shouted someone in front of an electronics shop, startling those around him.

Suddenly, everyone in the trading center smelled the stink, like the fetid odor of a dead rat. Disgusting. Everybody pinched their noses, but their eyes watched the meandering green flies, which then flew off into the distance.

"Green flies as big as ostriches," a demonstrator shouted in the middle of a group crowding the traffic circle in front of Hotel Indonesia. The demonstrators stared at the giant flies buzzing around the traffic circle but then their noses caught the horrible smell.

They put their hands on their noses and their faces contorted, showing their disgust. Unexpectedly, the green flies landed on the street, causing a severe traffic jam.

All TV stations rushed to provide live broadcasts about the green flies the size of ostriches at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle that had caused a traffic jam.

They interviewed economic, social and military observers about the emergence of the giant flies. TV stations also broadcast the comments of several members of the political elite and the presidential spokesmen via telephone.

"The emergence of green flies is a signal from God that the present government is rotten and needs replacement," said a political observer.

"Putrefaction is found in all sectors, particularly the economic sector. It is reasonable, therefore, that so many green flies as big as ostriches have emerged," an economic observer commented.

"It is now the time for such green flies to appear. It looks strange as they are about the size of ostriches, but if we observe horizontal conflicts in several areas that have claimed a lot of victims, we should not be surprised by the presence of those giant flies," intoned a social observer.

"They may come from conflict areas, where they have been satisfied with food, which has made them very fat, as big as ostriches. Their presence in Jakarta today may signal that severe violence will break out in the capital city again in the near future."

Even the military had their say.

"The presence of giant flies may be a warning joke from God as the country is no longer peaceful today. There are murders claiming a lot of victims, but no significant measures have been taken. People have become accustomed to seeing dead bodies everywhere."

"With the emergence of green flies, the President should resign soon. God may have sent the green flies now roaming in downtown Jakarta," said a member of the House of Representatives (DPR).

"The political elite should be aware soon that our political performance is repugnant or even loathsome, which has caused the presence of green flies in Jakarta," added another House member.

"Therefore, they should end their political conflicts. Let the president accomplish the tasks till the end of the tenure!"

"If the President refuses to withdraw from his position, I am afraid the country will be under the domination of green flies," a member of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) remarked.

The presidential spokesman refused to accept the demand.

"The President will not act like a coward by withdrawing from the presidency only because of the presence of green flies. The President may even suspect that the emergence of green flies results from a political conspiracy to topple him from power."

The direct broadcast of the presence of green flies in Jakarta by all TV stations captivated the public. People gossiped with each other about the giant flies.

"Those green flies are U.S. made. They bring dangerous viruses. The stink following the emergence of those green flies may come from a toxic gas or a chemical weapon that can damage the nervous system of people who smell it," some surmised.

"Evil spirits sent by shaman have transformed themselves into green flies to create traffic jams in Jakarta so as to prevent students from launching demonstrations besieging the State Palace," others said.

"Those green flies are only toys made by students and intentionally spread around Hotel Indonesia traffic circle to mock the political elite and the President, who are considered depraved," yet others said.

All the gossip left the public confused. Some people believed it but others regarded it as nonsense. Those who believed the gossip revealed prejudices they considered logical, but those regarding it all as ludicrous preferred to remain silent.

People watched TV images showing the DPR-MPR building and the State Palace, which looked like dead carrion swarmed over by millions of green flies.

Giant green flies also emerged in big cities like Bandung, Semarang, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Denpasar, Makassar, Jayapura, Pontianak, Medan and Banda Aceh. Their number kept increasing, accompanied by that awful odor, as if Indonesia had become a decaying, rotten state.

"Green flies also devastate paddy fields all over Indonesia," newspaper headlines said. Farmers throughout Indonesia became restless. They strived to eradicate green flies using insecticide, but the insects were resistant.

"We must kill those green flies. Their flesh may be delicious," shouted a farmer amid his fellow farmers in the rice fields. They tried to catch the green flies, which were tame and easily taken.

But farmers who caught the green flies immediately vomited because of the odor. They cursed as they quickly let the flies go.

"Damn flies, rotten flies," they pronounced.

Children also tried to catch the green flies, but, strangely, they did not smell the stink. They played with the green flies. It seemed the flies did not smell bad to children.

Adults followed children's behavior by catching the green flies and playing with them. Surprisingly, the green flies no longer smelled bad because they were caught to play with, not to be killed.

Then, everybody became absorbed in playing with green flies. They treated the green flies like doves by catching the flies and then releasing them and letting those insects fly in the air, accompanied by their clapping and cheerful shouts.

Women who did not play with green flies and were even not interested in catching the flies preferred to sit and watch TV, which broadcast news from Jakarta. They could see the President and Cabinet ministers playing with green flies in the front yard of the State Palace as they clapped their hands cheerfully.

Then the TV reported a House special session, which was full of gaiety as all the participants applauded and laughed cheerfully while watching a green fly as big as an ostrich wearing a suit with a necktie and donning the national cap of the peci as it delivered a speech from the speaker's platform.

Unfortunately, the fly used animal language that could not be translated into Indonesian or other human languages. Still, everybody laughed.